Hayden Godfrey provided the perfect ending to New Zealand's campaign in Manchester yesterday, when he won the gruelling omnium, a series of five sprint and endurance events.
He became the first New Zealand male track rider to earn a world championships rainbow jersey since Greg Henderson won the scratch race four years ago in Melbourne.
The omnium, which features a sprint, scratch race, individual pursuit, points race and 1km trial, was reintroduced to the world championships programme last year when Godfrey was injured and unable to compete.
A year's wait was rewarded yesterday as he recorded a win in the scratch race, one third, two fourths and a seventh placing.
He won with 19 points, ahead of Australian silver medallist Leigh Howard on 28 and Aliaksandr Lisonski, of Belarus, on 35.
Godfrey provided New Zealand's only podium finish at the championships but BikeNZ team manager Craig Adair reemphasised the squad was following a carefully considered plan to peak for the start of the track programme at the Olympics on August 15.
Great Britain deliberately focused on its home event and duly dominated with an unprecedented nine gold medals.
New Zealand was happy to take a back seat, however. Likewise Australia, a traditional powerhouse in the velodrome.
Australia did not win a gold during the five-day programme but can be expected to mount a much sterner challenge in Beijing.
Adair is bullish about New Zealand's squad also making an impact. ‘‘We're not peaking yet. This is a slow build to Beijing,'' he said.
‘‘The English specifically targeted this because it's their home town. They're going to taper off now and come back again. We don't believe that's the way to go".
Apart from Godfrey, Adair was delighted with the performance of Hayden Roulston in the individual pursuit and the team pursuit quartet of Roulston, San Bewley, Marc Ryan and Westley Gough, who clocked a New Zealand record time of four minutes 00.8333 seconds in qualifying.
While a world championships in Olympic year routinely finalise team selection, cycling's process is more convoluted and New Zealand will not have its team confirmed until the end of April.
The sport's governing body, UCI, is still to designate exactly how many spots are available to countries although Adair said the team pursuit, both individual pursuits - Roulston and Alison Shanks - plus the Madison combination of Roulston and Henderson - were assured.
Catherine Cheatley is a possibility in the points race although a 21st placing in Manchester did not help her cause.
The New Zealanders return home tomorrow and maintain training ahead of a final selection trial in Invercargill on Anzac Day weekend.
