Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Sideline Sid was genuinely excited when he read about a leg of the Cycling World Cup, arriving at the Avantidrome in Cambridge, just before Christmas this year.

The UCI Track Cycling World Cup is a key event within the UCI Track Cycling calendar, bowing only to the Olympic Games and World Championships in prestige.

The annual series is open to national teams who compete over a number of track cycling disciplines. The World Cup trophy is presented to the nation with the greatest number of points in each discipline, at the end of the final round of the series.

The Waikato Cycling Stadium wasn't built without some controversy – especially outside the Waikato.

With regions such as the Western Bay of Plenty being asked to stump up money to build a world class cycling venue, there was plenty of negative talk about why we should contribute to a Waikato facility.

With the Avantidrome built and up and running, the reality is that we have a world-class sporting venue on our doorstep, that has attracted one of the biggest cycling meets in the world.

Cycling New Zealand will host the second of the three UCI Track Cycling World Cups for the 2015/16 season at the Avantidrome from December 4-6.

With the world cycling spotlight on Cambridge, the World Cup intensity will reach red hot proportions, as the world's best build up to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

With cycling looming as a potential medal winner for New Zealand in Rio, there will be unprecedented interest in the performances of what is likely to be a large Kiwi team.

While Sideline Sid would walk over hot coals to be at the World Cup in December, there is one thing better than being a spectator at a world-class sporting event – that is to be a volunteer.

During November 2010, Sid was lucky enough to be selected as a volunteer at the World Rowing Championships held at Lake Karapiro, which is not much more than a stone's throw from the Cambridge indoor cycling track.

As part of the social media team we were stationed at the front end of the Don Rowland's centre, overlooking the finish line.

The real attraction of being part of the local volunteer media crew was that we got to sit alongside and talk to the FISA (International Rowing Federation) Media team, who came from the other side of the world.

Sitting just back from the finishing line on the Media Centre grandstand, we were given the opportunity to be immersed in emotions of success and disappointment, as the crews punched out the last few metres of each race.

The men's pair final must rank as one of the most exciting events that the grey-haired sports nut has ever seen. Kiwis Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, who had just won their sixth world crown at the 2015 WRC, squared off with their (then) arch rivals from Great Britain.

The Great Britain pair shot out of the blocks, and served it up to the Kiwis leading all the way, before the New Zealanders dug deep in front of the large parochial crowd. To the chant of "KIWI, KIWI, KIWI," they surged past the gallant challengers to grab gold.

To say that the large band of New Zealand supporters went crazy is a understatement, as Eric Murray and Hamish Bond left not a drop of urgency in their boat, to beat there fierce rivals for a World title at home.

My advice to any Western Bay sports fan is that if you get the opportunity to volunteer at a sporting event, take it with both hands, as you often get an opportunity to get close-up and personal to the athletes and officials.