On yer bike, Kiwis.

New Zealand's quest for medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which starts on Friday, is again expected to be based around the cycling team.

The country's athletes claimed 46 medals at the previous Games on the Gold Coast in Australia four years ago. More than a third of those medals came on two wheels, spread among the track, road and mountain bike disciplines.

To surpass the collection of 15 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze medals from 2018 – one better than the 45 medals claimed at Glasgow 2014 – might be asking a little too much.

But it seems inevitable New Zealand's cyclists will be prominent, even after a report about Cycling NZ's high performance programme released in May detailed a culture of 'medals before process”, a lack of transparency and accountability around selection and recruitment, and an environment where gender biases are prevalent.

Hayden Wilde will lead the NZ triathlon charge in Birmingham. Photo: Supplied/ Triathlonlive.tv.

The bike will feature for Bay of Plenty local Hayden Wilde, with the 2021 Olympics men's triathlon bronze medallist in outstanding form since as he prepares to tackle fellow leading lights Alex Yee and Jonny Brownlee of England.

Veteran sprinter Sam Webster will also be looking to add to his collection of seven Commonwealth Games gongs while the women's sprint group includes Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ellesse Andrews and BMX semifinalist Rebecca Petch.

Campbell Stewart and Aaron Gate will head the men's track endurance charge for medals while Bryony Botha looms as a big chance in the women's individual pursuit after breaking the national record four times over the summer.

Patrick Bevin, 10th in the Olympic time trial last year, heads the men's road team and claimed a stage win on the Tour of Romandie at the end of April after winning the Tour of Turkey, while the women's team includes the world's top ranked young rider of 2021, Niamh Fisher-Black – fresh off a career-best performance – fellow young stars Mikayla Harvey and Ella Harris and Gold Coast road race silver medallist Georgia Williams.

The men's mountain biking race provided the most dramatic action of the Gold Coast Games for New Zealanders when Sam Gaze headed home Anton Cooper in a heated Kiwi 1-2, with both riders lining up again in Birmingham, although Cooper is under an injury cloud after a crash last weekend.

New Zealand will also be courting a collection of medals via the squash team headed by Paul Coll and Joelle King.

Coll is the current men's world No.2 and will be favoured to go one better than his silver from the Gold Coast while King, ranked No.5, won three medals in 2018, including singles gold and mixed doubles bronze with Coll.

New Zealand will be defending the women's and men's sevens rugby titles, with the Black Ferns also adding Olympic gold last year, while the Black Sticks women's hockey side claimed a long sought-after triumph on the Gold Coast while their men's counterparts took silver behind Australia.

In other team events, the Silver Ferns will be out to banish memories of a horror medal-less netball campaign in 2018 while the White Ferns will want to improve on their disappointing World Cup showing in the women's cricket Twenty20 competition.

In the pool, Lewis Clareburt and Erika Fairweather are expected to contend for medals in their Individual Medley and freestyle events respectively while Dame Sophie Pascoe will contest just the sole para swimming event.

Tom Walsh will start as a short-priced favourite to repeat his men's shot put Gold Coast win after finishing fourth at the world champs behind an all-US podium while 2018 champ Julia Ratcliffe and Lauren Bruce will provide a two-pronged attack on the women's hammer throw medals.

Hamish Kerr leapt into the spotlight in the men's high jump final in Tokyo and showed that wasn't a flash in the pan with a bronze medal at this year's world indoor champs, while Maddi Wesche and Olivia McTaggart are set to emerge from the shadows of Dame Valerie Adams and Eliza McCartney. Wesche delivered a personal best in the women's shot put at the world champs to finish seventh and should battle Canada's Sarah Mitton for gold in Birmingham.

While one big David has been ruled out through injury, another will seek a repeat gold when David Liti gets to toss tin with the big boys, while lawn bowls will expect a better return than one medal (gold) in 2018.

The Games always throws up a surprise gong or two, with the men's 3x3 basketballers a possibility to leap out of the pack in Birmingham.