Our writer Chris Maher caught up with 2016 National Road Series Champion Nikki Juniper of Team Ford EcoBoost after her win at the Ryedale GP. Click below to listen.
Nikki Juniper National Road Series Champ 2016 by Cycling Shorts
Our writer Chris Maher caught up with 2016 National Road Series Champion Nikki Juniper of Team Ford EcoBoost after her win at the Ryedale GP. @TeamFordEB @junipernikki @britishcycling @CyclingShortsUK @chrismaher_UK
©Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com – The Rigmar Racers’ Callum Skinner wins Gold in the Men’s 1000m Time Trial final.
Results from day two of competition at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester where Jess Varnish successfully defended her 500m time trial title and Callum Skinner became national kilometre time trial champion. There were also gold medals for Jonathan Gildea in the para-cycling pursuit (C1-5 mixed) and Lora Turnham and Corrine Hall (pilot) (Matrix Fitness – Vulpine) in the para-cycling pursuit (BVI mixed).
Women’s 500m Time Trial
Gold: Jessica Varnish (Team V-Sprint Racing) 34.419
Silver: Victoria Williamson (VC Norwich) 34.897
Bronze: Katy Marchant (Unattached) 35.012
Men Kilometre Time Trial
Gold: Callum Skinner (The Rigmar Racers) 1.01.843
Silver: Matthew Crampton (Srint-Team) 1.02.636
Bronze: Matthew Rotherham (Sportcity Velo) 1.03.497
Para-cycling Pursuit
C1-5 Mixed
Gold: Jonathan Gildea (Seamons CC) 4.49.589 (factored time 4.49.589)
Silver: Jaco van Gass (Team Battle Back) 5.05.162 (factored time 5.00.798)
Bronze: Louis Rolfe (Cambridge CC) 4.13.464 (factored time 5.02.433)
BVI Mixed
Gold: Lora Turnham and Corrine Hall (pilot) (Matrix Fitness – Vulpine) 3.39.860 (factored time 4.17.119)
Silver: Rhiannon Henry (Abergavenny RC) and Lauryn Therin (pilot) (Bonito Squadra Corse) 3.49.629 (factored time 4.28.122)
Bronze: Steve Bate and Adam Duggleby (pilot) (Wheelbase MGD) 4.30.313 (factored time 4.30.313)
The championships continue tomorrow and over the weekend. Tickets are still available for a selection of sessions across Friday 26 – Sunday 28 September at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/britishcycling
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Emily Kay takes on the Champions LtoR: Any Pieters, Emily Kay, Lizzie Armistead – Image © www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Emily on the podium at the beginning of her run as DHL Future Stars Champion – ©2010 Anna Magrath/Cycling Shorts.
DHL Future Stars Process
Emily has been a part of the DHL process right from the start. “I started off with the DHL Sprint School,” she explains, “then moved up to the DHL Future Stars, and now I’m riding with the best riders in the world. So, I suppose that’s proof that the system works. It’s great to get the opportunity to race against the likes of Marianne Vos and Lizzie Armitstead too.”
The Elimination Race
“I usually prefer to ride the elimination race from the front, riding at my own pace, but tonight was totally different. I found it slower than I was expecting, but it meant that I had to try different tactics than I’d use normally. But obviously
Revolution 36 – Emily graduates – final podium as a DHL Future Stars after three years domination – speaking to Hugh Porter – ©2012 Anna Magrath/Cycling Shorts.
this is a good stage to try things out on.”
Her tactics obviously worked, with a seventh in the Elimination Race.
The Scratch Race
Emily had said at the outset of the night that her main aim was to sit on Marianne Vos’s wheel at some point. In actual fact, during the Scratch race, Vos was sat on Emily’s wheel during the scratch race. Katie Colclough went off the front with a few laps to go, and it wasn’t until about two laps to go that Vos tried to close the gap, although Colclough held her off to take the win. Emily Kay stayed with Vos and tried to outsprint her on the line for second, eventually coming a close third to Vos’s second.
The Points Race
I asked Emily how the racing compared to the DHL Future Stars events. “Riding the domestic events, you find that you race against the same people all of the time and you tend to use the same tactics,” she said. “Riding at the Junior World Championships you get to ride with other people who you wouldn’t necessarily get to compete against ordinarily, this is just a step up from that. I’m really enjoying it though”.
Emily stayed with the bunch over the course of the points race, placing in one of the sprints. Ellen Van Dyck was the eventual winner, with Vos third.
©Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
Men’s Team Pursuit
GOLD – Denmark (FOLSACH, HANSEN, NIELSEN, QUAADE) – 4:01.289
SILVER – Germany (BEYER, BOMMEL, REINHARDT, THIELE) – OVL
BRONZE – Belgium (DE KETELE, DE BUYST, DE PAUW, VAN HOECKE) – 4:06.951
Denmark took GOLD in the Men’s Team Pursuit Final, beating Germany convincingly to win the first gold medal of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Glasgow. Germany lost two riders which gave Denmark the chance to catch their opponents finishing with a time of 4:01.289.
Spain and Belgium faced each other in the bronze medal shoot out on the track, both evenly matched. Spain was the first team to make a mistake as Spain went down to three riders, giving Belgium an immediate advantage. Spain never recovered from their error, resulting in Belgium taking the bronze medal with a time of 4.06.951.
The big shock of the day came in the qualifying when the relatively inexperienced Great Britain team crashed out earlier in the day, with Owain Doull the only rider to stay on his bike as Sam Harrison, Joe Kelly and World Champion Andrew Tennant crashed onto the boards.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
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Women’s Team Sprint
GOLD – Great Britain (VARNISH, JAMES) – 33.428
SILVER – Spain (CALVO BARBERO, CASAS ROIGE) – 34.102
BRONZE – France (CLAIR, MONTAUBAN) – 34.197
Jess VARNISH and Becky JAMES won Great Britain’s first gold medal of the competition, riding a great race to take gold against Spain in a time of 33.428. James replaced the retired Victoria PENDLETON and she and Varnish brought the packed Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome crowd to their feet with a fine ride. This was the second World Cup win for the pair who took gold in the first round in Cali last month and are already proving themselves on the road to Rio 2016.
The bronze medal race saw France and Russia go head-to-head. The race was tipped to be close but France edged out Russia for the medal with a fine performance on track.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
===
Women’s Team Pursuit
GOLD – Great Britain (TROTT, BARKER, KING) – 3:21.043
SILVER – Australia (ANKUDINOFF, CURE, HOSKINS) – 3:22.026
BRONZE – Belarus (SHARAKOVA, DYLKO, PAPKO) – 3:25.737
The two big rivals went head to head in the Women’s team pursuit. The race was a closely fought in the early stages but Great Britain started to pull away at the later stages, gaining a narrow lead over their rivals. The Great Britain trio featured two of the Olympic gold medal winning squad in Laura Trott and Dani King alongside British Cycling Olympic Academy Programme rider 18 year old Elinor Barker.
In the bronze medal race Lithuania always had a lot of work to do if they hoped to beat Belarus. The pattern was set early with Belarus starting well and leaving too big a gap to the Lithuanians to close. Belarus took the bronze medal and lead the standings after two rounds of the series.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
===
Men’s Team Sprint
GOLD – Germany (ENDERS, FOERSTEMANN, BOETTICHER) – 43.887
SILVER – Great Britain (HINDES, KENNY, CLANCY) – 44.175
BRONZE – France (PALMA, SIREAU, LAFARGUE) – 44.803
Germany won Gold in the Men’s Team Sprint, beating Great Britain in the final. Germany’s performance was just too good for the Olympic Champions who took silver in Ed Clancy’s first race since making the transition from endurance to sprint to fill the place of Sir Chris Hoy’s in the new-look team.
Bronze medal went to France who beat Poland.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
===
Women’s 500m TT
GOLD – Belarus (PANARINA) – 34.121
SILVER – Germany (VOGEL) – 34.318
BRONZE – Spain (CALVO BARBERO) – 34.451
The Women’s 500m Time Trial race saw Olga PANARINA take gold with Germany’s Kristina VOGEL taking silver and Spain’s Tania CALVO BARBERO taking bronze. Fresh from winning gold in the Team Sprint Great Britain’s Jess Varnish took to the track again, this time finishing 6th.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
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Men’s Scratch Race
GOLD – Switzerland (MARGUET, Tristan)
SILVER – Ireland (IRVINE, Martyn)
BRONZE – Netherlands (EEFTING, Roy)
The race saw a lot of movement in the initial stages with a number of break-out groups through the race. With 23 laps to go, the group came back together with nobody able to get a decent amount of daylight between themselves and the main pack. No one seemed able to make that move that would separate themselves from the pack. Great Britain’s Simon YATES was involved in a number of attempted break away packs. With 15 laps to go another breakout group tried to break away from the peloton but in the end it came down to a sprint which was won by Tristan MARGUET from Switzerland. Martyn IRVINE from Ireland was hugely committed through the entire race and was rewarded with silver. In the bronze medal place was Roy Eefting of the Netherlands.
===
Men’s Omnium
Omnium I – Flying Lap
Rank 1 Germany (LISS) – 13.252
Rank 2 Switzerland (BEER) – 13.349
Rank 3 Australia (O’SHEA) – 13.354
Omnium II – Points Race 30km
Rank 1 Australia (O’SHEA)
Rank 2 France (BRISSE)
Rank 3 Netherlands (VELDT)
Omnium III – Elimination Race
Rank 1 Spain (ELORRIAGA ZUBIAUR)
Rank 2 Australia (O’SHEA)
Rank 3 Czech Republic (RYBIN)
Overall standings after 3 events
Rank 1 Spain (ELORRIAGA ZUBIAUR)
Rank 2 Germany (LISS)
Rank 3 Switzerland (BEER)
The crowd were treated to some great action during the first three of six Omnium events on Day 1 of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Glasgow.
Germany’s Lucas Liss drew first blood, posting the fastest time (13.252) in the Flying Lap. Next up was the 30km Points Race which was won by current World Champion Glenn O’Shea of Australia. O’Shea narrowly missed out on a second win as he was outsprinted by Spain’s Unai ELORRIAGA ZUBIAUR on the final lap of the Elimination Race.
ELORRIAGA ZUBIAUR, who now leads the Omnium at the midway stage. The German, LISS, is in second overall with BEER in third. Great Britain’s Jon Dibben lies in 11thoverall.
BBC Broadcast Times
As an asthma sufferer, albeit one who hasn’t had many problems in the last 8 years or so, I recently had a routine check up at the local GP practice. Taking a peak expiratory flow test, I recorded a breath volume – essentially a derivative of lung capacity – about 1/3 below that of the average 18 year old of my height.
A peak expiratory flow (PEF) test is undertaken on a peak flow meter, with a sliding dial which moves further up the measurement tab the harder you blow. I remember from reading It’s Not About the Bike that Lance Armstrong went off the scale in a PEF test, blowing the dial to the very end of the meter despite having just finished his first session of chemo. Now I know what you’re all thinking, but however you look at it and whatever you think of the guy, Lance’s athletic credentials can’t be disputed. For reference, I got the dial up to about halfway.
Lance is by no means the only cyclist with extraordinary lungs. Miguel Indurain, for example, had a lung capacity measuring 8 litres, which is 30% larger than that of the average man. 30%! Larger lungs means you can simply breathe in more oxygen. More oxygen means more oxygenated blood, which in turn means more red blood cells. More red blood cells means a higher aerobic threshold. Any cyclist with a basic knowledge of a ramp test or a time trial knows what this means. Simply, you can ride faster for longer. Other methods of obtaining more red blood cells include altitude training, or taking performance enhancing drugs such as the red blood cell booster EPO, showing the natural advantage possessed by riders with enormous lungs. It’s hardly surprising that Big Mig was such a dominant rider.
This suggests that in the same way as Usain Bolt has an incredibly rich supply of fast twitch muscle fibres and Jenson Button has reaction and reflex times dwarfing those of standard people, the best cyclists are physiologically perfectly matched to the sport we love. The one downside to this discovery is that I now realise that my poor lung capacity renders me as unsuited to flying up mountains with Froome & co. as Dawn French is physically unsuited to the High Jump. Okay, maybe not quite that unsuited, but the point still stands. Whilst it is impossible to ignore that dedication and application are of fundamental importance in obtaining athletic success, that genetics play a massive part in selecting our sporting champions is also undisputable.
Lucy Martin Reaching Summit of Shayley Brow Training for 2012 Lotto-Decca Tour – © Paul Francis Cooper
On the first Sunday of the London Olympic Games, years of anticipation, hope and preparation came to fruition for Lucy Martin. As a member of Great Britain’s Women’s Olympic Road Race team, with Emma Pooley and Nicole Cooke, she gave her all on a treacherous, rain soaked, Box Hill Circuit, delivering a well orchestrated plan to help the team’s fourth member, Lizzie Armitstead, to take silver on the Mall and Great Britain’s first medal of the Games.
In so doing, she became the second cycling Olympian from her hometown of Widnes, Cheshire, since John Geddes secured bronze on the Melbourne track as part of a GB team pursuit team, which included Mike Gambrill, Don Burgess and nineteen-year old Tom Simpson in the 1956 Olympics.
Representing her country in the home Olympics marks the highest point so far in Martin’s cycling career, which started when she was fifteen years old, her potential spotted by British Cycling’s talent identification team on a visit to her secondary school. Although she had competed as a club swimmer and school runner, she had never before been involved in cycling, and, doubting that she could meet British Cycling requirements, almost missed the vital assessment session because of a timetable clash with another subject.
Recruited into the junior talent development team, she joined the Olympic Development Programme after winning the National Junior Road Race Championship in 2008.
Now an established professional women’s road racer based in Girona, Spain, with what she describes as the dream-like experience of taking part in the home Olympics behind her, she is very aware that the time is right to focus on new athletic and career targets.
Image © Paul Francis Cooper
I joined her on Lancashire’s lanes whilst she was out on a training ride in preparation for last weekend’s Belgian three-day stage race, the Lotto-Decca Tour. And she told me. “My three-weeks in the Olympic village were amazing – I had to pinch myself as I rubbed shoulders with the world’s greatest, like Usain Bolt. The crowds and excitement of the road race, and Lizzie winning the medal will stay with me forever. But coming home to my family in Widnes has been a really welcome chance to calm down and plan for the future.”
The third stage of the Lotto-Decca Tour involves two ascents of the Kapelmur Cobble, infamous as a regular feature in the Tour of Flanders. And Lucy’s training session took in an impressively fast ascent of Billinge’s Shayley Brow, which, with its 14% maximum gradient, is also a regular lung-tester for St Helens pro-rider Jonny McEvoy (Endura Racing) and Liverpool’s Mark McNally (An Post Sean-Kelly), regular winter training partners of Lucy when the three friends are home from racing and training abroad.
And her work on Shayley Brow went to good use in the tough final stage of the Lotto-Decca on Monday. Chasing an early break, she pulled hard at the front of the bunch for much of the stage, providing strong support for her team’s sprinter, Holland’s Kirsten Wild, who narrowly missed a podium placing with a bravely contested, but frustrating, fourth general classification position.
In career terms, Lucy’s next major target is to negotiate a new professional contract, having learned recently that her current team, AA Drinks-Leontein.nl, (which also includes Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Pooley and GB National Road Race winner, Sharon Laws on its team-list) will lose its sponsor at the end of the season.
Eyeing a number of options for 2013, she is hoping for greater interest in women’s cycling and the personal opportunity to switch from her current, mainly support, position to a team role in which she will be able to chase her own podium places more regularly.
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