by Nick Dey | Dec 12, 2012
The Obree Way
a Training Manual for cyclists
by Graeme Obree.
Edited & Produced by: Maximise Marketing & Event Ltd & obree.com
£30 for A4 hardback
£4.64 for Amazon Kindle Edition (at time of writing)
“Training is bad for you! Training followed by rest and proper nutrition is good for you and will make you better prepared for the event you are training for.” Graeme Obree.
This manual sees the legendary Graeme Obree taking his own unique, and forgive the hyperbole, scientifically holistic, approach to the concept of training, performance and the science within – in all its forms. It is full of deep insights and ideas, the sort you that make sense as soon as you read them. If anyone has the passion, intelligence and focus to both follow this path and to achieve their goals it is Graeme. After all, as the great Robert Millar states ‘he’s got the t-shirt’. Rugby great, John Beattie, sums it up best in his forward when he says, ‘this training manual is different. It makes the complex simple and is for social cyclist as much as the elite. As you read it you hear a great mind at work, thinking the issues through. Issues easily applied to sports other than cycling.’
‘The knowledge here is extraordinary.’ John Beattie, British & Irish Lions.
This is a practical guide for cyclists new and experienced and is well served by thoughtful use of illustrations (by Elliot McIntosh, a student at Dundee University), photographs and quotes. Obree describes the book as his personal modus operandi. As much an attempt to add clarity to the often contradictory advice flooding the sport as an objective manual for the aspiring champion. Obree does offer many opinions, often based purely on his own experiences (sample size of one), but to his credit he states clearly when this is the case and usually offers a deeper insight into the formation of such statements. If only more health & fitness writers took this approach then the seemingly daily bombardment of the anecdotal would be replaced by the evidence based, and we would all be a little clearer in our approach to smoother and faster riding.
‘I hope the advice I’d of use and can make a difference to readers in some small way.’ Graeme Obree.
The books consists of thirteen chapters, fifteen if you count the conclusion and photo gallery and starts with the often overlooked question ‘what is training?‘ Obree focuses on specificity to outcome but with greater thought and flexibility than is usual, with specific focus on recovery recognition – an area I for one have often made big mistakes in! He covers, often with uncomfortable truths thrown in, group rides, solo rides, indoor, outdoor, and what a cyclist needs to think about, recognise in themselves, and to do, in order to adapt and to improve physiologically. The psychological is strongly implied and is a recurring theme throughout – assess your strengths and weaknesses, constantly.
‘… I am, dispensing with commercial sponsorship (not for the first time) and by bringing you the truth as I have analysed it and used to have the success I have had in my career.’ Graeme Obree
The essence of Obree’s message is that training is an activity that once completed, including recovery, makes you better at the activity than before you underwent ‘training’. The rest of the book sets out to help you achieve this lofty goal.
First steps, chapter two, is where Obree describes his fascination with the measurable variables of training alongside the feel of both body and mind. It explains, following a positivist scientific methodology, the need to know your bike/turbo set up and to measure and monitor your performance. Dotted throughout this and all chapters are many little gems of knowledge. The puncture prevention tips are ones I wish I hadn’t had to learn the hard – and costly – way while pulling out thorns on the road from Wigan to Ecclestone!
Chapter three focuses on bike set up; very useful geometry and equipment choices are laid out in terms of your realistic aspirations as a cyclist – reliability and cost… Ok, aerodynamics too!
‘Light, strong, cheap. Choose any two!’ Graeme Obree
Chapter four, The Turbo Session, is Obree’s homage to the equipment, the systematic, the psychological (again) and the preparation needed to perform better than you have before. As ever, there is an almost obsessive focus on on the details of performance setting, analysis and evaluation, but all presented like an affable coffee stop chat, and much better they are for this style too. Dare I say that ‘marginal gains’ may summarise the thinking here? Suddenly the thought of an hour or two on the turbo has new meaning. It has certainly helped me.
Chapter five, Training, is where I clearly felt the gulf between weekend warrior and serious, or elite, rider manifest itself. This is a chapter that is a must read if you want to improve and it certainly ticked a lot of the “I should be doing that” boxes that I have often found floating to the forefront of my thoughts while pootling about the Rhein-Sieg and Eifel (not forgetting the lanes of Essex and Wigan) but, usually, failed to implement with any consistency. I found the his critique of the seven-day training cycle very useful and have, well will (as soon as the snow melts), follow his advice as closely as I can.
“Fundamentally other riders want to talk to you on a two hour ride but the truth is if you can chat then you are wasting you time and [the] opportunity to improve.” Graeme Obree
Obree covers nutrition and hydration: pre, during and post ride, training frequency, intensity and recovery. There is a thought provoking focus on ‘real’ food as opposed to supplementation and training specificity.
Chapter six is is where Obree focus on the ubiquitous psychology of preparation. He emphasises the power of positive thinking and realistic, yet ambitious, goal setting. It is interesting to read about how Obree prepared himself mentally before some of his biggest races. However most of the psychology coved is in full agreement with current performance paradigms, think Dr. Steve Peters and his chimp paradox, but if it helps you then it is a chapter well read. One aspect Obree adds here is routine in thought processes. It’s what worked for him.
Chapter seven, the psychology of racing. As you are now aware the mind is a major player in Obree’s world. No Corinthian he. Prime motives are what are needed and it is the mind that separates the winners from the rest. A chapter for the elite racer lurking inside us all. However, much truth is written here that could benefit each and every reader, rider and racer. Visualisation played a key role in Obree’s own preparations and his rationale is explained in detail. More food for thought.
“A thought is like a thing. Everything you have and do began with a thought.” Graeme Obree
Breathing, chapter eight, is fascinating and presents a novel, at least to me, method of inhalation and exhalation when riding. Obree can be heard explaining this on Resonance FM’s Bike Show podcast from January 31, 2012. (Available via iTunes) I must admit to having had little success here – perhaps I’m always too out of breath to give it an honest go. Here’s the cycle, to give you taster, deep breath now…
– Full breath out (the most important part), Full breath in.
– half breath out, mostly breath back in.
– quarter breath out, breath back in a little.
I rarely get past the second step. Perhaps my nostril and tongue technique – also explained in the chapter – is lacking in finesse. I showed this chapter to a couple of yoga expert friends and both seemed rather impressed by the thinking, process and description. Practice makes prefect I guess… Back to the mat for me!
Chapter nine cover the act, possibly art, of pedalling. A fine chapter – it includes lots of physics so I would say that! The mystery of crank length is covered and then the best techniques to use to turn them, both in and out of the saddle are presented. The aim? To look a classy rider, oh and to improve performance.
Chapter ten is where I really feel somewhat the hypocrite through my own staggering lack of application: Stretching. All is explained from the perspective of specificity and four very useful – even I can, almost, do them – stretches are presented cover all all the major muscles used in cycling. Full colour photographs of Graeme in full stretch accompany the text.
The time trial, the race of truth, is covered, as you would expect, in minute detail in chapter eleven. Who better to learn from? The essence seems to be position, information gathering, set up, equipment selection, and rhythm. Perhaps I’ll try one, one day? They don’t hurt too much do they?
Chapter twelve sees a return to nutrition and diet. It contains a lot of good, solid sense and takes a traditional, real food approach. Obree seems to be no fan of the supplement – as his famous jam sandwich and mouthful marzipan tip will make clear. Cooking your own food from basic, healthy, ingredients is the theme, even down to the baking of your own low-sodium bread. Timing of refuelling is treated with care. Indeed, Obree treats nutrition planning as obsessively as he does training and bike set up. His success lends weight to his argument. You are what you eat.
Illness and other matters conclude the main chapters and includes minimising the chances of illness, when and when not to with and after illness, drinking and eating on the bike safely, hygiene – body and kit (several acquaintances of the road could well do with reading the kit bit!) The message is consistent with all other chapters – learn to listen, feel and respect what your body is telling you. No one would argue with its primary health care message.
The conclusion is best left to Graeme himself. His words neatly summarise the purpose of this novel, useful and, yes, fascinating, book
“Please trust me that this body of honest work is given in the best spirit, I have been the guinea-pig in e quest to refine my training on every level and I can commend it really does work. Knowledge and understanding is a constant quest. This book is not definitive and keeping an open mind on new findings and developments is not only a good thing but essential if you are serious in your search for new and better ways to improve your cycling and athletic performance.
Information is the golden thread throughout this book.
The more information you compile in relation to your preparation for any chosen event then the better prepared for your task you can become and this can make the difference between being a club rider and a world champion. My quest as an athlete was always to go into minute detail in the areas I could influence to affect the outcome to my advantage in terms of my performance. Trust me, if you take care in all aspects of your preparation and performance you will become an improved cyclist and perform better in your chosen discipline, if that is your goal.” Graeme Obree.
I’d give The Obree Way 99% for content, honesty and the fact it’s self-published!
Reviewed by: Nichiless ‘Nicky’ Dey.
Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, Germany
by Anna Magrath | Dec 4, 2012
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Lizzie, Jo & Marianne are greet by the crowd – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
The girls took over the track on Saturday with a combination of World, Olympic and Junior champions in the mix.
We decided to unleash our female writers from the Cycling Shorts office.
I attended along with Heather and new recruit Annie. The dynamic duo concentrated on grabbing riders for interviews including the amazing Marianne Vos (coming soon). Paul Francis Cooper caught up with Lucy Martin (more following next week) while Tom Murray took to the boards fresh from his honeymoon. I asked Tom how he was feeling about the evening as he waited to sign in, “I’m not sure how my form will be tonight after my break, we’ll play it by ear”, he grinned.
This was the second meeting of the 2012 season and it wasn’t short of cycling stars. Lizzie Armistead (AA Drink – Leontien.nl), Jo Rowsell (Matrix Fitness-Prendas), Marianne Vos (riding for Rabobank) and Elinor Barker (Team USN) fresh from her World Cup win representing the best of the elite women’s world track and road cycling talent along with Junior World Champions Lucy Garner and Amy Roberts, and for the boys; Ed Clancy, Alex Dowsett, Steven Burke and Luke Rowe who was sporting a rather splendid moustache.
The evening got underway early with a special race of which we are not allowed to speak according to the announcement Hugh Porter made over the PA just after the race took place, it was almost too late as I was preparing a tweet, but I’m sure word got out somewhere, but we shall behave ourselves and reveal all nearer Christmas.
Elite Flying Lap:
There was a strong field in the men’s events but no one could match Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor Sharp), he took a time of 13.292, he was a fraction slower than the time he set at Revolution 37, Steven Burke riding for IG SigmaSport managed to clinch 2nd with a time of 13.901, a major improvement on his 14.149 in round one of the Revolution Series… Jon Dibben of Rouleur put in a time of 14.063 to take 3rd.
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Marianne Vos battles Lizzie Armistead – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Women’s Omnium – Elimination (Devil Scratch) Race:
Blink and you miss the action, in this format the riders were coming off every lap so keeping up was a nightmare, more so if you’re one of the riders. It was fast paced from the start and the 20 strong field weren’t intimidated by reputations. Jo Rowsell was the 7th rider to be eliminated, but she’s been unwell lately and wasn’t sure if she would be fully recovered in time to participate, it’s not the sort of event she regularly rides so I think she was saving herself for the head to head match later in the evening. The top 10 was full of promising young talent, proving we have depth in British women’s cycling at the moment. Lucy Garner (3rd), Amy Roberts (4th) and Emily Kay (7th) were all in the mix. Eventually it came down to a battle between Armistead and Vos, the fight we’d all been waiting for and Marianne showed her class beating Lizzie in the dying moments.
Click here to read Heather’s interview with Emily Kay from Revolution 38.
Heather & Annie’s interview with Marianne Vos.
DHL Future Stars Girls:
6 Lap Dash – The girls were out to impress with the focus of the night on the ladies, first up was the 6 Lap Dash where Emily Nelson (IG SigmaSport) decided to stamp her mark. Emily is in the hunt for the overall championship win so she really needed to gather some points over her rivals, and improved on her second place result of the first round result. Jessica Roberts [leader after round one] didn’t manage to stay with her only managing a 7th placing, Megan Barker and Sophie Capewell came in second and third respectively.
Points Race – In the Points race Emily Nelson struggled to get near the points in sprint one. The points went to Lucy Shaw (Rudy Project RT), Charlotte Broughton (Team Sky) and her team mate Grace Garner, Megan Barker mopped up the final points. Emily fought back in sprint two followed by Jess Roberts (Raleigh GAC) who seemed to be a little off form on the night, Holden (Maxgear) and Sophie Capewell (WD40). This meant that Shaw needed to win on the line in order to take it from Nelson. Unfortunately Lucy didn’t quite manage it, coming over the line second to Grace Garner (Team Sky), this meant Grace leapfrogged Lucy into 2nd place and Emily took the win. Thrilling race.
Scratch Race – Emily Nelson took control yet again and of the girls competition and won, with the Team Sky duo of Grace Garner and Charlotte Broughton in second and third respectively. This means that Emily Nelson is now leading the girls competition taking the jersey from Jessica Roberts.
Over the evening I noticed that this meet seems to have not only been about the girls but also about siblings, Lucy and Grace Garner both put in great performances in their elite and junior races, and younger siblings of previous DHL Future Stars are now starting to make their mark like Tom Rotherham who’s older brother Matt previously dominated DHL Future Stars races.
Coming soon – Heather’s interview with Emily Nelson & Paige Milward.
DHL Future Stars Boys:
Scratch Race – Stuart Balfour made a valiant attempt to lose the peloton and with a few laps to go it looked like he was going to succeed in staying away, but with two laps remaining he was caught. Tom Rotherham and Tristan Robbins stormed to the line, Tom took the victory by a wheel.
Points Race – In the boys points race Tom Rotherham crossed the finish line first but only took enough points to come 3rd (4 points). Second place went to Levi moody (6pts) and the winner with 8 points was Joe Evans.
6 Lap Dash – In the 6 Lap Dash Levi’s consistent results meant he pulled on the yellow future stars jersey at the end of the evening, taking it from Tristan Robbins who now lies in second place on the same number of points as Levi (138), it’s looking like a real battle for the boys this year with about five riders in the mix for the championship.
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – 1km Madison TT – Robert Bengsch & Marcel Kalz (Rudy Project RT) wind it up – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Elite 1km Madison Time Trial:
The Madison is always a crowd pleaser and the guys from Rudy Project love this race so you know they will always put in a great performance, and they did just that. Six teams came in under one minute and at the halfway point IG SigmaSport duo of Tom Murray and Steven Burke looked like they were going to be the ones to beat with a time of 59.239, Team Sky’s pairing of Alex Dowsett and Luke Rowe had only managed a time of 59.956 but with a couple of big names to come including Rudy Project and Rapha anything was possible. In the end the last three teams to take the board took the top spots. Rouleur (Jon Dibben & Sam Lowe) 3rd with 58.464, second place went to Rudy Project (Marcel Kalz & Robert Bengsch) in a time of 56.660, but the winners by over one second were the Rapha Condor Sharp pairing of Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant.
Elite Women’s Omnium – Scratch Race:
In the scratch race the competition was on from the start, no one was prepared to let the race lull. Emily Kay was on fire and prepared to take on the top riders, in the end she came away with 3rd, which when you look at the names in the peloton you have to admit she’s holding her own. Emily can provide a little turbo boost when she sprints for the line, but she was just beaten by Vos who took second. The race belonged to Katie Colclough (Specialzed-Lululemon) though who made a solo effort early on to take the win with Marianne and Emily gaining ground in the last few laps. Throughout the race Vos had sat on Emily’s wheel, which was amusing as Emily’s plan for the night was to sit on Marianne’s wheel. So I’m sure by the end of the evening they’d become very well acquainted with each other.
Elite Men’s Points Race:
The men returned to the track in the points race, Simon Yates (Maxgear Racing) took the first sprint, followed by Joe Kelly (FACE Partnership), Team Sky’s Alex Dowsett and Russell Downing (NetApp Endura). In sprint two Robert Bengsch (Rudy Project RT) took the top points, his team mate Marcel Kalz was caught in a British sandwich between Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor Sharp) and Luke Rowe (Team Sky) for the remainder. In sprint three Clancy won and that took him to the head of the points leader board, but unfortunately for him Luke Rowe also added to his tally which meant in the race for the line Rowe took the win with 9 points, Clancy pipped to the post with 8 and Simon Yates took 3rd place for Maxgear. Seems like Luke’s Movember Moustaches might be aerodynamic after all.
Women’s Team Pursuit – GB v Netherlands
This event was always going to be a close one and everyone was on the edge of their seats, the GB team consisted of Lizzie Armistead, Jo Rowsell and, Elinor Barker, they were up against the powerful combination of the Netherlands team; Marianne Vos, Amy Pieters and Ellen van Dijk. Opinion was divided in the media area who would be victorious as form was unknown for some riders. The British team seemed to get a better start than the Dutch team, but in the second lap the tenacious Marianne Vos took control of the race again as she got into her stride. It was all to play for in the final lap and GB battled wit their drop handlebar bikes to cross the line in a time of 2:28.216, just beating the Netherlands who came in with a time of 2:28.383.
Elite Elimination (Devil Scratch) Race:
The final two left standing after a thrilling race battled it out. The crowd gasped for a moment when Russ Downing swerved up to use the banking to jump Luke Rowe coming into the final lap, in his usual cheeky style, the move nearly worked culminating in a photo finish, but Luke took it by less than a quarter of a wheel.
Elite Scratch Race:
The scratch race got going and Alex Dowsett and Robert Bengsch lapped the peloton. First to the finishing line was Robert’s team mate Marcel Kalz securing him 3rd place but as the peloton came to the line it was Alex Dowsett who took glory and Bengsch had to settle for 2nd.
The Elite Men’s Team competition is still led by Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant for Rapha Condor Sharp.
Don’t forget to enter our howies Revolution T-Shirt Competition here:
Don’t forget you can catch the highlights show on ITV4 at 20:00hrs on Wednesday 05/12/2012 and afterwards on ITV Player in the UK, for those outside the UK you can watch an edited highlights show on the Revolution Series website and YouTube channel.
You can download the full event results in PDF format by clicking here.
Revolution Series 10, Round 3 is on 5th January at Manchester.
To find out more about the series and to grab one of the few remaining tickets left for the Finale of the season in February at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. www.cyclingrevolution.com
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Elite Men – Team Rapha Podium – Ed Clancy & Andy Tennant – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Elite Championship Standings after Round 2
1 Rapha Condor Sharp 125
2 Rudy Project RT 100
3 Rouleur 95
4 Sky Procycling 75
5 howies 68
6 Maxgear 68
7 WD40 56
8 IG-Sigma Sport 51
9 FACE 50
10 Sportscover 44
11 NetApp-Endura 40
12 Raleigh-GAC 8
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – DHL Future Stars Podium – Levi Moody & Emily Nelson – ©www.chrismaher.co.uk
1 Ed CLANCY Rapha Condor Sharp 61
2 John DIBBEN Rouleur 50
3 Simon YATES Maxgear Racing 44
4 Andy TENNANT Rapha Condor Sharp 40
5 Owain DOULL Howies 35
6 Christian GRASMANN Rudy Project RT 34
Future Stars Girls After Round 2
1 Emily NELSON IG Sigmasport 149
2 Jessica ROBERTS Raleigh GAC 133
3 Emily HAYCOX Howies 116
4 Ellie COSTER Howies 113
5 Beth HAYWARD Rapha Condor Sharp 108
6 Hannah BLOUNT Rudy Project RT 102
Future Stars Boys After Round 2
1 Levi MOODY Sportscover 138
2 Tristan ROBBINS Howies 138
3 Joe EVANS Rudy Project RT 112
4 Leon GLEDHILL Sportscover 108
5 James SHAW Sky Procycling 101
6 Jack HOYLE Rapha Condor Sharp 95
Race Results Revolution 38
Elite Mens Flying Lap
1 CLANCY Ed Rapha Condor Sharp 13.292
2 BURKE Steven IG Sigmasport 13.901
3 DIBBEN Jon Rouleur 14.063
4 KALZ Marcel Rudy Project RT 14.075
5 LATHAM Chris WD40 14.162
6 WOOD Oliver Sportscover 14.602
Elite Mens 1km Madison Time Trial
1 RAPHA-CONDOR-SHARP Rapha Condor Sharp 55.249
2 Rudy Project RT Rudy Project RT 56.660
3 ROULEUR Rouleur 58.464
4 IG Sigmasport IG Sigmasport 59.239
5 WD40 WD40 59.524
6 TEAM SKY Sky Procycling 59.956
Elite Mens Points Race
1 ROWE Luke Sky Procycling
2 CLANCY Ed Rapha Condor Sharp
3 YATES Simon Maxgear Racing
4 BENGSCH Robert Rudy Project RT
5 TENNANT Andy Rapha Condor Sharp
6 DOULL Owain Howies
Elite Mens Devil Elimination Race
1 ROWE Luke Sky Procycling
2 DOWNING Russell NetApp Endura
3 YATES Simon Maxgear Racing
4 DIBBEN Jon Rouleur
5 TENNANT Andy Rapha Condor Sharp
6 ATKINS George WD40
Elite Mens Scratch Race
1 DOWSETT Alex Sky Procycling
2 BENGSCH Robert Rudy Project R
3 KALZ Marcel Rudy Project RT
4 MOULD Jon Howies
5 TENNANT Andy Rapha Condor Sharp
6 LATHAM Chris WD40
DHL Future Stars Girls
Points Race
1 NELSON Emily IG Sigmasport 6:34.377
2 GARNER Grace Sky Procycling
3 SHAW Lucy Rudy Project RT
4 BLOUNT Hannah Rudy Project RT
5 BROUGHTON Charlotte Sky Procycling
6 DENTUS Abbie FACE Partnership
6 Lap Dash
1 NELSON Emily IG Sigmasport
2 BARKER Megan Raleigh GAC
3 CAPEWELL Sophie WD40
4 DENTUS Abbie FACE Partnership
5 COSTER Ellie Howies
6 HAYWARD Beth Rapha Condor Sharp
Scratch Race
1 NELSON Emily IG Sigmasport
2 GARNER Grace Sky Procycling
3 BROUGHTON Charlotte Sky Procycling
4 HAYWARD Beth Rapha Condor Sharp
5 BARKER Megan Raleigh GAC
6 BLOUNT Hannah Rudy Project RT
DHL Future Stars Boys
Scratch Race
1 ROTHERHAM Tom Maxgear Racing
2 ROBBINS Tristan Howies
3 MOODY Levi Sportscover
4 TANFIELD Charlie Rouleur
5 ESCRITT Jack FACE Partnership
6 WALKER Joey NetApp Endura
6 Lap Dash
1 ROTHERHAM Tom Maxgear Racing
2 HOYLE Jack Rapha Condor Sharp
3 ROBBINS Tristan Howies
4 MOODY Levi Sportscover
5 TANFIELD Charlie Rouleur
6 KELLY Jake Rudy Project RT
Points Race
Boys DHL Future Stars Points Race
1 EVANS Joe Rudy Project RT
2 MOODY Levi Sportscover
3 CULLAIGH Gabriel NetApp Endura
4 ROTHERHAM Tom Maxgear Racing
5 GLEDHILL Leon Sportscover
6 ROBBINS Tristan Howies
Revolution Women’s Omnium
Women’s International Elimination Race
1 VOS Marianne Rabobank
2 ARMITSTEAD Lizzie AA Drink – Leontien.nl
3 GARNER Lucy Node 4 Giordana
4 ROBERTS Amy Team USN
5 COLCLOUGH Katie Team Specialized – Lululemon
6 PIETERS Amy Skil – Argos
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Katie Colclough – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Women’s International Scratch Race
1 COLCLOUGH Katie Team Specialized – Lululemon
2 VOS Marianne Rabobank
3 KAY Emily Scott Contessa – Epic
4 ROBERTS Amy Team USN
5 ARMITSTEAD Lizzie AA Drink – Leontien.nl
6 HALL Corinne Node 4 Giordana
Women’s Team Pursuit
1 Great Britain (ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth, ROWSELL Joanna, BARKER Elinor) 2:28.216
2 Netherlands (VOS Marianne, PIETERS Amy, van DIJK Ellen) 2:28.383
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Team GB – LtoR: Elinor Barker, Lizzie Armistead & Jo Rowsell – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
by Anna Magrath | Nov 18, 2012
Men’s Sprint
GOLD – Germany (BOETTICHER)
SILVER – Germany (FOERSTEMANN)
BRONZE – Rusvelo (DMITRIEV)
An all-Germany final saw Friday night’s Team Sprint gold medallists Robert Foerstemann and Stefan Boetticher go head to head for gold in the Men’s Sprint final. It was Boetticher who got the better of his countryman, winning the first match and taking the second with a stunning sprint in the final 200m that saw him take gold in emphatic style and bring the UCI Track Cycling World Cup to a fitting end.
The bronze medal match was contested by Spain’s Juan Gascon Peralta and Denis Dmitriev of the Rusvelo team who needed only two matches to beat his rival and claim the bronze.
Great Britain’s representation came in the form of Olympic Team Sprint gold medallist Philip Hindes who finished 12th in the competition overall.
Olympic champion Jason Kenny did not feature in the Sprint event after a heavy fall in the Keirin final on Saturday night where his World Cup was cut short with a broken collarbone.
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Women’s Keirin
GOLD – Germany (VOGEL)
SILVER – Petroholding Leningrad (GNIDENKO)
BRONZE – Hong Kong (LEE)
Germany’s in form Kristina Vogel picked up her second gold medal of the week, adding Keirin gold to the Sprint she won on Saturday night. Silver went to Ekaterina Gnidenko, racing for the Petroholding Leningrad team, and bronze went to Hong Kong’s Wai Sze Lee.
Great Britain’s Becky James qualified for the final and was unlucky not to finish on the podium after leading out after the exit of the derny.
Great Britain’s Jess Varnish missed out on the final after finishing 6th in her second round heat. After racing in the Team Sprint, Sprint and 500m TT fatigue was evident in Varnish and she finished 9th overall.
Women’s Omnium
GOLD – Great Britain (TROTT)
SILVER – Australia (ANKUDINOFF)
BRONZE – Russia (BALABOLINA)
Olympic and World Omnium champion Laura Trott won the Women’s Omnium title in dramatic style, beating rival Ashlee Ankudinoff from Australia into silver in the final heat of the sixth event, the 500m Time Trial. Going into the final event Ankudinoff was two points ahead of Trott with Trott needing to beat her rival by two places to secure gold. An aggressive ride in which Trott gave everything she had saw her deliver once again, finishing with the second fastest time behind Russian Tamara Balabolina which was enough to secure gold and bring the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome crowd to their feet. Victory in the 500m Time Trial meant Balabolina did enough to take home bronze for Russia.
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Women’s Omnium
Omnium I – Flying Lap
Rank 1 Australian (ANKUDINOFF) – 14.340
Rank 2 Fullgass.org (OLABERRIA DORRONSORO) – 14.364
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA) – 14.524
Omnium II – Points Race 20km
Rank 1 Bulguria (SHARAKOVA)
Rank 2 Lithuania (TREBAITE)
Rank 3 Mexico (ARREOLA NAVARRO)
Omnium III – Elimination Race
Rank 1 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 2 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
Rank 3 Russia (BALABOLINA)
Omnium IV – Individual Pursuit 3Km
Rank 1 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 2 Australia (ANKUDINOFF)
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
Omnium V – Scratch Race 10Km
Rank 1 Russia (BALABOLINA)
Rank 2 Lithuania (TREBAITE)
Rank 3 Mexico (ARREOLA NAVARRO)
Omnium VI – 500m Time Trial
Rank 1 Russia (BALABOLINA)
Rank 2 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
by Anna Magrath | Nov 18, 2012
Jessica Varnish of Great Britain leads Olivia Montauban of France in the Women’s Sprint 1/8 Finals. – ©Alex Broadway/SWPIX.COM
Men’s Keirin
GOLD – Germany (BOETTICHER)
SILVER – Team Jayco-AIS (LEWIS)
BRONZE – Japan (SAKAMOTO)
When the gold medal race eventually got underway – after a false start by Japan’s rider Takashi Sakamoto, a faulty gun and a few issues with the derny – it was Australia’s Peter Lewis at the front and Kenny trailing in third. Once the derny left the track it was Kenny and German rider Stefan Boetticher who went head-to-head on the final lap. However, there was a dramatic twist as Kenny turned into Boetticher and crashed out taking France’s rider Quentin Lafargue with him. In the end Boetticher held his nerve and took the gold.
Earlier on there was more bad luck for British riders as Welshman Lewis Oliva crashed with Australia’s Andrew Taylor in the second round.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
- BOETTICHER (12 points)
- PUERTA (12 points)
- LAFARGUE (12 points)
===
Women’s Sprint
GOLD – Germany (VOGEL)
SILVER – Great Britain (VARNISH)
BRONZE – Great Britain (JAMES)
The semi-final saw last night’s Team Sprint gold medallist Great Britain teammates Rebecca James and Jessica Varnish go head-to-head to earn a place in the gold medal race. After the first two legs of the semi-final the riders it was 1-1, with it all coming down to the decider. In a strong display by Varnish, she earned her place in the gold medal race.
Vogel took the shine out of Varnish in the opening race of the gold medal Women’s Sprint final with a solid performance. The second race followed the same vein as Varnish attempted to go out early with the sprint only for Vogel to come back and take the win and secure gold.
James took the first of three races with a solid performance but Lee came back in the second to force a deciding duel.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
- LEE (19 points)
- VARNISH (18 points)
- JAMES (18 points)
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Men’s Individual Pursuit
GOLD – Denmark (HANSEN) – 4:20.875
SILVER – Ireland (IRVINE) – 4:22.745
BRONZE – Spain (MUNTANER JUANEDA) – 4:28.429
Martyn Irvine and Lasse Norman Hansen went head-to-head for the gold. Hansen made the better start and grew a good lead by the first time check. The gap was not clawed back and the Dane took the win with ease – adding another gold medal to the Team Pursuit medal he achieved yesterday.
The bronze medal race started with Spanish rider David Muntaner Juaneda taking an early advantage and building a 2 second lead at the midway point. The gap was too much for the New Zealand rider Dylan Kennett to pull back and Muntaner Juaneda took the bronze.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
- HANSEN (12 points)
- IRVINE (10 points)
- MUNTANER JUANEDA (8 points)
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Men’s Omnium
GOLD – Germany (LISS)
SILVER – Australia (O’SHEA)
BRONZE – Spain (ELORRIAGA ZUBIAUR)
Omnium IV – 4km Individual Pursuit
Rank 1 Great Britain (DIBBEN) – 4:26.982
Rank 2 Belgium (DE KETELE) – 4:28.908
Rank 3 Australia (O’SHEA) – 4:29.699
Omnium V – Scratch Race 15km
Rank 1 Denmark (KRIGBAUM)
Rank 2 Kazakstan (LYALKO)
Rank 3 Japan (HASHIMOTO)
Omnium VI – 1km Time Trail
Rank 1 Germany (LISS) – 1:02.768
Rank 2 Australia (O’SHEA) – 1:03.475
Rank 3 Great Britain (DIBBEN) – 1:03.955
Great Britain’s Jonathan Dibben came out on top in the individual pursuit, placing him in sixth in the overall Omnium standings. The race saw Belgium’s Kenny De Ketele and Australia’s Glenn O’Shea finish second and third respectively.
The scratch race started with the home crowd hoping for a win by fancied Jonathan Dibben. He faced stiff competition in world champion Australia rider Glenn O’Shea who was involved in a number of break-away groups in the early stages. In the end it was Mathias Wichmann Krigbaum, Alexey Lyalko and Eiya Hashimoto who succeeded in lapping the main group and went on to claim the top 3 positions.
Heading into the last event of the Omnium, the table was tight at the top with only 2 points separating the top three. Dibben put in a solid time and ended up third behind rank 1 Lucas Liss and rank 2 O’Shea.
After some fantastic racing over the six events, Germany’s Lucas Liss was too strong for the competition, taking the gold medal with Australia’s World Champion O’Shea taking silver and Spain’s Unai Elorriaga Zubiaur with the last place on the podium in bronze.
World Cup standings after 2 round:
- LISS (12 points)
- SIMION (12 points)
- O’SHEA (10 points)
Laura Trott of Great Britain competes in the Women’s Omnium Points Race 20Km – ©Alex Broadway/SWPIX.COM
Women’s Omnium
Omnium I – Flying Lap
Rank 1 Australian (ANKUDINOFF) – 14.340
Rank 2 Fullgass.org (OLABERRIA DORRONSORO) – 14.364
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA) – 14.524
Omnium II – Points Race 20km
Rank 1 Bulguria (SHARAKOVA)
Rank 2 Lithuania (TREBAITE)
Rank 3 Mexico (ARREOLA NAVARRO)
Omnium III – Elimination Race
Rank 1 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 2 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
Rank 3 Russia (BALABOLINA)
In the first of the women’s Omnium Flying Lap the current world champion came an unexpected fourth with the Australian, Ashlee Ankudinoff, taking the win with a solid performance.
Trott entered the Points Race as World and Olympic champion but faced tough competition from a strong field. In the end a couple 20 point lapping from the likes of Tatsiana Sharakova and Ausrine Trebaite were too much for Trott and she finished ninth.
The elimination race saw a rider go down hard and have to be taken off on a stretcher. After the restart Trott rode a great race with an enthralling sprint over the last lap to take the win.
The Omnium is set up well for the next stages tomorrow.
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UK BBC Broadcast Times
by Anna Magrath | Nov 17, 2012
©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:
- Belgium (15 points)
- Switzerland (14 points)
- Denmark (12 points)
===
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:
- Great Britain (24 points)
- Japan (13 points)
- Spain (10 points)
===
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:
- Belarus (15 points)
- Great Britain (12 points)
- Italy (12 points)
===
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:
- Germany (24 points)
- Japan (12 points)
- Russia (12 points)
===
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:
- Belarus (12 points)
- Germany (10 points)
- Spain (8 points)
===
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.
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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
- Saturday 17 November:
- Sunday 18 November
by Anna Magrath | Nov 15, 2012
New riders Lauryn Theryn and Joanne Blakeley will join current riders Eve Dixon, Frankie White, Melissa Bury and Nicola Soden for the 2013 season.
Lauryn joins the team with a wealth of sporting experience and success. Athletics was her main sport up until the age of 20. She was a thrower who competed in the Javelin and Discus at World Youth Games and Commonwealth Games standard. She finished her athletics career in 2006 in order to focus on Bobsleigh where she competed for Great Britain on the Europa Cup Circuit, World Cup Circuit and at the World Championships. She finished Bobsleigh in 2008 ranked 6th in the World, the best result for a British Women’s team in over a decade.
Lauryn Theryn Bobsleigh
Lauryn took up cycling in 2011 after attending a talent transfer programme run by UK Sport called Girls 4 Gold. She joined the Cardiff Jif Cycling Cluband raced for them on the road and track winning Welsh National medals in both disciplines. During the winter she took up playing Rugby and was selected for the England 7’s Development Squad.
After sustaining three serious injuries early in her rugby career she took up cycling again to keep fit. She moved to Manchester in April this year to work for British Cycling setting herself the goal of competing in the British Track Championships and won a silver medal in the Team Sprint.
Champion Systems Maxgear
Lauryn commented “I am really excited to be given the opportunity to race for a local team and am really looking forward to racing with the other girls. My goal for next season is to be a reliable rider who works hard for the team and isn’t afraid of pushing my own physical boundaries in order to rise to any challenge.”
Jo is relatively new to cycling after coming from a running background. She was shortlisted for the Girls 4 Gold programme along with Lauryn. She joins the team after a year of riding with local club Seamons CC in which she achieved a great deal. She won the TLI National Road Race Championship and has produced some solid top twenty placings in National Road Race Series Races. She is also a very strong time triallist with several wins and podium places and 5th at the National Hill Climb Championships this year.
Jo wants to build on her road racing experience next year and is “eager to start racing with and learning from my new team – who love cycling as much as me! I’m particularly excited about racing in Belgium with them next year and gaining more experience on the track and in other areas.”
Ian Bury, team manager, said “Lauryn has had a spectacular sporting career so far both on and off the bike. She is a very driven individual and has much to offer to the team with vast sporting experience and a strong team ethic. Jo is also an exciting new addition to the team with a lot of raw talent. She can do a strong time-trial and is super enthusiastic to work hard with the team. We are very excited about 2013.“
The team have worked well as a unit this year with top tens and podiums in the National Women’s Road Race Series, National Women’s Team Series and races in Belgium and Holland. There has also been top National Championship performances, with Nicola placing 10th in the National Scratch Race Championship, Melissa winning Rollapoluza National Championship and second in the Grass Track 800m National Championship and most recently hill climbs with Eve winning the National Junior Women’s title for the second year running.
2013 line up:
Eve Dixon
Frankie White
Joanne Blakeley
Lauryn Therin
Melissa Bury
Nicola Soden
Follow the riders progress at maxgearettes.blogspot.com or on twitter @Maxgearettes
Pictures kindly supplied by Ed Rollason: www.edrollasonphotography.co.uk
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