Time for a World Cup in a drizzly Manchester and it got off to a blistering start.
Day one roundup of the Track World Cup and it was all about the pursuit!
Team Pursuit Men
The men got the event underway.
In qualifying Team GB (Doull, Clancy, Burke and Tennant) fly out of the blocks. At 1km they’re fastest. At the halfway point the GB quartet are 0.4 seconds up. at 3000m they’re over a second up. Great Britain stop the clock at 3:59.672. They were through to the gold final and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
In the final Denmark took Bronze over the Netherlands. Great Britain take Gold with a fantastic lead out from Ed Clancy 3.58.552 Australia Silver 3.59.064. He commented after the ride, “It was good, this is the start to the Rio Olympics!”
Men’s Team Sprint Men
GB qualify in 43.693 (Kian Emadi, Jason Kenny, Philip Hindes), Germany post a blistering 43.351 to go fastest in qualifying, Robert Forstemann’s thighs being the German teams biggest weapon – with his time of 17.2 in the opening lap. The race for Gold would be between Germany and Russia.
Matt Crampton replaced Kian Emadi in the GB team lineup for the final – racing for Bronze against New Zealand. Unfortunately
Team Sprint Women
After two heats of women’s team sprint qualifying, the Max Success Pro Cycling trade team of Juhong and Zhong were fastest with a time of 33.507.
Germany produced an impressive 32.992 to go fastest. World and Olympic champions Welte and Vogel were to face off against Great Britain’s James and Williamson in the final. Russia v Max Success Pro Cycling in the bronze medal ride-off.
In the final GB’s Becky James and Victoria Williamson were on top form but they got beaten by the World Champions in style. Germany gold – Team GB Silver.
Team Pursuit Women
Before the race we caught up with Laura Trott and She expressed how the team was raring to go but obviously anxiously waiting to see what sort of time Australia would put in as they currently haven’t shown their colours in the new four woman Pursuit.
Canada put in a great time of 4.28.054. Australia falls short after a false start (4.33.011).
In qualifying Team GB beat their own World Record set a few weeks ago at the World Championships. After 1km Great Britain are a quarter of a second ahead of Canada. At 2km Great Britain are over 2 seconds faster than Canada and a new world record is on the cards. After 3km Great Britain are smooth and polished, over 3 seconds up. Before the girls took to the track for the final I overheard Team GB coaches discussing that they expected the team to go sub world record. Great Britain stop the clock at 4:23.910, smashing their own world record set just a few weeks ago.
When it came to the crunch thought Team GB got the better of all the competition. Bronze went to Australia.
Awesome performance from Trott, King, Rowsell and Barker.
Women’s Scratch Race
Earlier in the day British riders Dani King (GB), Amy Hill (GB) and Katie Archibald (Braveheart.com) qualify for the scratch race. Immediately after the thrill of the women’s Pursuit win Dani had to remount her bike for the Scratch race final. This may have had some impact on her result, with 25 laps to go Dani is in the bunch but Caroline Ryan of Ireland has launched a solo attack and has half a lap on the chasers. 15 laps to go and King was just hanging on. Sofia Arreola of Mexico (sis to CS’s very lovely Nancy) went all out and gained a lap with the peloton trying their hardest to chase her down. Archibald tried her best to escape with a couple of riders but to no avail. The bunch start to split as Dani King hits the front and Katie sees her chance to go for broke. With five laps to go she finally gets her well deserved lap. The pace has been kept so high that Arreola has to work extra hard to keep contact after her daly lone attack. Katie Archibald is the best placed British rider in the final taking the silver podium spot with a gutsy ride. Well deserved Katie! Sofia Arreola for Mexico comes in 4th just missing out. Gold to Poland’s Wojtyra and bronze to Ukraine’s Klimchenko.
Mens Omnium 1 – Flying Lap
Jon Dibben finishes 5th in the opening event of the omnium in what was a very long days racing for him.
Watch Olympic Podium Programme rider, Jon Dibben’s Omnium 1 Flying Lap here:
Mens Omnium II – Points Race
Boudat of France and Deuhring of the USA both take a lap on the field. Boudat on 32pts and Duehring 26 after the first 5 sprints of 12. Duehring then dramatically loses a lap, leaving his with 6 points. The rider from Trinidad has a tough old race – 3 laps down and still he kept going!
Jon Dibben for GB put in an amazing effort to break free from the pack to no avail, but he kept going for 5pts and a hefty cheer. He then digs again for another try but this time only manages 1pt. Gold went to Boudat of France with 33pts who rides off the front of the pack and has time to wave to the crowds as he crosses the line. Silver De Buyst 20pts, Gate 14pts takes bronze. Jon Dibben manages a respectable 8th. After two events Jon Dibben was sitting in 5th overall for the Omnium.
Mens Omnium III – Elimination Race
This turned out to be the thrills and spills race of the evening. three riders took a nasty tumble. With one rider retiring but the rider who seemed to come out worse scrapes wise was Belgian Jasper De Buyst, literally losing the seat of his pants, he got back on his bike to great applause and a few wolf whistles as he bared all. Not shaken at all he kept going and made it to the final sprint for the line against Thomas Boudat of France. Boudat took the win but there was; in true British underdog supporters style a huge round of applause for De Buyst.
Overall after 3 rounds, Jon Dibben lies in 7th place on 25pts. De Buyst of Belgium took second place in the elimination and retains the overall lead, with Tim Veldt of Netherlands sitting in second place overall.
Scottish Cycling athletes travel to Manchester ahead of the British Cycling National Track Championships
This week sees the Manchester Velodrome play host to the British Cycling National Track Championships. A line up of 284 riders are confirmed to appear throughout 5 days of competition (25th – 29th September) including World Keirin Champion, Jason Kenny, who will go up against fellow London 2012 Team Sprint gold medallist Philip Hindes in the men’s sprint events. The men’s endurance events will feature Olympic Gold Medallists Ed Clancy and Steven Burke as well as former World Champion Andrew Tennant and Olympic Champions, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott and Dani King.
In the women’s events, Scottish Commonwealth Games silver medallists in Delhi; Charline Joiner (MG Maxifuel) and Jenny Davis (City of Edinburgh RC) will compete for the 500m time trial title alongside Katie Archibald (City of Edinburgh RC), Louise Haston (City of Edinburgh RC), Emma Baird (City of Edinburgh RC) and Eleanor Richardson (Edinburgh RC). Joiner and Archibald will also compete in the 3000m Individual Pursuit and Davis will compete for the women’s sprint together with Haston, Baird and Richardson. Louise Borthwick (Edinburgh RC) will be joined by Eileen Roe (Breast Cancer Care Cycling Team), Archibald and Joiner in the points and scratch race. Baird, Davis and Haston will also be lining up for the women’s keirin.
Also taking to the boards will be Commonwealth Games hopefuls Callum Skinner (City of Edinburgh RC) and John Paul (City of Edinburgh RC) competing in the men’s keirin on Friday and the sprint event on Saturday in which Skinner, as reigning champion, will look to defend his title.
Speaking to British Cycling, defending British sprint champion and Commonwealth Games hopeful Callum Skinner, originally from Glasgow said: “It (winning the British National Sprint Champion title) was probably one of my best achievements last year, so to be able to hold onto that or even be close to it would be a great thing.”
“The Commonwealth Games is also big target for me; want to hit that event full on. With ticket sales having drawn to a close, it seems like it is really on the horizon now.”
John Paul, Bruce Croall (City of Edinburgh RC) and Jonathan Biggin (Glasgow Life Track Cycling Team) are hoping to bring a British National Championship medal home to Scotland when they compete for Scottish Cycling (Scotland) in the Team Sprint, however they will be up against strong competition from the likes of Callum Skinner, Philip Hindes and Matthew Rotherham who will be competing for the North West of England.
Team Raleigh rider Evan Oliphant, straight from the Tour of Britain, will be competing in the points and scratch races alongside James McCallum (Rapha Condor JLT) who will also be competing in the omnium.
Another Commonwealth Games hopeful taking to the Manchester track will be Silas Goldsworthy (Sandy Wallace Cycles) who will compete in the 4000m individual pursuit scratch and point’s race.
Paralympic gold medallists Neil Fachie (Ythan CC) and Aileen McGlynn OBE (Champion System/Maxgear/Base) will compete in the para-cycling kilo time trial and flying 200m TT. Scottish para-cycling pilot Craig McLean will also be competing in the keirin and sprint races.
Following the resounding success of last year’s sell-out event, The Great Manchester Cycle returns on Sunday 30th June with 8,000 riders expected to take part. With just two weeks to go, the 52-mile distance is now full… places are still available for the 13 and 26-mile routes…. but they are going fast, so grab yours now!
Starting and finishing at Etihad Campus, the home of Manchester City FC, the 13-mile circuit offers riders the opportunity to pedal through the closed roads of Manchester city centre and take in the sights from a whole new perspective. The route includes landmarks such as Old Trafford, plus a stretch of the iconic Mancunian Way – a section of motorway normally off-limits to cyclists.
Jo Rowsell
The ride caters for all abilities, from club cyclists to families wishing to take on the challenge together. Olympic Gold medallist, Joanna Rowsell, will be lining up with those taking on the 52-mile route to join what will be the UK’s biggest timed cycling event:
“Having spent a number of years living and training in Manchester, it’s great to see the Great Manchester Cycle returning for a second year as it’s such a fantastic event.” She continued: “Manchester is one of the best cities for sport and cycling in the UK, so to be able to explore roads on the safety of 13 miles of closed roads will be a really unique experience.
With an event village hosting cycle industry exhibitors, charity partners, entertainment and food concessions, the Great Manchester Cycle is set to be a great day out in one of the UK’s most passionate sporting cities.
Entry for each route will cost just £20 for adults and £5 for kids. Children aged 3-7 can take part in the 13-mile route for free, but will need to use either a tag-a-long bike or children’s bike trailer/seat.
For further information on the route, event details and how to enter please visit: www.greatcycle.org/.
British Cycling members can look forward to getting off to a great start at the Great Manchester Cycle, with an exclusive start zone ahead of other riders.
Following on from the resounding success of last year’s sell-out event, which saw 7,000 riders take to the city’s closed roads, The Great Manchester Cycle is set to return on Sunday 30th June 2013: bigger and better than before.
The initiative will be in effect across all distances and will mean that members will carry the British Cycling logo on their event number and be guaranteed the best start possible on the day. With Manchester’s National Cycling Centre being the organisation’s headquarters, the event will truly be taking place on home turf and is the perfect chance for British Cycling to thank their members.
“The Great Manchester Cycle was a brilliant event last year and it was fantastic to see so many cyclists lining up ready to go – and just a stone’s throw from our offices!” said Gavin Finch, Head of Marketing at British Cycling. “We’re incredibly grateful to our members and wanted to give those taking part the best event experience on the day, offering a unique opportunity to lead out the thousands of riders with nothing but clear roads ahead.”
The 13-mile lap starts and finishes at the Etihad Campus (home of Manchester City FC) and includes a stretch along the iconic Mancunian Way. This part of the route will offer cyclists a once in a lifetime opportunity to ride on the motorway that on any other day is out of bounds.
As in 2012 riders will have the choice of three distances, designed to cater for all abilities from club cyclists through to families wanting to take on the challenge together. There’s ‘A Great Day Out’ over 13 miles, ‘Rule the Roads’ over 26 miles, or, for the more established riders, ‘Break Away from the Pack’ over 52 miles.
Lizzie Amitstead, who brought home Britain’s first medal of the Olympic Games last summer in the cycling road race, took part in the Great Manchester Cycle in 2012 and described the event as “a fantastic day out”.
Entry for each route will cost just £20 for adults and £5 for kids. Children aged 3-7 can take part in the 13-mile route for free, but will need to use either a tag-a-long bike or children’s bike trailer/seat.
For further information on the route, event details and how to enter please visit: www.greatcycle.org
Last September I threw myself on a track bike and round (and round) one of the steepest indoor tracks in the Netherlands for the first time. And I loved it! There was no going back. The idea of riding a bike that has no brakes at speed still unsettles me a little today (mainly at a fear of not unclipping as I come to a halt and making a fool of myself!), but the more I do it, the more addicted I get. When I left Amsterdam earlier this year, I was quite gutted to leave behind a fantastic indoor velodrome and a brilliant team of coaches who not only took an interest in me on the track, but on the road and my cycling club too. I had to right a wrong and immediately got in touch with Reading Velodrome.
Don’t be surprised to find me tucked up in bed with this beauty!
Now, Reading is certainly not indoors and it certainly isn’t steep. In fact… it’s concrete, outdoors and really long in comparison! Which of course, if you’re fairly new to cycling or a little nervous about giving it a go – it’s perfect. Unlike an indoor track; outdoor, flatter courses give you the opportunity to really get to know your fixed-speed bike and learn some handling skills, something I’m still not quite as aquatinted with as I would like, especially as I only built my first track bike last week, but it sure is a beauty – do you have bike envy yet?.
Put it this way – there’s a lot less to think about. Getting used to a constant cadence, no brakes, a very steep wooden track, 10 other cyclists around you in the same learning experience and the need to be travelling at 35kmph+ to get round in one piece, all in your first session isn’t the easiest. I’m not saying that indoor track training isn’t a fantastic experience because I loved every moment of it, but it’s definitely more daunting in comparison. And if you’ve ever been to an indoor track event, I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from.
On arrival to my first session on Thursday, I had already introduced myself to the trainers over email to make sure I’d be welcomed to the sessions (due to an influx of interest post Olympics, their website states they can no longer accept new interest) and that my capabilities were ok. I needn’t have feared. As soon as they knew I’d ridden boards before, they wanted me in with the pro-group. NO WAY! This girl needs to get used to being on the bike again before sitting up on the fence with 15 boys. And I’m not exaggerating. The trainers made it pretty clear from the start that they need more girls (hence there was no problem with me joining an over-subscribed session!).
Of course, training with the boys isn’t an issue, I’ve always been a fan of this in any sport I’ve done; however when it comes to competition…well, basically there isn’t any. Most track races typically have heats… not in the girls track league as there aren’t enough girls. Straight into the finals. And so, besides training with the boys, it turns out that I’ll actually be racing them come the start of the league season in three weeks. The only difference being that I’ll have a ‘pink number’ (yes, my heart sank a little at the sound of those words). So girls, although a little reluctant to do this for obvious reasons (I want to win!) I’m making this a call to give it a go.. at least consider it.
Most UK tracks have hire bikes (but make sure you contact them in advance to reserve one), or if you’re really keen, Dolan frame sets start from £199. And, all tracks run beginner British Cycling accreditation sessions. So why not check out your local track and give it a go?
Reading: Track training sessions run on a Thursday evening, league nights on a Monday.
Forstemann v Skinner – Good Friday Meet @ Hearne Hill Velodrome
And if you’re still a little unsure, get yourself down to a local track meet. The Good Friday Meet at Hearne Hill on Friday was absolutely fantastic. Rubbing shoulders (or thighs) with some of the world’s greatest track cyclists including Cycling Short’s contributor Jody Cundy and thigh-tastic Robert Forstemann was a brilliant experience and has certainly got my motivational juices flowing.
See you on the start line!
Hayley Davies
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping! Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
2013 started off by eating grapes, in fact 12 of them, one for each chime of the clock ringing in the New Year. I was in Majorca and this was a Spanish tradition to bring good luck. It was nice to get back into a routine of training and have no distractions. Also the weather was pretty good compared to back in the UK and I managed to get 10 quality days of training in, covering a good number of miles and a plenty of climbing to boot. Back in the UK I continued race in the Manchester Regional Track League, and enjoyed getting back into the competitive side of bike riding, although the endurance side of racing has never been my speciality.
Towards the end of January I attended the London Bike Show, and although there was quite a bit of snow disrupting travel I managed to get there and back in one piece and without too many delays. The show was good fun, signing autographs on the British Cycling stand, and then doing a half hour interview on the stage with Anthony McCrossen. The bike show was also a good chance to chat to manufacturers and distributers about the coming year and meet the industry insiders.
February
The start of February saw me heading north to Glasgow, to ride at the final round of the Revolution track series, and the first time the series had ventured away from Manchester. Once again I was riding for Face Partnership with the endurance riders. I didn’t quite get off to as good a start as in the first round as I finished 6th in the Flying Lap, an event I’d managed a 2nd in October. The Madison kilo was a much better ride than the 1st round though, riding with Jake Ragan we managed to post a sub 60 second kilo and good enough to take the lead at the halfway point. In the end we ended up 5th, but the time and placing was an improvement from previous rounds. The bunch races went pretty well this time around, although I didn’t make any of the top ten places I had much stronger rides than in the October rounds and was more aware of what was going on around me. However still need some more racing and training to properly get in the mix and contest the finish sprints.
With unsettled weather conditions and having spent 2 days straight on the turbo, I was online booking another camp out in Majorca, this time it was only for 7 days, but it was long enough to continue working on the base fitness, and clocking in the hours. I was staying in the Playa de Palma, and it was pretty much a cycling hotel, with the hotel filled with cyclists. I was joined on a number of rides by fellow Paralympic Colin Lynch, who was staying in the same hotel. I also bumped into one of my main rivals and good friend, Jiri Jezek, who was staying a few hundred metres away in another hotel, I joined him out on a big group ride where we discussed the issues we’re having in our sport at the moment. It was good to get out riding with these guys as I do a lot of my training on my own, and when you’re on longer road rides it’s good to have someone there with you going through the same miles and hours. My fitness was on the way up, and I set a few PB’s up some of the shorter climbs on the island I use to test myself.
The camp wasn’t without a few hiccups though, as on the 2nd day I was knocked off by a car, which in itself was pretty shocking, but I was incredibly lucky and managed to escape with a few cuts and bruises. Thankfully it didn’t affect my training and I was able to finish the week strongly.
Once back home it was off to another bike show, this time the Bike and Triathlon Show in Manchester. It was a smaller event than the one in London, but certainly felt like I signed more autographs this time around.
March
With my fitness going in the right direction, it was time to test myself out on the road, and I was set to race in the Eddie Soens Classic at Aintree Race Course. It was the first race of the season for most people and historically has been cold and wet, but with 250 riders from all categories of racing it was going to be organized chaos! The race set off at a good speed and I was off with the Cat 2 riders in the group just ahead of the Cat 1’s and Elites. It wasn’t long before we were caught and the bunch was 250riders strong and shortly after that the first crash happened, fortunately I managed to avoid it, but with the rider on the ground each lap the bunch would have to squeeze past before regrouping. A few more laps in and there was another crash, this time I wasn’t so lucky and got caught the wrong side of it. After not quite making it back on, I ended up riding to the end of the race in a small group, and with the peloton out of our range it turned into a strong training ride. Still it was pretty enjoyable, and my legs felt pretty good throughout.
Then it was back to Majorca again, this time with almost all the GB Para-Cycling Team. It was one of the most relaxed camps I’ve been on, although the craziest weather conditions. We had sun, rain, wind, snow, and hail, but all in all it didn’t stop me getting in all the training I had planned. This camp was about adding intensity to my rides, and working on specifics that’ll hopefully convert into more speed on the track during my kilo.
Well that’s spring done and dusted, off to race at the Good Friday Meet at Herne Hill Velodrome (weather permitting) and then it’s into the meaty part of my training block, as I aim to make the 2014 Commonwealth Team.
Catch you all soon, as I keep you updated on my progress
Jody
P.S. Catch me tonight (29/03/2013) on the last show of the season of Channel4’s The Last Leg, 9.30pm on Channel 4 in the UK.
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