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World Track Championships

Day 2 - Sprint Rounds and Points Race

Bordeaux, France -  15 - 17 April 2006   

Race Website

The sprint quarterfinals were a battle of the young and the experienced. Tsylinskaya (BLR) dominated her rides against the young German Gloess riding in her first ever World Championships. Guo from China, who experienced winning the World Championship as a junior, didn’t look troubled against the gutsy American Reed winning on two heats. Victoria Pendleton had to dig deep in the third heat to overcome the Lithuanian Krupeckaite who left her standing in the second of their heats. Pendleton showed her class to take the victory in the third.

Post Sprint 1/4 comments

Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (CUB) had this to say about her ride against Clara Sanchez “I started really well, but I think the crowd helped her [Sanchez] to go faster. Coming out for the final ride was tough but I tried hard and I am please with my ride.”

Result

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Sprint 1/8 Final

The sprint final ride off were almost a complete European field after the Australians failed to qualify for the final. The current World Keirin Champion Sanchez (FRA) and the 30 year old Natallia Tsylinskaya (BLR) were the favourites for the title. However the Cuban Rodriguez will be looking to upset the French crowd based on her performances so far she has a good chance of an upset.

Result

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Sprint 1/16 Final

In the first ride-off the young Cuban rider Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez lead from the 500m mark to take a clear win over the German Welte in a time of 11.803. Second to ride were Pendleton (GBR) and Nivert (FRA). Pendleton lead from the front and never looked troubled by the French rider. Next to ride were Elisa Frisoni (ITA) worked hard to hold off Kerrie Meares (AUS) despite Meares attempts to come round Frisoni held her line and won in a time of 12.605.  

Hijgenaar (NED) attempted to hold off the young Chinese rider Lei Zhang (CHN) but the Chinese rider was too strong and caught Hijgenaar on the line. The remaining sprints were easy wins for Jennie Reed (USA), the German pair of Dana Gloess and Christin Muche and unfortunately for Anna Meares the young Chinese rider Jinjie Gong.

Post Sprint 1/16  Comments

Anna Meares (AUS) reaction to missing the cut for the final was remarkably happy “ I had a couple of timing issues but considering the amount of racing I have been doing this year and coming out of the Commonwealth Games I am happy with how I rode. It’s the first time I have race Natallia (Tsylinskaya) she certainly showed me why she is World Champion, she cam past me like a train, the time she rode against me was faster than I rode in the qualifying rounds. I would have liked to get a little further into the competition but it’s such a great contest.” Asked about the noise of the French crowd Meares added “it’s what I would have expected from a home crowd it reminds me of Melbourne it’s a big advantage for the French they should be lapping up the adrenaline that they get from this.”

Results  1/16 Finals

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Sprint Qualifying

Natallia Tsylinskaya showed her form again this morning qualifying in first place for the Sprint Final. The surprise result though came from the Australian Meares sisters who qualified in 12^th and 18^th place both sisters seemed to be suffering from post Commonwealth Games euphoria.

Post Sprint Comments

Kerrie Meares (AUS) did not qualify for the final, however she said “I can’t be disappointed with my performance, every time I go out there I give it my all. I suppose I am a little flat coming out of the Commonwealth Games but I am looking forward to the Keirin, I have a day to rest. It’s one of my favourite events.”

Qualifying Results  

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Points Race

The points race was lively right from the start. Gina Grain (CAN) lead the bunch out for the first few laps as the group prepared for the first sprint. The Czech rider Lada Kozlikova attacked  followed by Schnider (SUI), Kate Bates (AUS) and the experienced Russian Olga Slyusareva. Within three laps Adrie Visser attacked from the front and held off the bunch until the second sprint. At that point the Cuban Gonzalez Perez attacked taking with her eight riders who managed to lap the bunch to gain 20 valuable points. This was the decisive move of the race and despite a number of riders attempting to get away including Nikki Harris (GBR) and Gina Grain (CAN) the gaps were closed down by Bates and Slyusareva. Carrara made her decisive move with 24 laps to go, she attacked off the front and took the next two sprints to secure her second World title.

Post Points Race Comments

Vera Carrara (ITA) was overjoyed with her win. When asked how it felt to win the title for a second time Carrara said “The first one [referring to last year’s world title] was hard but this one was impossible. I knew that I had to try to lap the field to win.” This win was more important to Carrara than the last one as she dedicated the win to the Director of her first cycling club who died last week. He had been like a father figure to her this was an emotional win dedicated to him.

Olga Slyusareva (RUS) looked disappointed with coming second again. When asked how she was feeling about the race she said “it was hard, towards the end of the race I lots the system of the points and did not manage to look at the scoreboard and could not tell where I was in the points. Looking to the future Slyusareva was asked how much longer can she keep going at this level “Today I feel ok, but tomorrow I don’t know, tomorrow is a new day and I will see.”

Olga decided not to ride for a pro team this year as she could not agree on terms deciding instead to ride for the Russian federation and be closer to home and her family.

Gema Torrecilla Pascual (SPN) was please with her ride “I am very happy with this race it is the best I have ridden. I rode perfectly, so very happy.” 

Kate Bates (AUS) looked very disappointed with her ride, “this look is me in a box and a bit of a mess after that ride. I am a bit frustrated with myself physically I think I had nothing more tonight but saying that I think I could have made more of an opportunity. I guess I should have been prepared to loose the race to win it. I went out a little negative and a little unconfident with how I was feeling and I think that I never had a chance with those thought. I am committed to winning one of these jerseys I don’t know how long it will be but hopefully before I am a Grandmother.

It was really fast out there, I didn’t know where I was finishing but I hoped it was better than 5^th but that wasn’t to be. I will spend every hour in bed tomorrow resting and watch movies to recover and hopefully I can go into the scratch race and take a few more risks than I took tonight and hopefully get off the track a little more satisfied than I am tonight.”

Recovering from the flu this week Kate added “I felt strong but I could have done with another day to recover.”

Jo Kiesanowski (NZL) was disappointed with her ride “I am gutted, I don’t know what happened it just didn’t happen tonight. I did not feel that strong and did not follow the right wheel. I thought I had pretty good form coming into tonight having ridden last week in the tour but track is different to the road and anything can happen.”

Gina Grain (CAN) worked hard in the race but in her words “I tried to jump to get away, I had the sprint and the fitness, I had the instruments but I was playing them at the wrong time. I got a cramp half way through the race that caused me real problems. Tomorrow is another day, the scratch race I know what I have and what I don’t so let wait and see how it goes.”