World Track Championships 2007

Palma, Majorca, Spain

Previous coverage of the World Championships  >>  2011   2010   2009   2008    2007    2006    2005 

WCN quicklink >>  Day 1 - Team Sprint Qualifying     Team Sprint Final    Qualifying Photos    Finals Photos

                              Day 2 - Sprint Qualifying        Pursuit qualifying and final     Photos

                              Day 3 -  500m TT     Scratch Race   Sprint Final     Photos

                              Day 4 -  Points Race    Keirin Finals     Photos

Day 1

Team Sprint Final

Race Writeup

The Gold/Silver and Bronze ride off in the Team Sprint were an exciting affair. In the fight for Bronze, the Australian pair Meares and Bayley were.04 down on the French duo of Clair and Cueff at the half way point. The strength of Meares however came through in the final lap crossing the line almost a second up on the French.

The Gold medal could have gone either way, World Cup champions the Netherlands were up against the new pairing of Pendleton and Reade, a complete novice on the track having only started racing two months ago. Despite a huge effort from Hijgenaar, the Dutch pair could not match the speed of the British team. Reade powered through the first lap to set up Pendleton for the win.

Victoria Pendleton and Shanaze Reade (GB) chatted to crowds of the world media after achieving the first ever World Championship Team Sprint gold. Having suffered a slight problem with the start in the qualifying Reade was speechless with her first senior medal. “I was aware of making a false start and the fact that the Dutch were so strong. I didn’t want to get it wrong, I can’t believe it, and I don’t know what to say.” Reade was a junior world champion in BMX and plans to continue to aim for both events if she can. “I am a novice at this; this is only my second race. A novice world champion, it’s not often you hear that. I just wanted to get it over and done with. I was so built up after the first race and I was just ready to get out there, it’s amazing”

Pendleton was tight on Reade’s wheel in the first lap and stormed through her own lap, asked how she felt, she said “She’s very fast [referring to the blistering first lap set by Reade] its not easy going on the back of a first lap like that. It was a strong ride, we did well, and I am very pleased. We have a World Championship jersey and I think there is more to come. (“Definitely” Reade added.) This is the first time I have ridden a team sprint event like this with Shanaze, I just had to focus on my own lap and hope that it all went ok. I think it did.

Asked if it was a shame that Anna [Blyth] could not ride this event, having helped the team qualify during the World Cup series, Pendleton added “It’s a shame it’s not a three person event is all I can say. If it was, we would be unbeatable. I don’t think there is anyone else who can match up to us.”

Kristine Bayley (AUS) was happy with her first ever World Championship medal. “I am pleased with that, I was hoping to come away with a slightly shinier medal though.” In the morning qualification session, Bayley had a problem, she explained what had happened. “I slipped a whole revolution in my pedal stroke so it meant I had to take off again. It was just a new tire and was a bit slippery. I ended up loosing 4/10ths. I did not want that to happen again in the finals.”

Anna Meares (AUS) was gracious, as always, about her performance. “I am pleased with the team performance. I had picked that it would be between, us the Netherlands and Great Britain, but France came up well. I was quite nervous about the final; you never quite know what people can do in a final. I know that Kristine and I could have gone quicker, it was a shame we had the problem in qualifying. This race is fantastic for women’s sprinting. It is great that we actually have a team event. So many events are individual and it is great to work with a team mate, rather than against them all the time.”

Meares will be focusing on the sprints, asked what she thought of the new track she added. “I really like it I find it very similar to Manchester, it is running really well, there is a great crowd and its really warm so that’s all you can ask for.”

Willis Kanis and Yvonne Hijgenaar (NED) were disappointed but at the same time happy with their Silver medal.  “It’s ok; I think we could have gone better, at this moment its ok. It’s silver, so we are happy.” Hijgenaar said.  

The consensus from all of the women was that this event is something they wanted to see introduced on a permanent basis.