Track World Championships - Day 1

Olga Panarina became the first gold medallist of the 2011 World Championships, as she took victory in the women’s 500 metre time trial.

Women’s 500 t.t.

The Belarusian just managed to pip Sandie Clair, to the win, by two tenths of a second, with a time of 14.649 seconds. Clair took gold in this event at the European Championships, but didn’t have enough in the tank. The event has fallen out of favour since it was axed from the Olympics, but that didn’t stop a top class field taking part. Just behind the leading pair, were Miriam Welte and Willy Kanis.  

Men’s Team Pursuit

Australia was the surprise winners in the team pursuit, as current Olympic Champions Great Britain, only managed a bronze medal. The Aussies put out a formidable team of; Jack Bobridge, Rohan Denis, Michael Hepburn and, Commonwealth time-trial bronze medallist Luke Durbridge. Russia had no answer to Australia and crossed the line almost five seconds down. Great Britain’s performance was almost as good, despite not having their normal big hitters, as they took three seconds out of New Zealand.

Track Cycling World Cup - Round Up Day 1

Manchester played host to the final World Cup event of the track season and with the World Championships in Apeldoorn only a month away, this one meant business.

The opening day of the World Cup was an all out battle between Great Britain and Australia, with Kevin Sireau of France the only one from neither nation to take gold. Australia claimed both the men’s pursuit and women’s team sprint. Anna Meares continued her great season by taking gold with Kaarle McCoulloch, by three tenths over China. Star of the European Championships Sandie Clair had to settle for bronze, when she and Clara Sanchez beat Great Britain.

In the men’s individual pursuit Rohan Dennis beat British Road Champion by nearly half a second to take gold. Dennis won Gold in last year’s team pursuit at the World Championship, but this year he will be looking for the individual. Great Britain took their first gold in the women’s team pursuit and almost smashed the record in the process.

European Track Championships - Jason Kenny wins Kerin ahead of Matt Crampton

Jason Kenny made it through a crash filled Kerin event to win gold ahead of compatriot Matt Crampton on Sunday 7^th November in Pruszkow.

It was a British one-two in the men’s Kerin as Kenny lead muscle-man Crampton over the line. Crampton has the lead going in to the final lap and used his power to get around and looked like gold would be his, but Kenny slipped around just before the line to steal it from his clutches.

Crashes Down the Germans

In Kenny’s second round race German riders Maximilian Levy and Michael Seidenbecher collided resulting in Levy being carried from the velodrome on a spinal board. It was later revealed that he had suffered from a broken collarbone and unsurprisingly Levy was unable to compete in the minor final with Seidenbecher coming last. Initially the man who had come second in the heat Adam Ptacnik from the Czech Republic was blamed for the incident and disqualified from the event. After some reconsideration he was reinstated and allowed to compete in the final and took bronze.

European Track Championships - Sprint Queen Sandie Clair takes Gold

France added another two medals to their haul so far, but will be disappointed that it wasn’t two golds after Kevin Sireau missed out in the men’s sprint on Saturday 6^th November in Pruszkow.

Sireau had been on sparkling form since the championships opened on Friday and became immediate favourite for the title after Chris Hoy suffered a shock defeat in the second round. The world number two was given the surprise of his life when the Russian Dennis Dmitriev, who is ranked 25^th beat him in two straight races. He only got the chance to race in the final after his opponent in the semis was disqualified.

Controversy in the Semis

Damian Zielinski won his first two heats against Dmitriev, but the Russian argued that the Polish rider had moved in to the sprinters line on the inner track and blocked him. The judges agreed and due to it being his second code violation he was removed not only from the race but the whole event. This left Britain Jason Kenny to take the bronze medal without even having to put a wheel on the track.

European Track Championships - Chris Hoy Suffers Shock Defeat in Sprint

Multiple world and Olympic champion Chris Hoy had a day to forget in the Saturday morning session at the European Cycling Championships in Pruszkow on November 5th.

Hoy made it through qualifying with the only sub-10 second time in the men’s individual sprint and you would have bet your house he would take the top spot eventually. However, it all went wrong in the second round when he was pitted against the man with the slowest time from qualification 18-year-old Felix English from Ireland.

French Dominate the Sprint
The Scot was forced to change disciplines when his event was removed from the Olympic programme and since then he has dominated sprinting and won gold in Beijing two years ago. Small errors have been the bane of Hoy’s challenge in the inaugural European Championships. France’s Kevin Sireau was the man on form making it through each round with ease and beat, Great Britain’s other big hope in the sprint, Jason Kenny.