Olympic Trials and National Championships FAQs
Q. What are the Olympic Trials and how do they relate to the
National Track Championships?
A. The Olympic Trials have been introduced as part of a selection process
to establish a "long team" for the Olympics. Full details
of this are contained in the 2004 Olympic Selection Document which is
available on the British Cycling website.
The National Track Championships will be run in basically the usual
way. However some National Track Championship events will also count
as qualifiers for Olympic Trials, held later in the week. In addition,
some events will be run as a combined Olympic Trial and National Championship.
For example, the Open 4000m pursuit on Friday will count as both the
Olympic Trial event AND the National Championship - ie the winner will
be both National Champion and the winner of the Olympic Trials.
Q. What happens to the winners of the Olympic Trials?
A. The winners of the Olympic Trials will gain automatic selection
into the Olympic “long team” and be given a priority status
for 2004 Track World Cup selections, behind only the medallists from
the 2003 World Championships.
The key items from the 2004 Olympic Selection Document relating to
the Olympic Trials are shown below:
Track Events
The mechanism for qualifying places for Athens via the World Championships
in May 2004 requires a selection model that commences in late July 2003
in order to provide a fair and open process that accounts for the qualifying
World Cup series in the winter and spring of 2004. Selections will be
determined using the following three-stage process.
“Long Team” by 01/09/03
A Long List will be compiled on 01/09/03 from which the final track
selections will be made in 2004. Membership of this list can be attained
in 3 ways:
1. A top 5 performance at the 2003 World Track Championships (team
and individual events)
2. Attainment of the performance standards shown in the table below
between 01/04/03 and 31/08/03.
3. By winning one of the British Cycling Olympic Trial events, 21-23/08/03
A rider who fails to achieve any of the above, but has attained equivalent
performances in the previous 2 years may submit a written case for inclusion
in the Long Team which will be considered at a specially convened OSP,
the decision of which can be appealed against using the process already
outlined.
2004 World Cup series participation
The 2004 World Cup competition is a key element of the pathway to Athens.
Given the limited number of start places careful prioritisation of selections
from within the Long Team will be made using the following priority
order. All performances are event specific.
1. Medallists from the 2003 World Championships
2. Winners of Olympic trial events
3. For timed individual events the fastest riders between 01/04/03 and
31/08/03.
For match and bunch race events, highest finish place in a 2003 World
Cup event
For team events the judgement of the National Team Manager in conjunction
with coaching staff
Any selection opportunities not accounted for by the above process
will be awarded on a discretionary basis using the standard GB Cycling
Team selection guidelines. Where out of competition trials are available
at World Cups, these will be allotted on the same principles.
Q If the Olympic Trials and National Track Championships are
separate events why are they being held at the same time?
A. It was initially intended to run the Olympic Trials as a totally
separate event but due to planning and logistical problems this was
not possible and it was therefore decided to add them to the traditional
National Championships. As a consequence, whilst the majority of the
National Track Championship and Olympic Trial events are separate some
will be combined to count as both.
Q. How do I qualify to ride the Olympic Trials?
A. In order to ensure a high calibre field it will be necessary for
all participants to qualify for the Olympic Trials. For events without
a qualifying event at the National Championships rider can qualify to
ride the Olympic Trials in the following ways:
1. All current members of the GB Cycling Team Programme gain automatic
entry.
2. By attaining the minimum qualification standards below:
Kilo - 1:08.03
500 TT - 38.4
Men Pursuit - 4.44.6
Men Sprint/Keirin - 11.15
Women Sprint - 12.60
Minimum qualification times can be achieved during a qualifier event
or evidence must be provided from results sheets from 2002 – 2003
season competition or British Cycling qualified coach.
3. Discretionary selection from the Olympic Selection Panel (OSP)
Q. Will I be invited or do I apply to ride? How do I make sure
I get an invitation?
A. Applications in writing to Willi Tarran.
Q. Which events are separate and which are combined?
A. Details of each event are shown below including their status, dates
and qualification standards.
Please note the following code:
NT = National Track Championship event only
OT = Olympic Trial Event Only requiring qualification.
NTOT = Combined Olympic Trial and Nat Championship
event.
1. Open Men Sprint
Monday - National Track Championships qualifying, round 1, round 2 NT
Tues - National Track Championships quarters, semis and finals
NT
Fri - invitation Olympic Trial (separate event, qualification –
GB Cycling Team Programme member or min 11.15s 200m TT) OT
2. Open Kilometre TT
Sunday – combined qualifying round for National Track Championships
and Olympic Trial qualifying for those who have not achieved 1:08.03
NTOT
Thursday - Final National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined,
min qualification 1.08.03 and GB Cycling Team Programme members) NTOT
3. Open 4000m Pursuit
Friday - Final National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined,
min qualification for third seeding group 4.44.6 all GB Cycling Team
Programme members pre qualify) NTOT
4. Open Men Scratch
Thursday - National Track Championships qualifying and final
NT
5. Open 40kms Points
Tuesday - National Track Championships qualifying NT
Wednesday - National Track Championships final NT
Saturday - Invitation Olympic Trial (separate event) OT
6. Open Olympic Sprint
Wednesday - National Track Championships qualifying, semis and final
NT
7. Team Pursuit
Monday - National Track Championships qualifying, semis and final
NT
8. Men Keirin
Saturday - Invitation Olympic Trial. (Qualification – GB Cycling
Team Programme member or min 11.15.) OT
9. Women’s Sprint
Friday - National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined) qualifying
to semis NTOT
Saturday - National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined)
finals. (Qualification 12.60 min or GB Cycling Team Programme member)
NTOT
10. Women’s 500m TT
Thursday - National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined)
final. (Olympic Trials Qualification from riders seeded from 33.4 min
or GB Cycling Team Programme member) NTOT
11. Womens 3000m Pursuit
Wednesday - National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined)
qualifying to finals NTOT
12 Womens 15km Scratch
Saturday- National Track Championships final NT
13 Womens 30km Points Race
Thursday - National Track Championships and Olympic Trial (combined)
final NTOT
..
