British Cycling Olympic Podium Programme coach Iain Dyer has remarked that the team’s trip to Alkmaar this weekend will provide a litmus test for coaches and selectors in deciding who will travel to Portugal for the UEC Juniors/U23 European Track Championships in July.
The Great Britain squad will compete in the two day Dutch Summer Trophy this weekend at the Sportpaleis Alkmaar in the Netherlands not only to impress selectors but in order to qualify enough points ahead of the 2013/14 UCI Track World Cup season which starts in Manchester on 1 November.
“It’s a good opportunity for both ourselves and selectors to have a look at the riders ahead of the European U23 Championships,” Dyer said. “That’s a big motivator for being on an indoor 250m track at this time of year with the Europeans in Portugal coming up in a little over three weeks’ time.
“Understandably, after the world championships, everyone has had a bit of a breather”, he went on to say. “We started to get back into the general run of things. Inevitably, you go backwards before you start going forwards. However, now we have been back on track for a reasonable stint, we are starting to see the fruits of our labours and everyone is starting to find a bit of form, summer form but form nonetheless.”
"The first race of the season is always interesting. It should be good fun; I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike and pedalling in anger."
Kian Emadi
The line-up will feature Kian Emadi, who is keen to get back on the bike since his debut elite UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Minsk last February. An event which saw the Stoke rider put in an impressively strong 1:01.756 kilo ride to finish fourth overall against some world class competition, beating 2010 kilo world champion Teun Mulder in the process.
“Since the worlds, we have had a sit down and review and you have areas which have gone well as well as areas which are weaker”, Emadi said. “It’s always good to target those and you can target them in your new training cycle.
“The first race of the season is always interesting. It should be good fun; I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike and pedalling in anger. This is what all the training’s for really, to swing a leg over the bike and put it down in a racing situation, I’m looking forward to it.
