UCI 2006 World Track Championships
Women's Individual Pursuit
April 13, 2006; Bordeaux (France)
British Cycling's Larry Hickmott reports
2006 World Track Championships
In the Women's Pursuit, England's Bronze medal winning hero from the Commonwealth Games, Emma Davies was again in action alongside Wendy Houvenhagel who had won the UCI's World Track Cup competition.
First on the track was Emma who was off in the first heat with New Zealand's Alison Shanks. In quite cool conditions, and after a long delay getting the bike into the gate, Emma was soon on her way in that familiar style of hers. The Great Britain rider quickly gained on the New Zealand rider and continued to pull away to record a time of 3.41.102 to go fastest. It was a time that was to stay on top of the leader board for a long time until heat 9 when the Russian Olga Slyusareva did a 3.37.409 to take over the hot seat.
Back at the hotel, I caught up with Emma and asked her how the ride went in the morning? "It went alright" she said smiling. "It is always hard being first off and although we knew it was cold, we didn't know anything else which if we had been later in the draw, we could have seen how everyone else was reacting to the temperatures and made decisions on gears and so on."
"In the end it was guess work and we geared down for the start and in the end, I went off to quickly." Emma, who says a normal first kilo would be about a 1.16 or so, did a 1.14, and was two seconds up on her rival within two laps. "I think I got a bit carried away with the smaller gear and the transitions on the track and went a bit too fast. Then during the last kilo, I died with about three to go because I haven't had the endurance racing to hold on to it."
"When the time came up, I was very disappointed, and then when I sat down and was watching everyone else's times coming in, I think it was a very credible performance. When the last ride was done, it was two degrees warmer as well and looking at the others from the Commonwealth, I think I backed up pretty well after the Commonwealths."
Above: Emma gives it her all to try and hold at the end of her ride.
The United States rider Sarah Hammer then came out and dropped Emma down another place after she also did a 3.37 to go fastest with Hammer's opponent, Kate Bates surprising by doing a 3.45. It was then the turn of Wendy Houvenhagel to get her chance on the track, riding in the second last heat against a formidable opponent in Karin Thurig. The Swiss rider is one the Worlds top riders in the Pursuit, and like Wendy, also a rider who specialises in the Road Time Trial, being two times a Time Trial World Champion and Olympic Bronze medallist in the same event.
Wendy though went out and challenged the Swiss girl and it was tight for much of the race with the British girl just losing out to her and with one heat to go, was 4th fastest, recording a 3.39.834 to Thurig's 3.39.21. It was as one of the team said later, a good ride by the Wendy, especially after the problems she had at the Commonwealth Games. Australia's Kate Mactier then had her rider and although again surprising after what she had done to Wendy at the Games, the Olympic silver medallist did enough to take away Wendy's place in the final.
Afterwards when I went back to the British pit, Wendy was there and said that she went into the race to ride her own race. "I knew Karin would be a similar standard to myself and there would not be the half a lap difference there was in Melbourne with my ride there. So I was able to go out and do my own race the way I would normally ride a pursuit with a view to getting a place in the final."
"Overall I'm happy with my first World Championship although disappointed that I just missed getting into the finals." When I put it to her that she was so close to the other girls, Wendy's face lit up as she replied "I know, I'm very pleased about that but was surprised how slow the times were today. For a while I thought my schedule of a '39' was a bit ambitious for today however I was able to ride that '39' so that was pleasing."
Her final word on it was that the ride had put the demons to bed from Melbourne and that now she can move on with a view to pursuiting some more.
Womens Pursuit Final
Sarah Hammer (Above, centre) rode to the first world title for an elite American track rider since 1996 with a narrow victory in the women's 3000-meter individual pursuit at the 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Thursday.
Hammer clocked a time of 3:37.227 in the gold-medal final to edge Olga Slyusareva (left of picture) of Russia to become the first athlete to medal at the world championships since Marty Nothstein sprinted to a gold medal in the men's keirin in 1996. It's been 11 years since Rebecca Twigg earned the last women's elite track world title for the U.S. - also in the individual pursuit - in 1995.
"I'm blown away," commented Hammer. "My goal coming in here was to get into the medal rounds. I thought it (a world title) might have been possible and I remember a month ago driving home from the track and thinking that I want to be the world champion. After my world cup ride in L.A. earlier this year, I gained a lot of confidence knowing what the world championship times were there last year, so I think I knew it was possible."
Hammer began the day by posting a personal best time of 3:37.194 in her qualifying heat, the fastest mark of all 24 competitors. In the ensuing head-to-head final against the second-seeded Slyusareva, Hammer went out with a plan and opened up a 1.2-second advantage after the first 1000 meters. Throughout the remainder of the race, Hammer's advantage dwindled but she managed to maintain enough momentum to hold on for a slim .072-second victory.
"My first six laps I kind of just stuck to my schedule which was to start pretty fast," explained Hammer. "Then from then on it was just going to be a race between me and Olga. They (coaches) were telling me I was up a second, then I was getting down and I could hear the crowd. They like to see someone come back and I could hear them getting louder and louder, so I knew it was close."
Hammer's success comes when USA Cycling's track program is undergoing upgrades and additions after a zero-medal performance a year ago. After a medal in her elite world championship debut, Hammer hopes ending an 11-year drought will contribute to the ongoing improvements.
"It's nice to kind of step into possibly the next endurance woman's shoes and hopefully this is a step up for American cycling. Hopefully this can help jumpstart us again."
After her performance on the second-largest stage for track cycling after the Olympic Games, Hammer has already tabbed the 2008 Beijing Games as a legitimate objective. "I thought 2012 was going to be my main goal, but obviously now my plans my have changed a little bit. Now maybe 2008 can be something too."
Sarah is the centre of attention for the worlds media in Bordeaux.
Final Results
For gold and silver
1. Sarah Hammer (USA) 3.37.227
2. Olga Slyusareva (Russia) 3.37.544
For bronze
3. Katie Mactier (Australia) 3.36.123
4. Karin Thurig (Switzerland) 3.42.439
Wendy, wearing the UCI World Cup Winners skinsuit, on her way to fifth fastest in qualifying.
Prior to the start, GB's Steve Peters has a chat to Wendy.
Fastest qualifier, Sarah Hammer from the USA.
RESULT (Qualifying)
1. HAMMER Sarah USA 3:37.194
2. SLYUSAREVA Olga RUS 3:37.409
3. MACTIER Katie AUS 3:37.520
4. THܒIG Karin SUI 3:39.521
5. HOUVENAGHEL Wendy GBR 3:39.834
6. JONES Emma GBR 3:41.102
