UCI 2006 World Track Championships

Mens Madison

April 16, 2006; Bordeaux (France) 

British Cycling's Larry Hickmott reports

2006 World Track Championships

Day 4: UCI World Track Championships

 

 

Podium -- Ukraine, Spain and Argentina.

 

Going into this race, Great Britain had the defending champions in Mark Cavendish and Rob Hayles and after Cav had gassed himself in the Scratch race the day before, it was unknown how the two of them would respond to the race. We didn't have to wait long though to find out! First the Kiwis Hayden Godfrey & Timothy Gudsell (below) went on the attack and although they came close to getting the lap after a long chase, the first sprint spelt the end as the speed of the bunch saw their lead drop quickly and they were soon back in the fold.

 

 

World Class! Mark Cavendish throws in Rob Hayles.

Attacks continued to come and go until well into the race approaching halfway, the Spanish team including experienced six day rider Juan Llaneras attacked and quick to see the danger were Mark and Rob along with the teams from Argentina, Belgium, Russia and Ukraine.

Despite a frenzied chase from behind, with the riders giving it full gas, so much so the track shook with the speed, and after 30 or so laps, the lap was gained and Britain were in equal third place on five points. Former European Madison champions Alexander Aeschbach and Franco Marvulli of Switzerland were next to go and they really burned the boards as they screamed around the track to join the leaders.

The field was now spread out around the track and the faces of the riders told the story as the leaders kept the throttle all the way to the fall. It reminded me of a team sprint but one over 200 laps and not three. It was just pure action through and through and what makes this event such an exciting one, if a little confusing, to watch - especially when you're only two feet from the action!

Not long after the first lap gain, a attack saw another group get away but this time the Brits had missed it. There again were the Spanish along with the riders from Argentina, Holland and the Ukraine. While they made hay out front and continued to build up a lead, the Brits bided their time. First the Aussies countered and got away and then Hayles and Cavendish did like wise and soon caught the Aussies to start chasing the leaders down.

Lap by lap, change by change, the two teams from the Commonwealth made ground on the leaders with the Brits making contact first followed by the Aussies who had cracked within spitting distance of making contact. The job for the Brits now was to get points and with two laps to go for the sprint around the 40 lap to go mark, Rob attacked as the field chased the Marvulli/ Aeschbach tandem that was away.

There was only a few laps before a sprint but after the effort of the chase to get to the leaders still hurting Cav big time, he cracked and the field came back at them. Whilst the Argentineans who at one point were only two points ahead of the Brits, went onto score more points, Rob and Mark were unable to get to the front to score the required points although Cav did well in the final sprint to get into a position to get a point but that was three to few to get them a medal and like Chris Newton and Victoria Pendleton in the 500, it was a fourth placing for the GB pairing.

Victory went to the Spanish pair from the Lyubomyr Polatayko and Volodymir Rybin of the Ukraine in their bright new kit with the experienced Argentineans Walter Perez and Juan Curuchet in third place.

Later I spoke to our boys, starting with Rob Hayles who is the most experienced Madison rider in Britain. "We had our tactics for the race and we virtually stuck to them pretty much all the way through as we did last year. It just happened last year the race played into our hands, played exactly how we wanted it to go. This time it didn't and we had to chase moves down, let moves go, and go across to the, which was the plan if a move did go, we would wait and go across to it on our own as opposed to dragging everyone else with us."

"That is what we did and it was just unfortunate that it screwed Cav. It was though the only way we could it. The only way would have been to have gone with everything and had we done that today, it would have worked out better but you have to go into a race like with a set strategy otherwise you just end up chasing everything. Had we not gone with that early move, normally we would have left that one but it was the right time to go with it and it was an easy opportunity to go with, and had we not gone with it that group may have got a lap. It may have been that we were with it that gave the bunch the incentive to chase - you just never know."

On the fact that they crossed two gaps to get to the break and take two laps, I asked how many efforts can a rider make like that in a 50 kilometre race? "Not many and that did gas me but I am capable now of being able to push through that where as Cav isn't. The plan was not to expose him or at least for the least amount of time possible. But the way the race was he had to push himself and push some wind unfortunately. That's just the way the racing goes. There are a lot of things out of our hands."

Asked after almost two months of track work for the Commonwealth Games and now the Worlds, that he and Cav have lost some endurance? "I don't think so, not for me. I wouldn't do any more endurance anyway just because of the other events. But Cav at his stage needs more. He was really upset after the race and I said 'it will come.' I used to be like him and able to sprint but then I was screwed after whereas I have now learnt to cope with it and it will come."

"He's only young and at the end of the day, he is a sit in sprinter. That is what he is and he hasn't got the power to expose himself and then come out with a sprint. He did well in the final sprint as it was."

"We certainly didn't disgrace ourselves at all."

Asked if he was aware he was so close to the medals, Rob replied? "I didn't know who was where - I thought the Spanish were leading but every time I looked at the board it was showing 7th or lower. I knew we had to score".

Prior to the Madison, both riders had disappointing results, Cav in the Scratch race and Rob failing by a tiny amount to win gold in the Team Pursuit. Was it hard to lift himself I asked? "Not really, no. I was really up for the race and was calm and collected! I have to be. I was really gutted yesterday but I had to put that to one side."

And I said, despite the doom and gloom, it hasn't been a bad week? "No, not all" Rob replied. Look on paper what we have done, it is still a fantastic Worlds but after last year, it was always going to be a disappointment because we have set such high standards. You only had to go to a Revolution meeting to see the World's jerseys and there won't be so many this year but without making any excuses, the Commonwealth Games was the priority and we did that and we did well. We have well to do what we have done here."

"That doesn't change the fact though we came here to win".

For Rob personally, the long period covering the Commonwealth Games and Worlds, has meant he has missed over six weeks of his 12 week old baby's life. Rob however had Maddy and wife Vicki downstairs waiting for him and admits it has been a long time away from them. He now however gets to spend a weeks holiday with them in France before returning to the UK to race.

"I think I have done pretty well considering the change in lifestyle I have had. To me it proves that the training I have done has worked because I have committed a lot more this winter and that is what has carried me through. Before I wouldn't have trained that much and didn't have this change in lifestyle."

And having lost two World Titles he had last year - is he still motivated like he was? "More so because I know what's it like. I didn't know before and have been very proud to wear the jersey."

Mark Cavendish: Gutted after losing his stripes in the Madison, Mark Cavendish was just leaving the hotel to go and join his girlfriend Melissa when I caught up with him. He admits that the form is still there but lacks the dept of fitness that the mature riders have got. That said though, even without the depth of fitness, the pair of them finished a lap up on the Worlds best Madison six day riders. On this, he says "At the end of the day, our living is to go out and win competitions and we showed that if you train for it, we can do what we do."

"To be honest, I just felt like I let Rob down even though I have the speed. He was tanking today going across to things and was riding clever as well. So it's a bit of a shame because when I'm with Rob, I'm the weaker rider. I have the speed and the head on me, I just need the dept of fitness and I think that will come with getting a pro contract which is what I want".

Cav now heads for Germany and Team Sparkasse and there isn't a break after this with his first event on the 25th. It's been hard work since I had a break at Christmas but its okay. Its good to clear my head on the road and get out training. I love riding my bike and that is the main thing."

Good luck to Rob and Cav during the rest of 2006.

 

 

Lyubomyr Polatayko, Volodymyr Rybin of Ukraine.

 

 

The French, Mathieu Ladagnous & Jerome Neuville attacked a lot but didn't make the right moves and failed to challenge the leaders.

 

 
Robert Slippens throws in Danny Stam -- they made the first move but missed the next one to go down a lap.

 

 

A young Aussie team were impressive, finishing a race many did not.

 

 

Slippens and Gilmore of Belgium fight out a sprint for points.

 

 

Mark Cavendish grabs some points to challenge the teams vying for medals.

 

 

Italian Six Day ace, Mrco Villa shows the scars from a crash during the race.

 

 

Former World champions many times over, Argentians Juan Curuchet & Walter Perez.

 

 

 

Rob's face shows the strain of the pace that was frantic to say the least.

 

 

...and Marks face says it all ... he grits his teeth during a high speed chase.

 

Alexander Aeschbach &  Franco Marvulli had a better year this time, challenging for the medals but a lap down and one the leaders were not going to give them back.

Results
1 Spain 16 pts
Isaac Galvez, Joan Llaneras

2 Ukraine 11
Lyubomyr Polatayko, Volodymyr Rybin

3. Argentina 9
Juan Curuchet, Walter Perez

4. Great Britain 6
Mark Cavendish, Robert Hayles

at 1 lap behind
5. Switzerland 15
Alexander Aeschbach, Franco Marvulli

6. Belgium 9
Matthew Gilmore, Iljo Keisse

7. Netherlands 6
Robert Slippens, Danny Stam

8. Russia 5
Mikhail Ignatiev, Nikolai Trussov

9. Australia 5
Simon Clarke, Sean Finning

at 2 laps
10. France 11
Mathieu Ladagnous, Jerome Neuville

11. United States 5
Michael Friedman, Charles Bradley Huff

12. Slovakia 4
Martin Liska, Jozef Zabka

13. Italy
Fabio Masotti, Marco Villa

14. Czech Republic
Martin Blaha, Petr Lazar