European Track Championships 2006

 

July 19-23; Athens Olympic Velodrome

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Junior Womens Keirin

 

A tight finish for the Women's Keirin final and Anna is unlucky not to medal as the French girl Claire uses the track under the black line to get in the medals, something riders quite get DQ'd for. 

 

Round 1

After finishing just out of the medals last night in the 500 TT, GB's Anna Blyth and Lucy Ayres rode round 1 of the Junior Womens Keirin on the morning of day 4. First up on the track was Lucy Ayres who drew position 1 and tucked in behind the derny to lead the race for the opening few laps whilst there was a bit of a bun fight going on for position behind her.

As the three laps to go board was showing, the group started to bunch up, getting ready to swamp Lucy and with two go and the derny now out of the way, the rush was on for position with Lucy still at the front. She wasn't able to hold it though and as they came out of the bend into the home straight, France's Virginie Crueff took the race on ahead of the Polish rider Dabrowska.

Lucy by now was being swamped by even more riders and for the final sprint won by Dabrowska, Lucy slipped back to finish fourth, relegated to riding the repechage later. In the second of the two heats, World Junior Bronze medallist for this event last year, Anna Blyth was back up on the track and her heat didn't get far before a crash by the Russian girl (above) brought the French girl down in the first few metres and a restart followed.

 

With the race rerun underway, Anna slipped into second last position in the string which is where she stayed until the derny was half a lap from being pulled off the track. It was then she made her move round the outside and very quickly had herself on the front and in command. But, as the bell rang out, Anna very quickly found herself at the back and in a very tight box. The GB rider though has a big heart and doesn't give in that easily and down the back straight, opened the throttle again to blast her way alongside the contenders.

Anna continued to fight and fight all way round the final bend and down the home straight, going the long way round before crossing the line second behind the Russian Rozhkov (below). That was enough to get her into the final but the Russian was later relegated which meant Anna was given the win for the heat and a chance of another medal in the final.

 

Repechage
In heat 2 of the Women's Keiren Repechage, Lucy Ayres did her best to try and remain in the competition for medals. As in her heat, Lucy drew pole position and kept her place behind the derny all the way until it swung off when the French girl Cueff jumped around Lucy to take the front position. Despite a challenge from the Italian Mensa, the French rider managed to hold her position all the way to win a place a in the final while Lucy was third.

In the evening, there were two Keirin events, the final for the medals where GB had their hopes riding on the sturdy shoulders of Anna Blyth whilst in the 7-13 minor final, GB had Lucy Ayres.

Final (Medals)
Anna Blyth started from second position and retained that behind the bike whilst the pace continued to build until with three laps to go, and the bike getting ready to pull away, Anna made room for herself and got ready for the fight for position to come. Into the home straight and two to go, and the riders were right across the track ina line giving it full gas and it was over the course of the next lap, that Anna was almost taken out of the race by the Polish rider, halting Anna's run for a moment.

Anna recovered though and like she did in her round 1 heat, she came the long way round down the back straight and into the home straight but unlike before, the best she could get was fourth, the same as in the 500 TT the night before. No medal but certainly loads of experience to take with her to the World Championships in two weeks.

 

RESULTS

 

Final 1-7
1. SHULIKA Lubov UKR
2. DABROWSKA Renata POL
3. CLAIR Sandie FRA
4. BLYTH Anna GBR
5. CUEFF Virginie FRA
6. CASAS ROIGE Helena ESP

8-14
7. ROZHKOVA Anastasia RUS
8. JANOWIAK Marta POL
9. KESSLER Nina NED
10. AYRES Lucy GBR
11. CHRYSOU Efthalia GRE
12. MENSA Serena ITA
13. TROULINOU Artemis GRE


1st Round
1. DABROWSKA Renata POL
2. CUEFF Virginie FRA
3. SHULIKA Lubov UKR
4. AYRES Lucy GBR
5. KESSLER Nina NED
6. CHRYSOU Efthalia GRE

1. BLYTH Anna GBR
2. CASAS ROIGE Helena ESP
3. MENSA Serena ITA
4. JANOWIAK Marta POL
5. CLAIR Sandie FRA
6. TROULINOU Artemis GRE

REL 127 ROZHKOVA Anastasia RUS

Relegation:
Heat 2, ROZHKOVA(RUS) for entering the sprinter?s lane when the opponent was already there.

Repechages
1. SHULIKA Lubov UKR
2. ROZHKOVA Anastasia RUS
3. JANOWIAK Marta POL
4. KESSLER Nina NED
5. TROULINOU Artemis GRE

1. CLAIR Sandie FRA
2. MENSA Serena ITA
3. AYRES Lucy GBR
4. CHRYSOU Efthalia.

 

Below, pictures of the final for the medals.

 

The final gets under way.

 

 

 

 

 

Minor Final

 

This began with Lucy in pole position behind the derny as she had been in all her heats for this event so far. As always, the bun fight was going on behind her and it wasn't until the derny was getting ready to pull off that Lucy's position was under threat.

It was the Dutch girl Kessler who started the sprint off and after a lap dicing with Lucy, got her bike in front before Janowiak of Poland joined the party as the bell rang out. It was the Russian Roshkova though who made the run of the race, launching herself down the back straight and racing away for an easy victory with Lucy 4th in the race and 10th in the championship.