European Track Championships 2006

 

July 19-23; Athens Olympic Velodrome

Home Page European Track Champs

 

Junior Womens Scratch Race

 

French rider Virginie Cueff makes the fatal mistake of raising her arm well early while the Dutch girl Elise van Hage  throws her bike at the line to clinch the Junior Scratch race title with the French girl in second. These are both Sprinters but able to gho the distance in the Women's events.  

 

The Junior Women's Scratch race saw Katie Curtis and Lizzie Armitstead riding for Great Britain in a race with quite a few of the Women's sprinters competing. As the gun fired to start the race, Cardiff's Katie Curtis lead the field around and she remained near the front during the next 10 or so laps as riders tried their luck and getting away and Katie marked their moves.

The race really started to take shape after a Russian rider got away and one by one, a number of riders started to get across to it and a small group was soon forming at the front without a GB rider in it. Katie was still feeling sick after getting ill the day before and Lizzie was marking the Polish sprinter who has had a successful championships with two medals.

Unbeknown to Lizzie though, the Polish rider had gassed herself in trying to get across to the break whilst the Dutch sprinter van Hage was sitting a few lengths off the back of the group and playing it calm with a teammate in the break. The laps ticked by and the gap between break and bunch stay the same until the riders in front started to play cat and mouse games and with only a handful of laps left, the race came together.

The race to be at the front of the group was soon on and round the outside came the Polish sprinter with Lizzie on her wheel with Dutch winner Van Hage just on the inside of them whilst French sprinter Cueff was also making her move on the inside. As they came into the back straight, Van Hage pulled clear of Romanyuta of Russia and Cueff of France whilst Lizzie Armitstead had to go the long way round the Polish rider and start her chase of three leaders.

Into the home straight, Cueff made her move as the Dutch girl started to slow but Cueff made the fatal mistake of raising her arm 10 or more meters before the line while the Dutch girl continued her challenge and threw her bike at the line to clinch the title with the French girl in second. Lizzie did well considering she had been gapped to hold off the rest for fourth, a frustrating result for any rider.

Although she may not have medalled, one thing was evident from her racing and that is the Otley girl goes out to win with a steely determination that is a very valuable asset to a bike racer, and one that separates champions and also rans. Talking to us after her event, Lizzie said "I felt good, really good."

"I was quite strong and the game plan was for Katie to lead me out but she wasn't well so we picked the Polish girl to do the lead out as she is fast (sprint medallist). At the finish, I had her wheel and I was up high and I thought, I have got this, and she didn't react to the moves and I was parked up behind her".

"I never felt pushed during the race until the end and there was nothing I could do once they had gapped me. The championships have been useful though to learn from and get more experience in these sort of races before the Worlds. It's like a warm-up mentally and physically, especially mentally for when I'm back in the bunch and reacting quickly to moves."

Result
1. VAN HAGE Elise NED
2. CUEFF Virginie FRA
3. ROMANYUTA Evgenia RUS
4. ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth GBR
5. WOJTYRA Malgorzata POL
6. ROMOLI Marina ITA
7. CASTOLDI Silvia ITA
8. DUTRIAUX Fionna FRA
9. EVERSDYK Anne NED
10. CASAS ROIGE Helena ESP
11. FIALOVA Dana CZE
12. KOZONCHUK Oxana RUS
13. VAN DER HAUWAERT Elke BEL
14. PAPKO Aksana BLR
15. DABROWSKA Renata POL
16. PILKAUSKAITE Roberta LTU
17. AMIALIUSIK Alena BLR
18. XYNOU Evlampia GRE
19. ESLAVA FERNANDEZ Joana ESP
20. UHLARIKOVA Katarina SVK
21. TROULINOU Artemis GRE
22. CURTIS Katie GBR
* Note, Katie was suffering from sickness

 

 

British UCI commisaire Trevor Reade starts the race.

 

The bunch start the sprint as the bell is rung.

 

A break for a long time looked like it would stay away but was eventually reeled in.

 

Lizzie sits behind the big Polish sprinter Dabrowska as she get ready for the final sprint. 

Katie Curtis follows a Polish rider.