More Gold for Great Britain in Sydney

 

November 18, 2006

UCI World Track Cup, Round 1, Sydney (Day 2)

Day 1 (Gold for Hoy) >>>>>

Despite only taking a small team to Sydney for the UCI World Track Cup, the quality of it is already showing the form it has with another Gold medal on day 2. Gold went to Craig MacLean in the sprint as he beat fellow British rider, Ross Edgar in the final to make yet another 1-2 for the British sprinters whilst in the Women's Pursuit, Wendy Houvenhagel, had two great rides to win a Silver medal behind the rider who destroyed her Commonwealth Games hopes in Melbourne, Katie Mactier of Australia.

 

Men's Sprint

 

Great Britain fielded three riders in this event, headed by 2006 World Championship Silver medallist Craig MacLean and supported by Ross Egdar and Matthew Crampton. In qualifying, MacLean showed his quality by winning the 200 metre time trial where the first four riders all qualified with a time of 10.3, showing just how close this competition was likely to be.

 

Second of those riders was Britain's Ross Edgar whilst the third of our riders, Mathew Crampton, still a relative youngster in this discipline, was 14th with a 10.595. This meant all three Brits went into the 1/8th finals where two of them, MacLean and Edgar went straight through after easy enough victories against their opponents.

Matthew Crampton however went out of the 'A' competition when he lost to a name
well known to British fans, Teun Mulder of Holland. Onto the quarter finals and MacLean came up against Vynourov of the Ukraine and the flying Scotsman dispensed with him in two rides. Edgar meanwhile did likewise against the tall and powerful Polish rider Lukasz Kwiatowski and all was well for the GB riders.

Into the semi finals and each of the Brits, thanks to their seeding of 1-2, were kept apart and the possibility of an all British final should they get through their tough semi final matches. MacLean was up against the wild and dangerous Mark French whilst Edgar's rival was the fast and experienced Teun Mulder. MacLean had little problem with French, his physical presence and speed too much for the young Aussie whilst Edgar had to fight hard against Mulder, going through two matches to one and making what the team were looking for, an all GB final!

And so to the all British final with Edgar against MacLean. In the first Match, Edgar showed his great form by beating MacLean to go one up but Craig hit straight back in the second match by winning that and taking it to a decider. In that MacLean made no mistake, showing his young compariot the way home and winning another Sprint World Track Cup Gold medal to add to his collection.

B FINALS
After losing in the 1/8th final, Matthew Crampton went into the B finals and in the first of these, the quarter finals, he came up against German rider John Matthias who he beat, giving him valuable experience and confidence. In the semi final though, he met his match against experienced Japanese rider, Kazunari Watanbe and Matthew was beaten two nil in that. This meant he went through to one of the B finals where he met Aussie Daniel Ellis and the young Brit was too quick for the also up and coming Aussie rider, leaving Crampton in 11th place in the competition.

Women's Pursuit
Last year's UCI World Cup Winner from Great Britain, Wendy Houvenhagel, qualified second fastest in the Women's Pursuit, just behind Katie Mactier of Australia. The qualifying ride saw her record a time just outside her personal best which she did at the British Championships this year.

 

This automatically put Wendy into the final for Gold and Silver, helping her to get her World Track Campaign off to a great start as well as erasing the memory of Melbourne when her Games ride against Mactier ended in her being caught. It certainly shows the progress the British woman is making after joining the team this year.

In the final, the Aussie girl went out fast, as she did in Melbourne, doing a 1.11 to Wendy's 1.14. After that, the battle was much closer with Mactier doing the second kilo in 1.11.9 to Wendy's 1.12.2. Then, as in qualifying, Wendy came home fastest, completing the final kilo in 1.12.9 to Mactier's 1.15.1. The British girl had lost the final ride off but certainly doing enough to show the progress she is making in the event.

RESULTS

 

MENS SPRINT

Semi Finals
1. MCLEAN Craig (Gbr) GBR 10.804 10.872
2. FRENCH Mark AUS

1. EDGAR Ross GBR 10.978 10.849
2. MULDER Teun NED 10.907


Quarter Finals
1. MCLEAN Craig (Gbr) GBR 10.755 10.761
2. VYNOKUROV Andrei UKR

1. EDGAR Ross GBR 10.868 11.089
2. KWIATKOWSKI Lukasz POL

1. MULDER Teun NED 10.875 10.913
2. ZIELINSKI Damian POL

1. FRENCH Mark AUS REL 11.055 11.015
2. PERVIS Franâ¿s FRA 11.835


1/8th FINALS
1. MCLEAN Craig (Gbr) GBR 11.271 63.880
2. SMITH Travis CAN

1. EDGAR Ross GBR 10.800 66.666
2. WATANABE Kazunari JPN

1. MULDER Teun NED 11.300 63.716
2. CRAMPTON Matthew SIS

1. FRENCH Mark AUS 10.769 66.858
2. ELLIS Daniel AUS

1. PERVIS Franâ¿s FRA 10.968 65.645
2. SUNDERLAND Scott AIS

1. ZIELINSKI Damian POL 11.013 65.377
2. JOHN Matthias GER

1. KWIATKOWSKI Lukasz POL 10.756 66.939
2. BAYLEY Ryan AIS

1. VYNOKUROV Andrei UKR 10.782 66.777
2. TOURNANT Arnaud FRA

QUALIFYING
1. MCLEAN Craig (Gbr) GBR 10.309
2. EDGAR Ross GBR 10.325
3. MULDER Teun NED 10.336
4. FRENCH Mark AUS 10.373
5. PERVIS Franâ¿s FRA 10.417
6. ZIELINSKI Damian POL 10.449
7. KWIATKOWSKI Lukasz POL 10.469
8. VYNOKUROV Andrei UKR 10.485
9. TOURNANT Arnaud FRA 10.534
10. BAYLEY Ryan AIS 10.541
11. JOHN Matthias GER 10.546
12. SUNDERLAND Scott AIS 10.555
13. ELLIS Daniel 10.587
14. CRAMPTON Matthew SIS 10.595


B Finals
Quarter Final
1. TOURNANT Arnaud FRA 11.090 64.923
2. SMITH Travis CAN

1. WATANABE Kazunari JPN 11.245 64.028
2. BAYLEY Ryan AIS

1. CRAMPTON Matthew SIS 10.652 67.592
2. JOHN Matthias GER

1. ELLIS Daniel AUS 11.068 65.052
2. SUNDERLAND Scott AIS

Semi Finals
1. TOURNANT Arnaud FRA 11.112 64.794
2. ELLIS Daniel AUS

1. WATANABE Kazunari JPN 11.003 65.436
2. CRAMPTON Matthew SIS


WOMEN'S PURSUIT

FINALS
1. MACTIER Katie AUS 3:38.742 49.373
2. HOUVENHAGEL Wendy SIS 3:39.706 49.156
3. SEREIKAITE Vilija LTU 3:40.887 48.893
4. SHANKS Alison NZL 3:42.160 48.613

QUALIFYING
1. MACTIER Katie AUS 3:36.865
2. HOUVENHAGEL Wendy SIS 3:37.842 (3.37.699 PB)
3. SEREIKAITE Vilija LTU 3:40.659
4. SHANKS Alison NZL 3:42.806