2007 European Track Championships

 

July 11-15, 2007; Cottbus, Germany

Event Website (German): www.teambrandenburg.de

British Cycling's Event Home  Page:  >>>>>

 

Final Training Day -- Dodging the Rain in East Germany

The track at Cottbus, covered but an open centre...

 

After Athens last year, the venue for the 2004 Olympic Games, the European Track Cycling Championships in 2007 are taking place in the old East German town of Cottbus. The track is a semi covered outdoor venue and like its surroundings, takes visitors back in time to the days when East Germany was churning out Olympic medallists by the score. In fact, the town has a section of sidewalk dedicated to Olympic medallists that were ‘produced’ in Cottbus.

 

And while the tower blocks and much of the area around the old track has that East German feel to it, the four star hotel for the Great Britain team is modern and comfortable with all mod cons. So far, there is an air of German efficiency about these championships. As soon as I walked into the hotel with a fellow member of the GB staff in Cottbus, reception knew who we were. The accreditation office for the Championships also showed more efficiency than the same office at the Tour de France did last week. So far so good.

  

Anyone who remembers the grey East German uniforms of days gone by by won't be surprised to know the weather here is the same -- grey, very grey. For many weeks, like it has been in Britain and many places in the world, the weather here dawned grey and was drizzling wet this morning and that may prove to be a problem for the championships if the weather gets under the open roof and onto the very steep slopes that have already claimed one of the British riders.

 

Welsh rider Rhys Lloyd broke his collarbone after one of the British riders slipped down the banking and crashed into a few of the Junior team pursuit riders including Mark McNally. It is just one of the challenges facing the British team as it gets ready for competition starting on Wednesday (July 11). Some of the team are also ill and the wet weather is certainly not helping that but despite this, spirits and morale is high.

 

Above: Women’s Junior Endurance rider Hannah Mayho on the rollers in the hotel’s ‘bike room’ with only the wind from an open window to keep her cool. On her schedule for the training effort was a warm-up followed by some intervals listening to the likes of Beyonce and Greenday to name but two of the artists she listens to whilst training.

Looking ahead to the first day of competition, it’s an early start for the Junior sprinters with the Junior Women’s Sprint and Junior Men’s Team Sprint kicking off the competition on day 1 along with events for the Junior Team Pursuit, Under 23 Individual Pursuit and Under 23 Kilometre. It all adds up to being a busy day for the Great Britain team in a week of racing where the team will be competing in most of the events being held.

 

Making their debut in Great Britain team colours on Wednesday (11th of July) will be young female sprinters Jess Varnish and Dani King when they compete in the Junior Women’s Sprint competition. The Junior Men’s Team Sprint will also see another rider making his debut, Peter Mitchell (joining David Daniell and Christian Lyte) whilst in the Junior Men’s Team Pursuit, it will be Luke Rowe who faces his first outing in a major track competition with Great Britain as he lines up with Peter Kennaugh, Adam Blythe and Mark McNally.

 

Other British riders racing on day 1 will be last years revelation in the Junior events, Jason Kenny who is the sole GB rider in the Under 23 Kilometre whilst Steven Burke goes it alone in the Individual Pursuit. A look through the start lists of the other countries (click here) , it is clearly apparent that although the GB team is larger than last years squad, it is still dwarfed by the numbers from countries like Germany, Russia, Greece, Poland, Italy and France.

 

Jan van Eijden gives the riders instructions for their morning hour ride in the rain.

 

The final training day, the third so far here in Cottbus, took place today and it was the endurance riders for the GB team who took advantage of it with the sprint team having a rest as they prepare for the competition starting on Wednesday by resting. With the training slot not starting until 5pm, it was a long wait for the riders who had all been for a ride in the rain in the morning on the pan flat roads around Cottbus.

 

By the time the training session finished, the sun was out and the day had turned out pretty good but it all went black again a shortwhile after the team had returned to the hotel as thunder, lightening and heavy rain descended on Cottbus.  We can only hope the weather improves for the next five days as the championships aim to commence at 9.30 on Wednesday (11th of July). BritishCycling.org.uk is with the team and will be sending reports and photos back as the competition progresses.

 

Above: The hut where the mechanics for Great Britain, Mark Ingham and Martyn Ashfield have three small rooms in which to prepare the GB team bikes. With such a large team of riders competing, the midnight oil is sure to be burning away at the Cottbus track as the two mechanics look to keep the riders bikes ready and waiting to go into action.

 

Left: The mechanics cabins, small but dry! Right; How to beat the rain Cottbus style...

GB Picture Postcards

 

Lunch time!

 

Puddles in the track centre show how wet it is in Cottbus right now.

 

Darren Tudor, Olympic Development Mens Endurance coach, gives his riders a pre-training effort talk.

 

Mechanic Martyn Ashfield gases the tyres.

 

The start of a standing 3K effort for the Junior Men's Team Pursuit.

 

The bankings of the Cottbus track are as steep, maybe even steeper, than those of Manchester.

 

With Andy Tennant becoming ill in the last two days, only three of the Under 23 Team Pursuit were able to train.

 

Hannah Mayho, during one of her many efforts on the day which had been a busy one for her.

 

The Juniors Pinarello bikes are lined up as Andy Fenn warms up on the rollers.

 

Another day at the office is over for Peter Kennaugh (left) Adam Blythe.

 

Postcards from Cottbus

 

The Cottbus hotel is one of the best I have stayed in with GB.

 

Shopping centre, church and residental housing near the hotel. 

 

The track at Cottbus with small shelters for the teams, or some of them at least.

 

Accomodation at the track.

 

Not great conditions for the Belgium mechanics who did not like the 'Irish rain'.