Disability World Championships - Day 4

 

22nd August 2007

 

Their was champagne on the menu at the GB table this evening when the Paralympic athletes in the Great Britain Cycling Team left their best to the final day of the track competition when they blew their opposition away. With four Gold, they went from second in the Medal table behind the Australians who had a bigger team to top with 9 Gold medals, matching what they did last year on road and track with the road still to come. 

 

“They all rode out of their skins” the Team Manager told British Cycling this evening.

 

The team have a day’s break before there are two days of time trials starting on Friday. One of those competing will David Stone who is reported to be flying and looking forward to winning a World Title again after success last year.

 

Men's Team Sprint (LC 1-4, CP3-4)

 

Gold! After two years of frustration when the team has been disqualified after winning the competition, this year everything fell into place and the riders in GB colours not only won Gold against a surprise new rival, China, but they also broke the World Record twice in the process.

 

The GB lads of Rik Waddon (Man 1), Jody Cundy (Man 2) and Mark Bristow (Man 3) started the competition with the fastest time and a new World Record to go into the final for Gold. Their opponents however, the Chinese, also broke the old World record and things were tense in the GB camp before the final.

 

The weeks of preparation though which included a race off to see who would get the ride in Bordeaux, paid off with perfect changes and despite the Chinese going quicker again, so did the Brits with Rik Waddon getting them off to a blinding start recording a 20 second opening lap. With the Chinese piling on the pressure on the other side of the track, the Brits had no choice but to go all out and it was enough to put them on top of the world which was especially sweet after the years of officials taking away their medals.

 

“People were coming up to us afterwards and saying we have never seen a start like that”.

 

1. Great Britain 50.148 -Gold
WADDON, Rik, BRISTOW, Mark, CUNDY, Jody

 

2. China 51.813
ZHANG, Kuai Dong, ZHENG, Yuan Chao, LU, Zhang

 

3. CZE Bronze
KVASNICKA, Tomas, BOUSKA, Jiri, JEZEK, Jiri

 

 

Mens Sprint (Tandem)

 

Photo: www.bordeaux2007.com

 

Defending champions Great Britain were favourite for this and from the word go, Barney Storey and Anthony Kappes gave any rival who dared threaten their World title hopes short shrift. The Brits qualified fastest by 4/10s and in the opening round came up against the Dutch and won that round two nil.

 

 

Next up on the track in a competition which was all run off in an afternoon with round after round giving the riders little time for recovery, were the Japanese and like the Dutch, the Brits sent the riders from Japan packing two nil again. Storey and Kappes had made the final for Gold and were up against the Aussies, B. Demery/S. Hopkins.

 

With ‘master tactician’ Barney Storey  steering the GB tandem, the Brits rode both rounds from the front. The first win came easy but the Aussies had learnt quickly and put up more of a battle in the second match but it was to no avail and Storey/Kappes were World Champions again!

 

 

1. A.KAPPES/R.STOREY GBR19730301 B & V GBR -Gold
2. B.DEMERY/S.HOPKINS AUS19860919 B & V AUS -Silver
3. K.MODRA/T.Lawrwence AUS19720327 B & V AUS -Bronze

 

 

Womens Individual Pursuit (LC 1)

 

Representing GB in this event was Sarah Bailey who despite a broken collarbone was looking for another World Title in ‘her’ event. Her biggest threat was looking like Ju Fang Zhou from China who had done a stunning ‘36’ in the 500 metres. The two met in the final and because of her collarbone problem, Bailey had to revert back to a seated start and this helped the Chinese gain an early lead. Bailey however, stuck to her schedule which was World Record pace and it was too much for the girl from China and Bailey cross the line clear of her rival on the opposite of the track.

 

The manager Dave Mellor explained “because Zhou came through qualifying with a super time, we couldn’t risk the Gold medal and Sarah had to go all out which she did to win that title.” Explaining further about how Sarah was able to win despite her collarbone problem, the manager told us  “it was only this year this year she has been able to do a ‘standing’ start (out of the saddle) so when she broke the collarbone it wasn’t a major issue because she just went back to a seated start.”

 

1. BAILEY, Sarah GBR 3:48.622 Gold
2. ZHOU, Ju Fang CHN 3:53.322 Silver
3. MCLEAN, Claire AUS 3:57.987 Bronze
4. SOUTHORN, Fiona NZL 4:04.680

NEW WORLD RECORD: SARAH BAILEY (GBR) 3:48.622

 

Tandem Pursuit

 

Photo: www.bordeaux2007.com

The next World title came ‘out of the blue’ says the manager. Proven short distance winners, Ellen Hunter & Aileen McGlynn qualified fastest in the 3,000 metre Pursuit. Unseed, they went out on the track early and even the World Record holders from Australia (L. Hou/T. Gallagher) were unable to better their time although there was only tenths in it.

 

GB also had a second team in the event with Mel Easter and Rebecca Rimmington in their first major competition on the track and to everyone’s delight in the GB camp, the rookies qualified fourth fastest which meant they had made the final for Bronze whilst Ellen and Aileen were going for Gold yet again.

 

“In both finals, both out tandems backed up fantastically well” the manager says, adding, “it was very close in both finals. The Gold medal ride from Ellen and Aileen was just fantastic”. The news from the Bronze medal ride off though wasn’t  as good as Becks and Mel just missed winning the Bronze by a second or so despite riding out of their skins in doing so..

 

One of the casualties of the pursuit was Becky Rimmington who tried that hard she came out of the race with a severe ear infection which was so painful, she had to be taken to hospital from which she was discharged later that evening.

 

“Ellen and Aileen have scored points in a category where GB haven’t scored points before and with what Aileen has from Athens and this, she has scored a massive load of points for us.”

 

Tandem Women B & VI
1. A.McGLYNN/E.HUNTER B & VI GBR 3:40.626 Gold
2. L.HOU/T.GALLAGHER B & VI AUS 3:42.383 Silver
3. C.COLUZZI/G.TROLDI ITA 3:44.614 Bronze
4. M.EASTER/R.RIMMINGTO 3:46.257

 

Maximum Gain from the Track

Whilst the officials running the sport at international level may be making life difficult for GB maximising its potential in winning medals in Beijing, the GB team manager Dave Mellor is very pleased with how this very important stepping stone for Beijing went.

 

“It’s been great. We have maximised all our points in winning points in areas we haven’t won them before like Team Sprint and Women’s Pursuit (tandem). We have been told by the powers that be at the UCI that there is only going to be two places for Women riders and after going through this with them, there is the possibility of wild cards.”

 

The team are also having to battle for staff to look after the athletes. There is talk of there only being three GB staff when in Bordeaux there is three times that and everyone has an essential part  to play in the looking after of the athletes. “As we’re likely to be one of the top scoring sports in terms of Gold medals for the British team, we want them to know we need more support and we think the BPA have seen that today.”