Future Stars Shining Bright for Manchester World Track Cup

 

Great Britain Cycling Team News

January 6, 2007

 

For any Junior (under 19), making the step up to the Senior ranks can be a daunting one and for two of the Great Britain cycling team's Olympic Academy riders, Jason Kenny and Anna Blyth, the UCI World Track Cup event in Moscow last month was their first foray into competing up a level and they more than acquitted themselves well.

Both are Junior World Champions and on the unique Moscow track, they showed they were able to compete against much older and experienced rivals despite their age. Jason came away from the competition with a Gold medal whilst Anna made the final for the Women's Keirin and in the 500 was faster than the girl who beat her for a World title last year in the Junior championships.

It is yet another sign that the development programmes put in place by the GB Cycling Team are bearing fruit and in Los Angeles this month, more of the new Academy riders will be heading there for a taste of World Track Cup Action ahead of the big one in February at the Manchester Velodrome.

At Manchester this week, along with the Endurance Olympic Academy riders, Jason and Anna returned to track training and britishcycling.org.uk caught up with them to find out how they found their first senior World Track Cup.

"I went to Moscow with no pressure and just wanted to make my mark there really and feel happy I had done my best in my three events" Anna from Leeds (pictured) explained.

Anna added that in the Women's Sprint on the fast Moscow track, she recorded a new personal best (11.260, 3 tenths faster than her previous) which for a short time was a Junior World Record until Ukraine rider Lubov Shulyka (11.149) broke it.

Asked how she felt in the Women's Keirin where she made the final, Anna says "when I made the final, I realised how fast these riders actually are. I had nothing else to give in the race and they came over the top but getting there I beat some good riders. I raced my own race each time and made the moves so in that respect, it was good for me."

Helping her there was her Academy coach Iain Dyer, something Anna said was a great help having worked with the National Sprint coach for a number years now on different programmes. "It was good having Iain there to help us with tactics and so on".

"Having done Moscow, I was able to confidently come back and start training for Manchester and am confident I can do quite well there. Moscow opened my eyes as to how I would go so hopefully after a few weeks of training I can get to Manchester and do my best again in front of a home crowd."

Another home rider looking forward to not only Manchester, but also to a World Cup in Los Angeles is Jason Kenny from Bolton. In Moscow he won a Gold medal in the Team Sprint along with Matthew Crampton (Man 3) and Craig MacLean (Man 1). So probably the most impressive thing about Jason getting a Gold medal in Moscow was not the medal but the fact he was able to hold the wheel of one of the fastest riders in the World in Craig MacLean, already a Gold medal winner in the Sprint Competition in Sydney and a Bronze medal winner in Moscow for that same event.

The triple World Junior champion though was quite relaxed about having managed to hold the wheel of such a formidable rider. "We had done a few training sessions before Moscow so I knew I could get on his wheel so in the end, it was just case of getting up there and doing what I knew I could do. That's what I did and it worked out really well. I got his wheel straight away and was able to get some rest before my lap".

"The only thing I wasn't sure about was it being a long track (333 metre) so I had to be careful not to blow up. I was also pretty fired up and I had to calm myself down and relax whilst flying round - not easy!"

Asked how he found his first World Track Cup experience, he says "I didn't know what to expect in Moscow to be honest. I just went in there to do my best and see what happens. I didn't find it hard because I only had to ride the last day and so it was quite easy sitting around killing time. I was sharing a room with Craig so that helped a lot."

"I have never been to event before just to do the one race and I quite liked that to be honest! We were always kept busy though, going to the track and doing jumps in training and thinking about the next session. The warming up and training, things like that, are basically the same as when you're at a junior competition."

"On the track racing, the senior riders are a step ahead at the moment in experience. After you have done it for a few years, you're going to get better and know what to expect."

Jason went on to add that in the run up to Moscow, there was a small taper in his training because he didn't want to have a bad showing in his first World Track Cup and it doesn't get any better a showing than winning Gold as he did.

Jason is now part of quite a big GB team going to LA and although unsure of his events, he says expects to be doing the Sprint and Team Sprint there. Then he returns for Manchester and says he isn't making any predictions about following all this up by going to the World Track Championships and will just take each competition as it comes and hope to go faster and faster.

We thank Jason and Anna for their time and wish them all the best in the coming months.