Strong British Team for Copenhagen UCI Track Cycling World Cup
Story posted February 4, 2009
Event:13-15 February, 2009
By Larry Hickmott
In the biggest team to compete at a UCI Track Cycling World Cup since Manchester last October, the Great Britain Cycling team are sending a squad of 23 riders to the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Copenhagen, the final round of the series before the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Poland (March). The British riders will be divided up into three teams, Great Britain, 100% ME and the newly formed Sky +HD team.
The Great Britain team currently lie second in the overall table for the UCI Track Cycling World Cup series despite only fielding a full team at Manchester. Interestingly, the points tally for Great Britain at Manchester, 133, is still the most scored by any team this series with the next best being 112 by Australia at the Melbourne Track Cycling World Cup.
As well as holding down second place in the Team rankings, British riders also lead a number of the Track Cycling World Cup event competitions. These include Lizzie Armitstead (Women's Scratch) and Chris Newton (Men’s Points). The Women’s Team Pursuit riders (Lizzie Armitstead, Joanna Rowsell and Katie Colclough) would also be leading the World Cup competition for that event had they ridden in the same colours both times they competed but in Manchester they rode in 100%ME colours and in Melbourne they rode for GB.
Trackside during GB training at the Manchester Velodrome this week before going to Majorca, is the newly appointed Track Performance Manager, Heiko Salzwedel. He said of the Copenhagen UCI Track Cycling World Cup “this is our last major test before the UCI Track Cycling World Championships so it has a special place in our preparation but no more or no less. We won’t for example do any special tapering for the Copenhagen UCI Track Cycling World Cup but I still expect every rider to perform well there”.
Sir Chris Hoy, a four time Olympic champion, returns to Track Cycling World Cup action in Copenhagen.
A large chunk of the team going to Copenhagen is expected to be on the plane to Poland for the World Track Championships but the performance manager stressed the Danish World Cup was not a selection event.
“We already have a clear idea of who is going to the Track Cycling World Championships so there are only a few small question marks about some riders.”
Asked why the team has not sent such big teams to the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics since Manchester, and no Sprint squads at all, the coach who took the Danish team all the way to the Gold medal final against GB in Beijing (Team Pursuit) explained “it is year one in our Olympic campaign so we are trying new things in training”.
“It can be a waste of time travelling around the globe just to do some things we can do well in training here and our main aim is the UCI Track Cycling World Championships where we want to do well.”
“In Olympic year, having done so well in Beijing, we didn’t need to chase (qualifying) points which meant we could take it a little easier and not have to travel the globe. Don’t let me be misunderstood here though – this is not a holiday after the Olympics but a year where we can try out new things, introduce new skills and drills into our daily training sessions which are taken very seriously and are very hard work for the riders.”
Talking about the young riders who have been selected to be part of this star studded team, Heiko told us that “it is certainly a big motivation for them and shows them we have a lot of faith in their future as well as recognising their progress in the last year or couple of months in training and competition. It is a kind of a reward for them and a chance to present themselves on the world stage”.
The 24 riders travelling to Copenhagen can be divided up into two types of athletes – Sprint and Endurance with both male and female cyclists.
The Sky +HD team were dominant at the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester
Sprint
The British Sprint squad for the Copenhagen UCI Track Cycling World Cup looks very similar to the one which went to the Olympics and 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships before that with Olympic Champions and medallists amongst the team lead by that knight in shining armour, Sir Chris Hoy, four times an Olympic Champion.
With the GB team having the luxury of being able to split their sprinters into two teams, Sky +HD and Great Britain, the Brits will be able to keep their options open as to the riders they enter into specific events. They could for example, enter two Team Sprint teams into the event (mens) if required as well as enter multiple Brits in key Olympic events such as the Sprint and Keirin.
The men’s sprint team is lead by Sky +HD rider Chris Hoy who has been training in Perth (Australia) and is said to be in great shape after getting away from the hustle and bustle of his post Olympic celebrations and getting back to some hard work on the track in one of his favourite places to train. He will be backed up by fellow Olympic champions Jamie Staff and Jason Kenny, and between them, they will be racing the three Sprint events, Kierin, Sprint and Team Sprint.
In GB colours, will be European Champion Matt Crampton, Olympic Silver medallist Ross Edgar and former World Junior champion, David Daniel who won the Kilo at the Manchester UCI Track Cycling World Cup and will be looking to back that up with a top performance to qualify a place at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The Women’s Sprint team will also see an all powerful line-up headed by Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton (above), who, like Chris Hoy, has been training in Perth. Victoria will line up in the Sky +HD colours to contest the sprint events open to women; Keirin, Sprint and 500m Time Trial. Selection for which events Victoria will ride is expected to be made closer to the event with priority given to the Olympic events.
In Great Britain colours are two young sprint stars of the future, Anna Blyth and Helen Scott who tells me she is very excited at making her debut in a UCI Track Cycling World Cup. Anna is a European champion with a lot of experience at this level now whilst Helen is a new recruit in the Women’s Sprint Olympic Academy.
Overall, it is a very strong sprint squad indeed with a mixture of youth and experience and will be the Sprinters first major hit out in a competition since they did so well at Manchester last October and also their last before the UCI Track Cycling World Championships although they are expected to be racing at the final Revolution meeting in February post Copenhagen.
Endurance
Rob Hayles and Peter Kennaugh. Photo: Greg Chang / PhotoSport International UK USA ASIA. PhotoSport2007@aol.com
Whilst the Sprint squad is at full strength with all its Olympic riders included in the line-up, the Endurance squad has a very different look to it compared the Olympics. Only five men travel to ride in Great Britain colours in Copenhagen; Rob Hayles, Chris Newton, Ed Clancy Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh.
The four riders required for the Team Pursuit to be held on the second day will come from these five with only Ed Clancy remaining from the Gold medal winning team in Beijing. The rest of that winning foursome at the Olympics will be racing on the road in Europe and beyond for their professional trade teams.
The five endurance riders will also be riding one or more of the other distance events such as the Individual Pursuit, Madison, Points and Scratch race. Whilst selection for certain events is not expected to be made until closer to the World Cup, Chris Newton, current Track Cycling World Cup leader in the Points race, may well ride the Points race in Copenhagen on the track where he won his World Points title in 2002. Unlike some World Cups where the Points race has clashed with the Team Pursuit, in Copenhagen the Points race is on day 1 and the Team Pursuit on day 2.
Peter Kennaugh and Rob Hayles meanwhile are expected to continue their assault on the Madison event and whilst the team is confident they have enough points to qualify these two riders for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Madison), Rob and Pete will continue to race the event to build on their knowledge of the race.
In other endurance events, Great Britain have plenty of options for the Individual Pursuit with two of the favourites to fill the single available place being Ed Clancy (winner at Manchester) and Steven Burke (Olympic bronze medal winner).
The GB men’s endurance riders will also find themselves competing against a young squad from 100% ME; Mark Christian, Andy Fenn, Luke Rowe, and Erick Rowsell who were all Juniors last year. The foursome will be there in Copenhagen to continue their apprenticeship at UCI Track Cycling World Cup level before heading for Italy and a season on the road there with Olympic Academy manager in Italy, Max Sciandri.
Like the senior endurance riders, the 100% ME foursome will come together for the Team Pursuit and each of them will also be given at least one more endurance event to race in such as the Madison, Points, Scratch and Individual Pursuit.
Lizzie Armitstead, Joanna Rowsell and Katie Colclough
The endurance women’s team is also a young squad with most of them being teenagers still. The riders are Lucy Martin, Alex Greenfield (both GB colours) and in 100% ME kit, triple Manchester Gold medallist Lizzie Armitstead, Katie Colclough and World Team Pursuit champion (Women) Joanna Rowsell.
Young the Women’s endurance squad may be, but there is certainly some World Class talent there. Take Lizzie Armitstead for example. Five Gold medals in two Track Cycling World Cups this winter is quite an achievement for a teenager but then they come as no surprise as Lizzie Armitstead has been winning medals for three years already. Joanna Rowsell too is showing a great talent for Pursuiting and along with Lizzie and Katie Colclough will be aiming to help the 100% ME girls to victory in the Team Pursuit.
It will for sure be the toughest test yet for the young girls with the UCI Track Cycling World Championships so close, the competition will be up to speed and the races a tougher challenge than they were in the first UCI Track Cycling World Cup way back in October.
Joanna Rowsell. Photo: Greg Chang / PhotoSport International UK USA ASIA. PhotoSport2007@aol.com
UCI Track Cycling World Cup so Far
The 2008/09 UCI Track Cycling World Cup season started as it finished in Beijing with Great Britain dominating the event at Manchester winning no less than 14 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze medals.
Gold
Victoria Pendleton (Womens Sprint)
Victoria Pendleton (Womens 500)
Victoria Pendleton (Women's Keirin)
Wendy Houvenaghel (Womens Ind Pursuit)
Lizzie Armitstead (Womens Points)
Lizzie Armistead (Womens Scratch)
Lizzie Armitstead, Joanna Rowsell, Katie Colclough (Womens Team Pursuit)
Ed Clancy, Steven Burke, Geraint Thomas, Rob Hayles (Mens Team Pursuit)
Ed Clancy (Mens Ind Pursuit)
David Daniell (Mens Kilo)
Jason Kenny (Mens Sprint)
Jessica Varnish/Anna Blyth (Womens Team Sprint)
Chris Newton (Mens Point Race)
Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny, Ross Edgar (Mens Team Sprint)
Silver
Jason Kenny (Men's Keirin)
Lucy Martin (Womens Points)
Bronze
Joanna Rowsell (Womens Ind Pursuit)
Katie Colclough (Womens Points)
Matt Crampton (Mens Sprint)
Alex Greenfield (Women's Scratch)
The Great Britain team then backed off and sent smaller teams to the other rounds which were all on the other side of the world starting in Melbourne where they won three Gold medals from four events entered.
It was Girl Power when the team started off on day one there in Oz with two Gold to Joanna Rowsell (Pursuit) and Lizzie Amitstead (Scratch). There was disaster on day 2 when Lizzie fell in the Points race but she bounced back with aplomb on day 3 when combining with Joanna Rowsell and Katie Colclough to win another Gold.
An even smaller team was then sent to Columbia (December) but the medals continued to come as Peter Kennaugh won a Silver medal in the Points race and he then partnered Rob Hayles to finish sixth in the Madison event.
The final UCI Track Cycling World Cup event prior to Copenhagen then followed in Beijing (China) in January 2009 and in the three events contested, the team came away with one gold (Chris Newton, Points) and two silver (Chris Newton-Scratch, Rob Hayles and Peter Kennaugh-Madison).
Copenhagen
The attention of the Great Britain riders and coaches however is now on the final UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Denmark where the team had such success in 2002 at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. It was perhaps the big turning point for the GB team coming as it did after a disappointing Commonwealth Games (Manchester) but showed the GB team was capable of winning Gold with three championship winning performances as well as two other medals (Silver and Bronze).
In some ways, it can be viewed as a turning point for the team prior to the continued rise and rise of the team in the years that followed. With only a week now until the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Demark, the bulk of the Sprint squad are continuing to train at Manchester as they have since the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester three months ago. The endurance riders meanwhile are in Majorca getting in some road miles before they return to Manchester for a final track hit out prior to travelling to Denmark.
BRITISH RIDERS FOR COPENHAGEN 2009
SKY + HD
Chris Hoy
Jamie Staff
Jason Kenny
Victoria Pendleton
Great BritainEndurance
Rob Hayles
Chris Newton
Ed Clancy
Steven Burke
Pete Kennaugh
Lucy Martin
Alex Greenfield
Sprint
Ross Edgar
Matt Crampton
David Daniell
Anna Blyth
Helen Scott
100% ME (all endurance)
Mark Christian
Andy Fenn
Luke Rowe
Erick Rowsell
Lizzie Armitstead
Katie Colclough
Joanna Rowsell
RELATED LINKS
Olympic Games Reports
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Melbourne Track Cycling World Cup
Manchester Track Cycling World Cup
Manchester Track Cycling World Championships
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Chris Newton returning to Beijing