Day 1 of our look at the World Track Championships in Los Angeles

 

2005 UCI Track Worlds: GB Prepare
By British Cycling's Larry Hickmott

 

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 In a few days, the World Track Championships for 2005 will be under way in Los Angeles and as they have for many years now, GB is here and looking to win its share of the medals. I arrived yesterday along with the team doctor Roger Palfreman and team physio Gavin Thomas. Also with us was Mike Hughes from the English Institute of Sport who is here doing performance analysis work for the team.

As trips go, this one is a long haul flight, 11 hours plus, so it was a relief when I arrived at the Los Angeles airport that the hardworking soigneur Nick Kenwright was there to pick up the party of staff I was travelling with to take us to the hotel. After settling in, it was soon time for dinner where I could pick up on what had been going on before we had arrived.

All the riders were here now in the hotel and one of the first things I learnt was that the flu that had affected Craig Maclean in the week leading up to the event, had indeed robbed him of a ride at the Worlds. In a ride off for the team sprint, he lost out to a rejuvenated Jamie Staff who may well ride man one in the team sprint, although with still a few days left before competition, nothing was definite as to who would ride where. But for Craig, he has been relegated to the subs bench but after his ride at Manchester in January, I expect it won't be long before he's back at his best.

Once dinner was out of the way, the GB staff assembled for a meeting in one of the hotel rooms to look at the agenda for the next day and then for those of us who had just arrived, time to catch up on some sleep after almost 24 hours without any. The next morning, it was an early call for the endurance team for a morning session on the track and after an early breakfast, everyone piled into the team bus, driven by Nick again, and travelled the two miles to the track. Whilst waiting to pile into the bus, there was a little excitement in the lobby as first an ambulance crew turned up and then a large group of firemen strolled in to take a lift to the seventh floor. Pretty soon, an elderly man was brought down on a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. Excitement over and no, I haven't any of idea what happened to the man once he was taken away.

 At the track were the endurance riders who had ridden there. GB were sharing the track with the Americans and Canadians whilst the GB sprinters were off on a road ride before returning, getting changed and then jumping into Chris Hoy's on loan BMW four by four (pictured right) to take a trip to do some retail therapy nearby.

At the Velodrome, I got acquainted with a venue I have yet to visit. The complex is new but frustratingly, the only way to get from the stands to the track centre was by jumping the fence or walking around the long way. There were pluses though as the press area was in the Track centre which meant I could still see the racing when there to upload stories and so on but the whilst the tack itself is liked by the riders, the facilities needed around the track are not there as they are in Manchester and even Newport to a certain extent.



Above: Paul Manning leads the endurance riders around the track during their warmup. 

Unlike Manchester, the track in LA is raised above the track centre section and at 9am, the GB riders in their new Adidas kit took the freshly laid boards for some final efforts. Nothing to tiring, just short sharp efforts to fine tune everything before the worlds kicks off in a few days. The team pursuiters, Chris Newton, Steve Cummings, Rob Hayles and Paul Manning did a number of standing start efforts after a 20 minute warmup and whilst they did their thing, Ed Clancy did two 2 kilometre efforts with Mark Cavendish in tow finishing off that effort with a lap long sprint.

Also there were the two endurance female riders, seasoned professional Emma Davies and rookie Nikki Harris. They did a series of four efforts of a lap long sprint taking turns to lead it out. And, whilst the GB team looked impressive on the track, in the track centre, there were rehearsals for the podium presentations also going on in an environment that was still quite quiet considering the competition wasn't that far away from starting.

Although the track centre may have been quiet, with so many riders on the track, the GB mechanics, Ernie Feargrive and Mark Ingham were certainly kept busy changing wheels and gears to suit the efforts the riders were doing. Also busy was John Evans, keeping the riders fed, coach Simon Jones directing the various efforts on the track and all the others here in LA carrying out their various duties. Like the staff at the hotel who were seeing to the needs of the riders. Physio Gavin Thomas making sure the riders are all okay and fixing any niggly pains they may be having in aching muscles or the team's consultant psychologist Steve Peters who explained to me over dinner how he's been kept busy since he arrived talking to riders and helping them focus mentally on their events.



Above: The GB Team Pursuiters line up for a standing start effort.

For many of the riders new to being with GB at a World Championships, the level to which they get looked after has come as a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. Like the look on Nikki Harris's face as the mechanics grabbed her bike and took it up onto the track for her. It's one of many simple things that is done for the riders but an important example of how the riders only have to think about their efforts on the track. Drinks, bikes and so on all taken care by a team well drilled in giving the riders they feel can win medals, the best back up in the world.



Above: Nikki Harris starts her one lap sprint of the track with teammate Emma Davies right behind.

Also there helping out and keeping his legs turning over was a rider who less than 12 months go won his first World title on this very same track, Geraint Thomas. I'll have an interview with him soon but the young Welshman was feeling good and although unable to compete was thankful to the team for letting him see and feel what it was like to be at a senior World Championship. Who knows, this important experience may well make the difference when he returns to the worlds in 12 months to try and claim his first senior world title.

As the minutes ticked by and 12 noon was soon upon us, the riders soon got together for the ride back in groups. Some finding old habits hard to break and stopping at a cafî`n the way back whilst others rode straight to the hotel for a massage and dinner at 12.30. Whilst the riders used their bikes to make their way back, the staff piled into the team bus and headed for the hotel. All except the mechanics, left to finish off their work in the outside containers similar to those you see at many Velodromes such as Manchester.

For many of the riders, the training was over for the day and it was then left to the masseurs to do their work in trying to revive tired legs for the next and final day of training before competition starts. For the staff though, their work never stops as they take care of the jobs that need doing now whilst also doing other jobs to prepare the way for training the next day. It isn't the type of care that the riders get at every event, but for the one event that matters, nothing is left to chance.



The end of the session and the work continues for mechanics Mark Ingham and Ernie Feargrive as they take the fast wheels out and replace them with the warm up wheels to be used the next day.

We'll have more from the GB team over the coming days including interviews with many of the riders.

 

Above: Not a GB rider as the Americans do a spot of motor pacing using some unusual looking machines.




Nikki Harris all smiles as she prepares to ride the Scratch race in the Los Angeles World Championships.

GB mechanic Ernie Feargrive carries two of the team bikes up the steps from the track centre onto the track as the Team Pursuiters prepare to do a standing start



Chris Newton and Paul Manning take a look at some video shot by Andrea Wooles of their standing start efforts.