UCI's 2009-2010 Track Cycling World Cup Classics

frenchfighter

This is from 30 Oct to 1 Nov at Manchester. I haven't followed it much but know that Pendelton won the sprint, Hoy won the Kerin and Geraint the pursuit.

frenchfighter

WOW! Geraint beat Wiggins!! His time of 4.15.015 is the unoffical World record! Boardman did 4.11.114 but in the Superman position.

DaveyL

If you read Wiggo's book, he did a 4:14-something, I think, in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics, but then he fell ill, and was actually slightly off-form for the Olympics.

frenchfighter

That is reassuring - was it in training? It could possibly be classed as more impressive as you don't have the adrenaline.

DaveyL

Yes, I think it was at the Newport velodorme a few weeks before beijing, though I stand to be corrected. Nonetheless, Thomas's time was amazing, given he's not exactly experienced in the event.

It's a shame this event is being dropped as there would be some serious competition, especially from Mr Phinney.

stagehopper

Think it was widely documented that Thomas did 4:17 in those same track sessions in Newport ahead of the Beijing Olympics (good enough for silver there) but they decided it was best for him to just concentrate on the Team Pursuit. Very impressive time though.

frenchfighter

Hoy won the sprint too and Houvenaghel the individual pursuit.

stagehopper

GB team pursuit boys qualified for the gold medal run-off this morning 11 seconds quicker than any other team. They did a phenomenal 3:57. Thomas, Clancy, Swift and Burke.

The Prodigy

FF, your Hoy avatar was very nice, pity you've changed it.

frenchfighter

Haha, I'll have that one back sometime...

This is on BBC2 now if anyone is interested. Goes on to 16.45 I think.

frenchfighter

I think his legs are getting smaller!





What do these trackies do the rest of the year? Chris Hoy said he was off the bike for 8months (largely due to injury). Staff said he had only been on the bike for 3months! Lightweights in comparison to the road.

blazing_saddles

Maybe in terms of mileage, as you would expect.
An awful lot of training, much of it, technical.
Some road work. A lot of weights.
Take it from me, it's a tough schedule for elite riders.

Great ride by the team pursuiters and a mare of a keiran from Vicky P.

frenchfighter

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Take it from me

You used to be/are an elite track athlete?

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Take it from me

You used to be/are an elite track athlete?

Blaze might possibly know someone who competes at a high level

blazing_saddles

frenchfighter wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Take it from me

You used to be/are an elite track athlete?

Lets just say I have a very close connection to someone who is riding there, this weekend.
Damn, Iain has beaten me again! :oops:

frenchfighter

Cool, hope she/he bagged a medal or two.

iainf72

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Lets just say I have a very close connection to someone who is riding there, this weekend.
Damn, Iain has beaten me again! :oops:

So Blaze. what does a rainbow jersey look like on the back of the door?

blazing_saddles

Nearly. Senior debute.



Another rainbow warrior.

blazing_saddles

iainf72 wrote:

Blazing Saddles wrote:

Lets just say I have a very close connection to someone who is riding there, this weekend.
Damn, Iain has beaten me again! :oops:

So Blaze. what does a rainbow jersey look like on the back of the door?

Tidy.
I smile when I think of Cuddles holding just the one UCI gold, when I've held an identical brace! 8)

frenchfighter

How many Track Golds equal a Road Gold?!

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

How many Track Golds equal a Road Gold?!

]

All of them.

For both sexes.



Jus' kidding.

blazing_saddles

frenchfighter wrote:

How many Track Golds equal a Road Gold?!

A lot!

You can tell, by my lack of posting in the track section, I'm much like Iain, in terms of my "interest" level, I'm ashamed to say.

Still, I can't see me avoiding it, over the next decade and a half.

takethehighroad

Can someone tell me why GB are allowed two teams, one sponsored by Sky+HD? Is it anything to do with home advantage?

frenchfighter

I didn't realise there was a track section on this forum...I will have to see what it looks like. Neither do I hold anything other than a passing interest in Track cycling, although I like some of the photography that comes out of it.

frenchfighter

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

Can someone tell me why GB are allowed two teams, one sponsored by Sky+HD? Is it anything to do with home advantage?

I thought the same thing. I think Japan have a national and trade team too.

andyp

The track world cup is open to trade and national teams. Sky, as part of their sponsorship deal with BC, sponsor a track trade team, Sky HD.

Comparing track to road is futile, the only similarity being they both involve bikes. I've seen top quality road riders get their arses handed to them on a plate on the track. It's much more about short bursts of anaerobic effort, rather than long bursts of aerobic effort on the road.

afx237vi

I'd be more inclined to follow track cycling if there was a properly organised season-long calendar that was easier to follow. Right now I just can't get excited when our next proper exposure to track cycling will be, what, the Worlds in the Spring?

Do any of the British riders even compete in the other World Cup meetings? What's the point?

andyp

You gain qualification to the track worlds via track world cups. I'm not sure of the exact rules, but if you win a world cup event you're guaranteed a place at the Worlds, hence why the British team was so motivated for this round.

There are three more World Cup meetings between now and the Worlds (in Copenhagen) between March 24-28th. They're in, if memory serves, Cali in Colombia, Beijing and Melbourne.

There is a proper calendar, you've the 4 world cup rounds plus the 6 day events between now and the Worlds.

afx237vi

Yeah I know about the other World Cup meetings, but my impression (maybe mistaken) is that the riders pick on WC, do enough to to qualify for the World Championships then skip all the other meetings. The actual World Cup competition is largely an irrelevance.

The only WC event that ever gets any attention, unless you look really hard, is the Manchester one. The others are ignored even by the cycling press.

The 6 Days are a mystery to me.

I think there's potential for a company like Sky here to organise a regular set of track meetings, or just televise the Revolution meets. Take the atmosphere of the 6 Days (OK, I know they're centred around music and beer) and a few TV friendly events (team pursuit, keirin, madison) and give us live cycling on a regular basis from Manchester, Newport, London (in a couple of years) and maybe even a few European velodromes.

Sky Sports have done it for rugby league, darts, speedway... why not track cycling?

takethehighroad

afx237vi wrote:

I think there's potential for a company like Sky here to organise a regular set of track meetings, or just televise the Revolution meets. Take the atmosphere of the 6 Days (OK, I know they're centred around music and beer) and a few TV friendly events (team pursuit, keirin, madison) and give us live cycling on a regular basis from Manchester, Newport, London (in a couple of years) and maybe even a few European velodromes.

Sky Sports have done it for rugby league, darts, speedway... why not track cycling?

This is why I think you talk the most sense on here. Sky have the power to make things ahppen, and like you say, they've made darts cool so what can they do for cycling? People have moaned about the horrible man Murdoch is but he can do a lot of good for this sport of ours

Stuey01

afx237vi wrote:

I think there's potential for a company like Sky here to organise a regular set of track meetings, or just televise the Revolution meets. Take the atmosphere of the 6 Days (OK, I know they're centred around music and beer) and a few TV friendly events (team pursuit, keirin, madison) and give us live cycling on a regular basis from Manchester, Newport, London (in a couple of years) and maybe even a few European velodromes.

Sky Sports have done it for rugby league, darts, speedway... why not track cycling?

This is a great idea.


Chris Hoy did not win the Keirin, he wasn't in it, he won the sprint and team sprint. Matt Crampton won the Men's Keirin final.