UCI Track Champions League LIVE – Katie Archibald and Harrie Lavreysen among leaders in action in London
Men’s sprint – Heats
Heat 1 – Van Loon wins!
Tijmen van Loon (Netherlands)
Joe Truman (Great Britain)
Esow Esow (India)
We begin with British interest here in London. He’s done well our Joe has, and he’ll have the crowd behind him. He’s in position one, but Esow comes round him with two laps to go, before being swamped. Van Loon dives past at the bell, and pulls away. Truman had nothing left to give, unfortunately.
Heat 2 – Mikhail Yakovlev wins!
Callum Saunders (New Zealand)
Mikhail Yakovlev (Israel)
Jean Spies (South Africa)
Saunders having over-performed, arguably, Yakovlev under. His points not matching his power, while Jean Spies had a good week in Paris. Saunders in 5th and on form, but the Israeli it is who winds it up. At the bell it’s Yakovlev but Saunders comes up on his shoulder. The kiwi can’t come past though, and that’s a result that matches Yakovlev’s talent, you’d say.
Heat 3 – Kevin Quintero wins!
Kevin Quintero (Colombia)
Daan Kool (Netherlands)
Tom Derache (France)
9th plays 15th plays 4th. Derache, who had a disappointing week at home in Saint-Quentin, will be looking to improve, but this is a big draw. Big cagey the start, with Derache looking back and forth, winding it up and at the bell Quintero has a long way to go. Here he comes though, he’s got massive speed and that was a demonstration.
Heat 4 – Mateusz Rudyk wins!
Hsiegh Nien Hsing (Chinese Taipei)
Sam Dakin (New Zealand)
Mateusz Rudyk (Poland)
Third place Rudyk the big favourite in this heat, but don’t discount 7th place Dakin. All eyes on Rudyk in the rear position, but he takes it on quite early as Dakin jumps on his wheel. Rudky comes round Hiseh with half a lap and Dakin can’t do better than within half a bike length. Not bad, but Rudyk was in control all the way.
Lars Romijn (Netherlands)
Matthew Richardson (Australia)
Vasiljus Lendel (Lithuania)
It’s the always entertaining, lively looking, the one and only Vomit Comet, Matthew Richardson. I’m afraid I’m not giving these two any chances against the big Australian, even with him starting from middle position. But they’re ducking and weaving early on, Romijn playing about a bit, before Richardson decides enough is enough with a lap to go. He gets a gap and is in no danger of losing it. He has time to glide over to the rail and celebrate waaaay before the line. He’s going to have fun, I think.
Heat 6 – Harrie Lavreysen wins!
Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands)
Melvin Landerneau (France)
Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam (India)
It’s the man who has worn this jersey more than anyone else, and who is in no danger of losing it, with his 24 point lead coming into this weekend. But the other two are going to at least give it a go, because what else can they do? Ronaldo goes early, and catches Harrie napping a bit. Into the last lap Lavreysen has no problem finishing that one off, in similar style to Richardson. Important to expend no more energy than necessary in this game, and Jo Rowsell thinks he rode that within himself.
ROB HATCH IS BACK ON COMMS
Not that Jo Rowsell and Ed Clancy didn’t do a grand job last week, but there’s no-one like Rob.
THIS EVENING’S RACECARD
Because why bother typing it out when someone else has gone to all this trouble?
It’s the same as the previous weeks, only in good old GMT:
HELLO (FROM) LONDON
Welcome to live coverage of the penultimate evening’s racing in this year’s UCI Track Champions League. After the thrills and spills of the previous three rounds in Majorca, Berlin and Paris respectively, it’s the turn of the Lee Valley Velopark in London to host the world’s top track riders.
It’s the big one, before the bigger one, that will go one further fifth of the way towards deciding who will take home the velodrome shaped trophies and slightly suspect sky blue skinsuits.
And on top of the overall results there are valuable bragging rights and the big M, “MOMENTUM” to carry with them into 2024. (Hint: Olympics)
Each corner of this competition, men’s and women’s, sprint and endurance has a maximum of 80 points on offer which means, as Ellesse Andrews told me the other day, that anything can happen. (Within reason. Both of our previous male endurance champions are near as dammit out of the running to take a second title.)
Every single rider, however, does have four whole chances to win something. Most of them won’t but where we are now, before it all kicks off, hope springs eternal. We kick off in five.
Before we get started with tonight’s racing, here’s how the standings look…
OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 3
1. Katie Archibald 102 points
2. Anita Yvonne Stenberg 90
3. Maggie Coles-Lyster 82
4. Lily Williams 81
5. Sarah Van Dam 66
1. Ellesse Andrews 105 points
2. Alessa-Catriona Propster 96
3. Emma Finucane 63
4. Nicky Degrendele 61
5. Martha Bayona 60
1. Dylan Bibic 96 points
2. Jules Hesters 70
3. Eiya Hashimoto 69
4. Mark Stewart 59
5. Will Tidball 57
1. Harrie Lavreysen 117 points
2. Matthew Richardson 93
3. Mateusz Rudyk 83
4. Tom Derache 67
5. Callum Saunders 45
Read the full article Here
