Australia had another opportunity to increase their medal tally with Anna Meares being the stand-out favourite in the 500m Time Trial. As Meares ‘pet’ race, the crowd were certainly backing her for the win which she did; smashing the World Record set by Simona Krupeckaite (LTU) in 2009 with a final time of 33.010 and an average speed of 54.528km/h! Last night there were Twitters of Meares to lead the Australian Olympic team; tonight to lead the country as Prime Minister! Miriam Welte (GER) took out the silver and Jessica Varnish (GBR) the bronze.

The men’s Keirin, involving Sir Chris Hoy (GBR), Jason Kenny (GBR), Maximilian Levy (GER) and Simon Van Velthooven (NZL) was set to be a nail-biter with the gold up for grabs and potentially belonging to any one of these top riders. Levy led the way but Hoy showed explosive power in the final stages of the race, crossing the line for a photo finish. Commissaires confirmed Hoy had grabbed the gold, Levy finishing with the silver and Kenny in the bronze position. Van Velthooven was relegated for entering the sprinters lane when the opponent was already there.

With only one event left to race, Australia and Great Britain were tied at the top of the medal tally. Could Australia make the break with gold medal hopefuls, Cameron Meyer (AUS) and Leigh Howard (AUS) reclaiming the championship in the men’s 50km Madison?

After sprint 7/10 the standings were: AUT (4) +1, BEL 19, GBR 13, AUS 7, RUS 5. Clearly our boys had some work to do. After sprint 8/10 we had edged our way into third position (9) behind Belgium (19) and Great Britain (16). Although gaining points over the remaining sprint laps, Australia did not contest the final sprint with the Belgians proving too strong taking with win with a total of 24 points ahead of Great Britain silver, and Howard and Meyer bronze.

No complaints here though as 602nds, for the first time, have witnessed a highly successful and entertaining World Track Championship event. The 2013 World Championships are to be held in Minsk, Belarus where the Australian’s are certain to top their medal tally of 6 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze! Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!

"Rohan Dennis - Individual Pursuit"

“Great Britain watching behind’

"Sir Chris Hoy"

"Jack Bobridge - Individual Pursuit"

"Fatehah Mustapa - Kieran"

"Cameron meyer kisses the taste of gold'

"World Champion legs'

"Gregory Bauge"

"Anna Meares - Keiran"

Photos courtesy of JXPPhotography

"Men's Omnium - Kilo'

"Ed Clancy"

“Anna Meares & Victoria Pendleton crash”

"Women's Omnium - Scratch Race Finish"

"Victoria Pendleton crash"

"Sir Chris Hoy"

"Women's Omnium - Scratch Race"

"Shane Perkins"

"Melissa Hoskins"

"World Champion, Gregory Bauge"

Photos courtesy of JXPPhotography

The Australian team continued their quest for gold when National and now World Champion, Michael Hepburn (AUS) edged out Jack Bobridge (AUS) in what was an exciting sprint for gold in the men’s Individual Pursuit race. It was a disappointment for Rohan Dennis (AUS) in the race for bronze being won by Westley Gough (NZL).

It was a field of dreams for the British in the men’s sprint race with some of their top guns all vying for the opportunity to qualify for the finals and fight it out for a place on the podium. However, disappointment followed when World and Olympic champion, Chris Hoy (GBR) failed to qualify for the race for gold, instead battling it out against Australia’s Shane Perkins for bronze. Despite the home crowd support and a fantastic effort by Perkins, the Aussie was defeated.

With Hoy out of contention the British hopes for gold now rode on the back of Jason Kenny (GBR) who would face France’s powerhouse, Gregory Bauge (FRA). It was a gutsy ride by Kenny who led from the gun and crossed the line in first position. However, the decision as to who would be crowned World Champion rested in the hands of commissaires with Kenny relegated for infringing the sprinting line.

With so much nail-biting excitement and at times, controversial decision-making one could only wonder if the night could get any more interesting. With the final of the men’s points race (40km) still to be decided Australia’s hopes for gold rested on Cameron Meyer (AUS). Leading for the majority of the race, Ben Swift (GBR) had his eye on the top podium position. It was when Meyer, coming at him from behind with such force and determination, managed to lap the field, gaining the 20 bonus points and taking out the final sprint in the race. The crowd waited in nervous anticipation as points were tallied. The applause and support for Meyer was deafening when it was finally announced that by one point he was World Champion.  Silver went to Ben Swift (GBR) and bronze to Kenny De Ketele (BEL). 

With the emotions running high from tonight’s races, we are sure to be on the edge of our seats for the last of the finals tomorrow.

"Gold Medal Podium for cameron"

'The emotion of winning gold"

Photos courtesy of JXPPhotography.

"Anna Meares"

“Victoria Pendleton”

"Victoria Pendleton Sprint Quarter Final"

"Victoria Pendleton"

"New Zealand Women's Team Pursuit"

"Great Britain Women's Team Pursuit"

"Glenn O'Shea"

"Glenn O'Shea - Points Race"

"Anna Meares Sprint Quarter Final"

"Total concentration"

Photos courtesy of JXPPhotography..

"Anna Meares & Kaarle McCulloch"

"World Champs"

"Sir Chris Hoy"

"Shane Perkins"

"Great Britain Men's Team Pursuit"

"Ben Swift"

"Australian Men's Team Sprint"

"Hard work on the sideline"

"Kaarle McCulloch"

 

The 602nds team would like to thank Jarrod of jxpphotography for providing     supporting images of all the action at the 2012 UCI World Track Cycling Championships. 

 jxpphotography is a Melbourne based sports photographer, dedicated to capturing the very best in local and international sporting events. 

Working with some of the biggest names in sports media, Jarrod is a passionate sports fan but specializes  in cycling photos; track, road and time trials capturing the pain, the triumph and the pressure. 

The Friday evening session kicked off with Melissa Hoskins (AUS) scooping silver in the women’s 10km Scratch race. Hoskins looked to be the favourite for the win but when Katarzyna Pawlowska (POL) exploded out of nowhere the gold was soon out of sights for the Aussie.

Australia was still in with a chance for gold however with Anna Meares qualifying for the Women’s Sprint ½ Final. Pipped on the line by Victoria Pendleton (GBR), Anna was squeezed out of the gold medal race. Anna managed to secure a bronze against Lyubov Shulika (UKR) and shared the celebrations with her proud parents who congratulated her from the crowd.

Such celebrations weren’t shared however in the race for gold. The crowd let their disappointment be known when Simona Krupeckaite (LTU), after defeating Pendleton, was relegated for not holding her line, handing over the World Championship to Pendleton… With triumph too often there are tears.

Such is the unpredictable nature of cycling that Thursday brought more heartache for the Italian team. Two times World Champion Giorgio Bronzini spoke of her World Championships upset to 602nds. “I am very sad and angry as I had trained well and was feeling good. I was very happy with my training and came here very hopeful” Bronzini said after missing out on a medal in the women’s Points race. Bronzini remains positive and will now focus on road racing and winning her third consecutive UCI World Road Championship and gold at the London Olympics.

Adding to their woes was Elia Viviani’s shock exit from the men’s Omnium final. The young star of the track and Olympic hopeful was forced to retire due to injury sustained to his pelvis in the qualifying round yesterday evening. Speaking briefly with 602nds, Viviani told of a suspected fractured pelvis and his immediate return to Italy for rest and recovery. The emotion shown on Viviani’s face spoke louder than words as we too shared in his disappointment of not having the opportunity to gain more points towards Olympic qualification. Speculation is rife as to whether his dreams of Olympic gold will be realised having not confirmed whether he has enough points to qualify.

But… so quickly do things change in the crazy world of Track Cycling that as we write we learnt of Glen O’Shea’s (AUS) win in the men’s Omnium final with Edward Clancey (GBR) grabbing gold in the Time Trial!

602nds wishes all the athletes the best of luck as finals continue at Hinsene Area tomorrow evening with the Omnium, Individual Pursuit, Keirin, Sprint and Point race finals. Highlights include Chris Hoy (GBR) and Robert Forstemann (GER) battling it out for gold in the men’s Sprint final.  

Until next time, enjoy the cycling!

Tara & Tara for 602nds

Colin, although a cycling fan from a young age, didn’t become involved in the sport competitively until unforeseen circumstances lead to unforeseen outcomes. Whilst playing Rugby Colin endured a significant injury which resulted in ongoing surgeries, which eventually led to the amputation of his leg. It wasn’t until 2008, at the age of 37 and after cycling 300 miles from London to Paris to raise money for charity that Colin made the transition from ‘Amputee’ to ‘Paracyclist.’ Since then Colin has amassed an impressive palmarès.

Having won gold medals in the C2 Time Trial at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships and in the Pursuit at the Track World Championships in Denmark, 2011 and California, 2012 respectively, Colin, in the final of the Men’s C2 three kilometre Pursuit, beat China’s World Record holder Gui Hua Liang and secured what would be his greatest accomplishment to date; a dual World Champion in both road and track cycling arenas.

602nds: Who is Colin Lynch?  How did you get started?  What motivated you to ride competitively?
Colin: For me, it all started when I was 15 years old watching Greg LeMond win the ’86 Tour de France. It was the first time I had ever seen professional cycling and something about it just made me want to ride a bike. I started racing later that year.

602nds: Where did your overall passion for cycling come from? Is there someone who inspired you to become a cyclist?
Colin: I rode a bike (like most kids) from an early age. As I mentioned before, it was [by] watching LeMond win the Tour that got me interested in the sport competitively. After I lost my leg, cycling was one of the only sports I could still do at a high level despite my injury. So it’s something that I gravitated back to naturally.

602nds: What was the path that you took to become a Paracycling World Champion?
Colin: A few years ago I was working at British Cycling and got to meet many of their Paralympic cyclists. This was just prior to them departing for the Beijing Paralympics. It really opened my eyes to what was possible and available for ‘disabled’ cyclists. About a year later I got in touch with the Irish Paracycling team and they gave me a trial. I raced for them a few times that year and while I didn’t get great results, it gave me a taste. I doubled my efforts in the following years and finally had my breakthrough year in 2011 – winning the Time Trial World Championship.

602nds: What is your main goal in cycling for the 2012 season?
Colin: Despite 2012 being a Paralympic year, I actually have several goals this year. The first was to win a World Championship on the track which I did in February in Los Angeles. I also would like to win the overall World Cup series on the road and the big one is to win 2 gold medals in London.

602nds: What is your long term goal for your cycling career?
Colin: I would love to win a road race World Championship title before I give it all up, so that I have the full set of jerseys (road, track, time trial). And to win at least one gold medal in the Paralympics. If I can hold onto my fitness long enough, I’d also like to compete in Rio in 2016.

602nds: How did you feel when you were up on the podium putting on the Rainbow Jersey? What were you thinking?
Colin: It all feels a little surreal when it’s happening. There’s definitely a worry for me that someone is going to come along and tell me they made a mistake and that I haven’t won! It usually takes a few hours before it all sets in. And then the realization that you’re going to have to work even harder to win another one comes along and you get to work planning on how to do that.

602nds: You ride both Road and Track cycling events. Which event do you find most enjoyable and why?
Colin: I find the road more interesting. Just being outdoors watching the scenery go by is far more interesting that following a black line in a circle on the track. My favourite event is actually the road race, despite me being really poor at it!

602nds: You are aiming to ride both the Track and Time Trial at London 2012 Paralympics; Is the training and preparation different?
Colin: In London my 2 target events are the time trial and the individual pursuit on the track. The training for both these events is similar and can be done at the same time. If you look at a rider like Bradley Wiggins who came from a track background and is one of the best TT riders in the world, you can see how the skills overlap.

602nds: What is your pre-race preparation? Do you have any superstitions or rituals?
Colin: Nothing special. I like to eat a bowl of porridge a few hours before a race and then just go through a set warm-up routine on my turbo trainer. Consistency is the key.

602nds: If you could invite 5 past or present riders to dinner at your place? Who would you invite, & why? And what would you cook?
Colin: Obviously – Greg LeMond. Also – Fabian Cancellara, Philippe Gilbert, Chris Boardman and Stephen Roche. The modern guys because they are my 2 favourites and the older guys because of the influence they have had on the sport (and still do in some ways). As for what I would make? My signature dish: Beef Wellington.

602nds: Imagine your iPod is broken and can only play one song continuously. What would it be?
Colin: I sometimes put this song on repeat when I warm up, so it’s almost like the iPod is broken! Rock Star by N.E.R.D.  Something about it just gets my heart beating faster and ready to race.

602nds: Are you a skinny latte, soy latte, full cream latte, flat white or double shot espresso type of cyclist?
Colin: Given the choice, I’m actually a mocha man. But when I stop for a coffee at a cafe in Majorca on a training run, it’s a café con leche for me (flat white).

602nds: What are some of the things you have had to sacrifice for hours of rigorous training? Do you ever regret any of this?
Colin: The volume of training (in a normal year) isn’t actually all the much. In an Olympic year though, the demands go up, especially as you have to prepare for both the road and the track. I have a limited social life but it isn’t really a big sacrifice. The biggest thing you have to give up – is food. At least food that isn’t good for you! I (mostly) gave up alcohol years ago, so that wasn’t a problem for me now.

602nds:  It’s the end of the season and I have the opportunity to ask how the 2012 Cycling year was for you; What would you like to be able to tell your fans?
Colin: I would say it was the best year of my life! Double World and Paralympic Champion. What’s not to like!

602nds: What has been your proudest moment on the bike?
Colin: It was my first win on the International level when I won a gold medal in the time trial in a World Cup race in Australia last year. I beat the reigning World Champion that day for the first time (and it was the start of a string of victories against him). It proved that I belonged at that level and gave me the confidence to go on and continue to win.

Keep up to date on Colin’s latest achievements on Twitter @TTworldchamp or read his blog at http://637daystogo.blogspot.com

Follow Colin at the 2012 London Paralympics, from 29 August – 9 September 2012. You can find out more information at the 2012 Paralympic Official Site.

602nds would like to thank Colin for taking the time to chat with us and we wish him a successful 2012 and hope that his dreams of Olympic Gold come true.

Photos courtesy of Colin Lynch

The 22yo rider was born in Perth, Western Australia and has won World Championship medals in both the junior and senior ranks.

Josie had her start as a road cyclist and had an extremely successful junior career representing Australia at the Junior World Championships.

Moving to track, Josie has an impressive palmares; as a junior winning the World Championship in the Pursuit race, and Individual Pursuit race at the same time smashing the Individual Pursuit junior world record.

In 2009 Josie won the World Championships in the Omnium and in 2010 in the Teams Pursuit. With 2012 being an Olympic year, Josie has her eye on the gold at the London Olympic games.

602nds: What is your main goal for the 2012 World Track Championships?
Josie: My one and only goal for the Worlds is to get back on the top step of the podium and be crowned world Teams Pursuit champion again!!

602nds: What races will you be riding at the 2012 World Track Championships?
Josie: We have not been told what races we will be riding, but for the last two years I have been focussing only on the Teams Pursuit.

602nds: Is the lead up to the 2012 Track World Championships any different to previous years due to the Olympics being held in August?
Josie: The lead up has felt a bit different because we all know the biggest target of the season is the Olympics, rather than the Worlds.

602nds: The 2012 Track World championships is not only a chance to wear the coveted Rainbow Jersey & be a World Champion, all cyclists competing are also in contention for a place at the London Olympics. Does this place more pressure on you and on the Australian women’s team?
Josie: I think Australia are in a pretty good position with qualification points for the Olympics, but there is definitely pressure on all of us girls within the Australian team to be one of the three riders who get out there on the track! Pressure is good though; it keeps us all on our toes and never lets us become complacent.

602nds: If at the end of the season I came and spoke to you and asked you how your 2012 Track Cycling year was for you, what would you like your response to be?
Josie: I hope I will still be pinching myself at the thought of calling myself an Olympic champion.

602nds: What has been your proudest moment on the bike?
Josie: My proudest moments on the bike were probably winning my first senior World title in the Omnium in 2009 and then the Teams Pursuit in 2010.

602nds: What is your long term goal for your cycling career?
Josie: I have had two goals since I started cycling – to become World Champion and Olympic Champion. I have achieved the first one, and am doing everything I can to hopefully achieve the second one in a few months!

602nds: Where did your passion for cycling come from? Is there someone who inspired you to become a cyclist?
Josie: I have always been a sporty girl and always knew I wanted to represent Australia at the Olympics for a sport, however, it took me a while to figure out what sport exactly. I ran, I played hockey, I swam, I did triathlons, I did every sport and then I got hooked on track cycling.

602nds: What is your pre-race preparation? Any superstitions or rituals?
Josie: I do have a few things I always wear because I am a little bit superstitious. I wear a piece of jewellery that I received from the important people In my life because I think it helps to have them out there with me and I always do the same warm up before every Teams Pursuit.

602nds: If you could invite 5 past or present riders to dinner at your place, who would you invite, & why? And…what would you cook?
Josie: I would probably just invite some of my team mates who happen to be some very close friends of mine and also Tiffany Cromwell because she is one of my closest friends AND an amazing cook, so she could cook for me because I am hopeless!

Follow Josie throughout the 2012 season and stay tuned during the Olympics by checking out her official website josietomic.com

Fans can also follow Josie on her official Twitter account @josietomic

602nds would like to thank Josie for taking the time to chat with us and we wish her a successful 2012 and hope that her dreams of Olympic gold come true.

Photos credit Attila Kisbenedek & Josie Tomic Official Website.

Melbourne’s Hisense Arena will host the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships from Wednesday 4 to Sunday 8 April, 2012. The stakes are high as the championships will see up to 350 competitors from over 40 different countries battle it out for the much coveted rainbow jersey and is the final qualifying event for the 2012 London Olympics.

Both men and women will compete in Sprint, Individual Time Trial, Keirin, Individual and Team Pursuit, Points Race, Omnium and Scratch races with the men fighting it out in the prestigious Madison race. At this stage, the Australians (naturally), British and German are amongst the leaders in track cycling however, the French & Russian are not to be underestimated.

Sprint
Raced over three laps, the sprint is a one-on-one event with earlier rounds featuring up to three or more cyclists. The race is a display of tactics as riders try to force their opponent into the unenviable position of lead rider… that is, until the final 200 metres (which is, the only timed period of the race) where riders launch their attack, grit their teeth and hope to cross the line first.

Individual Time Trial
Riders, from a standing start, battle the clock with men competing over a one kilometre distance, and women over 500 metres. The fastest takes the glory.

Keirin
Similar to the sprint, the Keirin involves more riders (between four and ten) riding over a distance of two kilometres. Riders are paced in the early laps behind a Derny motorcycle which slowly increases the speed of the race; exiting the race with 600-700 metres remaining, the first rider to cross the line is the winner.

Individual Pursuit and Team Pursuit: Men 4km / Women 3km
As the name suggests, this team event involves four men and three women, starting on opposite sides of the track, remaining together for the duration of the race, as the finishing time is taken from the third rider to cross the line, noting that only three of the four men are required to finish.

The Individual Pursuit involves two individual riders, starting from opposite sides of the track, ‘pursuing’ each other with the winner declared as being the rider with either the quickest time or the one who catches and passes their opponent.

Points Race: Men 30km / Women 20km
A longer distance race of between 120 – 160 laps of the velodrome, the Points Race sees riders sprint every ten laps gaining points allocated to the top four riders in each sprint.

If a rider manages to lap the main field, an additional 20 points is awarded. The overall winner of the race is the rider who has accrued the most points at the finish line.

Scratch Race: Men 15km / Women 10km
The Scratch race gets the adrenalin pumping with a bunch start of riders racing an assigned distance with placing’s determined during the final sprint, taking into account laps gained.

Tactics are important in this event with endurance riders keeping the pace fast and furious in an effort to eliminate the sprint specialists who in turn will try and shelter within the group to conserve their strength for the final laps.

Omnium
The Omnium is made up of six events and is contested over two consecutive days.
The final classification is established by adding up the finishing places in each event.
The winner is the rider who has the lowest total.

Men’s Omnium Events
• Flying lap
• Points race (30 km)
• Elimination race
• Individual pursuit (4 km)
• Scratch race
• Kilometre time trial

Women’s Omnium Events
• Flying lap
• Points race (20 km)
• Elimination race
• Individual pursuit (3 km)
• Scratch race
• 500 m time trial

Did you know?
The Madison had its beginnings, at Madison Square Gardens,
in 1898 as a way of circumventing laws passed in Illinois and New York, USA
aimed at restricting the exhaustion of cyclists taking part in six-day races

Madison
The Madison begins with riders from both teams on the track, however after the first lap only one member from each team is allowed on the track at any given time. When teams want to replace their rider, the new rider circles the velodrome high on the banking wall until a changeover can occur.

Changeovers are technical and often dangerous as new riders are ‘slingshot’ forward onto the track. The points scoring is similar to the Points race with points being awarded for sprint finishes every twenty laps. There are three ways to win the Madison; Points, laps and final sprint. The team that accrues the most laps is the winner.

If more than one team has ridden the same number of laps they are placed according to points won. If there is a draw on laps and points the order across the line in the final sprint decides the placing.

The Madison, which even we struggled to get our heads around, is the culminating event prior to the 2012 London Olympics and is sure to be a highlight of the UCI World Track Championships.

The British have set the challenge by announcing their team which includes Sir Chris Hoy, Ed Clancy and Victoria Pendleton Watch this space to see if the likes of these World Champion riders can be beaten to the podium.

602nds will be bringing you all the latest news and updates from the UCI World Track Championships, including race programs, results and interviews via Facebook and Twitter… However, don’t trust us, just follow us and keep us track amateurs informed @_cyclegirl_ , @TaraG602nds and @602nds.

Photos taken at London Track World Cup 2012, Credit to  Paul Stewart aka @track_stewsie