UCI Track World Cup 2012 | Glasgow

Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome – 16^th Nov – 18^th November 2012

Author: Chris Maher, Pictures courtesy of: Chris Maher | Photography

Team GB

Men’s Sprint Jason Kenny, Philip Hindes & Ed Clancy.

Women’s Sprint Becky James & Jess Varnish.

Men’s Endurance Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Sam Harrison, Joe Kelly, Andrew Tennant & Simon Yates.

Women’s Endurance Dani King, Elinor Barker & Laura Trott.

Endurance rider Ed Clancy will ride his first public Team Sprint.

Mixed fortunes for Team GB in this second round of the 12/13 UCI Track World Cup. Whilst the men fell flat on their feet and everywhere else, it was the women that stole the show forGreat Britain. A young and inexperienced mix of riders rode around the brightly lit, and brand new cycling complex in Glasgow, The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

Darling of the track once again, now that Victoria Pendleton has retired goes to Laura Trott, who keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as she never fails to amaze with her style of racing. Collecting a gold early on in the event, in the women’s team pursuit with fellow team mates Dani King and new to the squad Elinor Barker. Laura kept us enthralled till the very last ride. Entertaining us throughout the Omnium, but pulling it out of the bag in the eleventh hour. “I didn’t want to let you down” she said in the post podium interview. You being the home crowd, that applauded every time a British rider got to the front of the race. The women collect three gold’s. The team pursuit, the team sprint and the omnium.

Stiff competition came from the Germans who collected nine medals in total againstGreat Britain’s six. Dominating the Men’s events,Germanycollected six gold medals in total and remain top of the World Cup Table into the last round in mid January 2013, inMexico.

Disappoint from our men started in the team pursuit qualifying on day one, when wheels touched and three of the four members fell in the closing stages of the race. Bad luck continued with sprinter Lewis Oliver slipping on a rather steep 45% banking of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Indeed, it wasn’t only the Brits that succumb to the newness of the track and steep cornering. With several riders getting caught out. Retiring soon after, it was a bazaar event that brought Philip Hindes to the floor. Rolling a front tub on the home straight, the tub stretched and locked the back wheel, that in-turn snagged in the pedals and down he fell. Jason Kenny was also involved in a high speed crash on the back straight during the keirin. Jumping onto his warm-up bike once un-tangled, he was awarded fourth position.

Filling Sir Chris Hoy’s shoes in the team sprint, Ed Clancy made his debut as third man riding to a respectable silver medal on the night. The only medals that the men came away with from the event.

Sir Chris Hoy himself appeared at lunchtime on the final day that saw the crowd stand to a overwhelming ovation. Although not riding himself over the weekend. He was working for the live coverage, on the BBC. Sir Chris is hoping to extend his career till the Commonwealth Games here in Glasgow in 2014, where he will probably retire from the sport.

Medal Table by Event

Men’s Team Pursuit (WR: 3:51.659 – GBR London 2012)