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Track World Cup 07-08 Round 4 - CDM
Copenhagen, Denmark, February 15-17, 2008
Main Page Results Overall standings Previous Race
Race 7 - February 17: Men: Madison, Sprint; Women: Team pursuit, Keirin
By Gerry McManus in Copenhagen
Sireau sprints to victory
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Frenchman Kevin Sireau took the honours in a 2-0 win over Britain's Chris Hoy. Hoy had a packed programme on Sunday, and, apart from the sprint rounds in the morning, he also won the qualifying round of the International JKA men's Keirin during lunchtime. But let's not take anything away from Sireau who has been superb all weekend winning team sprint with France too. He had qualified fastest and was able to combine his speed with tactics, and he will now be feared in both the World Championships and the Olympics.
Andriy Vyonokurov (Ukraine) beat Michael Bourgain 2-0 to win the bronze medals but both of the races were close.
Germany wins the women's team pursuit
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Both Germany and the Netherlands went faster in the women's pursuit final but Germany's time of 3.30.665 was a little under two seconds faster than its Dutch counterparts. The Dutch trio put the hammer down to record a faster final kilometre, but it left it too late to pull back the entire deficit.
The winners have now set the standard for the forthcoming World Championships in Manchester.
The Ukraine team won the bronze medal and the World Cup series. It beat Belarus in the third/fourth place ride off. Germany moved into third overall in the series behind Ukraine and Russia, who scored points in every round.
Danes win Madison gold for home crowd
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The Danish pairing of Alex Rasmussen and Michael Morkov took a popular win in front of the home crowd in Copenhagen in the men's Madison race. Denmark's ride was remarkable considering the talented riders on the track and that it were able to take a lap on its own.
The Russians threw down the gauntlet by taking the first sprint of the day with Team USA taking second. The American's put the hammer down; Bobby Lea and Colby Pearce took a lap over the entire field and looked like they were strong enough to keep the lead until the end.
With a long way still to go, 118 laps precisely, the Danes decided they needed to do the same. The crowd must have lifted them as they attacked and, nine laps later, they made contact with the rear of the field. Denmark had already won sprint two and was now leading the race in front of the USA.
With 80 laps to go, it was the turn of Colombia, Germany and World Cup leaders Belgium to try for a lap, but now the main field wasn't in the mood to let another lap go.
Holland was proving good value by mopping up three sprints to amass fifteen points but alas they were still a lap behind Denmark and had to settle for the bronze medal.
Belgium took the final sprint, but only finished fifth on points losing the World Cup series to Denmark.
Women's Keirin
Kanis kanes 'em in Copenhagen
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Willy Kanis proved unstoppable in the women's Keirin in Copenhagen. The Dutch girl had only finished seventh in the first round in Sydney won by Victoria Pendleton, but she dominated this final from the front.
All credit goes to Kanis because the field was tough with Jennie Reed from the USA and Dana Gloss from Germany. Reed had beaten Kanis in Los Angeles but the tables were reversed today. Kanis also takes the World Cup series in the event. Reed finished second with Gloss third.
Pendleton was out of position and unable to find the front from the long way round in the final lap, and she finished in fifth place in the final. She had done little wrong all weekend and her form in the team sprint gave the GB the winning edge. She is philosophical about the ups and downs in Copenhagen.
"It was a mixed performance for me this weekend," said Pendleton. "I am pretty happy with my overall speed at the moment, but there is definitely a lot more to come in the next few weeks of training. I didn't expect to be going so well this weekend because I haven't had a great run in terms of preparation and injury, but it is definitely promising and I expect things to be a bit different in six weeks time."
JKA International Keirin
The legend continues in Copenhagen
Legendary French sprinter Arnaud Tournant showed he is still World Class when he won the Japanese Keirin Association invitation Keirin at the end of the World Cup. He punched the air when he crossed the finish line with a clear margin to second placed Sergey Borisov (Russia) with compatriot Gregory Bauge in third.
The invited Japanese stars Toshiaki Fushimi, Kiyofumi Nagai and Keisuke Tejima could only watch as the 12-time former World Champion turned back the clock. Actually we only have to go as far as 2006 to see Tournant's last world title in the team sprint. He is still a class act at the ripe old age of 29.
Hoy's consecutive win record had ended at 23 or 24 in the semifinal when he was beaten by Tournant and relegated to the B final. His punishing schedule on the last day saw him in 16 races. Hoy bounced right back to winning ways and won the 7-12 final.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Gerry McManus/www.gerrymcmanus.co.uk
- Final: Young Anna Blyth (Great Britain) won the 7th-12th final.
- Final Willy Kanis (Netherlands) gets the verdict over Reed.
- Final Willy Kanis (Netherlands) smiles before the medal ceremony.
- Willy Kanis (Netherlands) puts the power on with a lap to go with Pendleton working hard on the outside.
- Germany on its way to win.
- The Netherlands took the silver.
- Kévin Sireau (France) begins to celebrate as he crosses the finish line.
- Kévin Sireau (France) celebrates his win.
- Kévin Sireau (France) goes for the long sprint with Hoy a long way off his wheel.
- Chris Hoy before the second race... a packed Sunday programme for the Scot.
- The podium Hoy, Sireau and Vyonokurov.
- Michael Morkov (Denmark) celebrates.
- Michael Morkov (Denmark) hits the front in pursuit of a break.
- Britain's Geraint Thomas and Rob Hayles make the change at speed.
- Peter Kennaugh (100% ME) goes on the attack but has Rasmussen in tow.
- Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) keeps the pace high.
- Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) and Michael Morkov (Denmark) stop for the photographers.
- Legendary Arnaud Tournant wins the Keirin.
- Bauge does the lead out with two to go heats.
- The Japanese riders in their own qualfier.
Results
Men's sprint Semifinal Heat 1 1 Kévin Sireau (France) 0.10.50 0.10.692 2 Andriy Vynokurov (Ukraine) Heat 2 1 Chris Hoy (Great Britain) 0.10.96 0.10.759 2 Mickaël Bourgain (Fra) Cofidis 0.10.865 Final Heat 1 1 Andriy Vynokurov (Ukraine) 0.10.79 0.11.077 2 Mickaël Bourgain (Fra) Cofidis Heat 2 1 Kévin Sireau (France) 0.10.60 0.10.609 2 Chris Hoy (Great Britain) Women's keirin Round 2 Heat 1 1 Willy Kanis (Netherlands) 2 Victoria Pendleton (GBr) ScienceInSport.com 3 Oksana Grishina (Russian Federation) 4 Christin Muche (Ger) www.rad-net.de 5 Anna Blyth (Great Britain) REL Jinjie Gong (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling Heat 2 1 Jennie Reed (United States Of America) 2 Diana Maria Garcia Orrego (Colombia) 3 Dana Glöss (Ger) www.rad-net.de 4 Sandie Clair (France) 5 Olga Panarina (Ukraine) 6 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) Final 1st-6th final 1 Willy Kanis (Netherlands) 2 Jennie Reed (United States Of America) 3 Dana Glöss (Ger) www.rad-net.de 4 Diana Maria Garcia Orrego (Colombia) 5 Victoria Pendleton (GBr) ScienceInSport.com 6 Oksana Grishina (Russian Federation) 7th-12th final 1 Anna Blyth (Great Britain) 2 Christin Muche (Ger) www.rad-net.de 3 Sandie Clair (France) 4 Olga Panarina (Ukraine) 5 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) 6 Jinjie Gong (Chn) Giant Pro Cycling Women's team pursuit final Gold medal final 1 Germany 3.30.70 Elke Gebhardt (Germany) Verena Joos (Germany) Alexandra Sontheimer (Germany) 2 Netherlands 3.32.70 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Netherlands) Eleonora Van Dijk (Netherlands) Marlijn Binnendijk (Netherlands) Bronze medal final 1 Ukraine 3.34.90 Svetlana Galuk (Ukraine) Lyubov Shulika (Ukraine) Lyudmyla Vypyraylo (Ukraine) 2 Alena Amialiusik (Belarus) Aksana Papko (Belarus) Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus) Men's madison final 1 Michael Morkov / Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) 8 pts 2 Bobby Lea / Colby Pearce (United States) 4 One lap behind 3 Peter Schep / Wim Stroetinga (Netherlands) 15 pts 4 Juan Esteban Curuchet / Walter Fernando Perez (Argentina) 12 5 Kenny De Ketele / Tim Mertens (Belgium) 10 6 Ivan Kovalev / Alexey Shmidt (Russia) 8 7 Jonathan Bellis / Peter Kennaugh (Team 100% Me) 6 8 Henning Bommel / Marcel Kalz (Germany) 6 9 Alois Kankovsky / Petr Lazar (Czech Republic) 4 10 Thomas Gerraint / Robert Hayles (Great Britain) 3 11 Roland Garber / Andreas Graf (Austria) 3 12 Rafal Ratajczyk / Mariusz Wiesiak (Poland) 2 13 Asier Maeztu Billelabeitia / Antonio Miguel Parra (Spain) 2 14 Martin Blaha / Milan Kadlec (Asc Dukla Praha) 1 15 Hayden Godfrey / Hayden Roulston (New Zealand) 16 Cameron Meyer / Travis Meyer (Australia)
