Archibald extends endurance lead in UCI Track Champions League

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The UCI Track Champions League resumed for round 2 at the Cido Arena in Panevėžys, Lithuania. 

Great Britain's Katie Archibald continued to lead the overall standings in the women's endurance category. She won both the the women's Scratch and Keirin on Saturday to extend her lead.

The remaining three rounds take place in London on December 3-4 and in Tel Aviv on December 11.

Scratch

Like the men's event, the women's Scratch Race also offered the 18-rider field 20 laps. Katie Archibald (Great Britian) wore the special kit as the overal leader of the women's endurance category. After a falsh start, the women lined up again with nine riders on either side of the track along the railing and the blue band.

Kirsten Wild (Netherlands) led the field through the first lap but by five laps in Archibald attacked to go solo. Wild went on the chase to close down the gap and did so with 11 laps to go. Karolina Karasiewicz (Poland) was the next to attack and four more bridged across, but with four laps to go, it was all back together. Archibald then led the field through the bell lap and held on for the victory, as Maggie Coles-Lyster (Canada) finished second and Yumi Kajihara (Japan) in third.

“It was quite scary at the end because there were so many attacks going in. It feels good to extend my lead, yes, a bit less pressure for the high pressure one – the elimination,” Archibald said.

Elimination

The women's Elimination Race saw 18 riders competing for the honours whereby one rider was eliminated from the race on every other lap and the last two riders left on the track sprinted for the victory.

Kirsten Wild (Netherlands) was, unluckily, the first to be eliminated after unclipping from her pedal on the first bell sprint. Silvia Zinardi (Italy) attacked with three laps to go but was caught and was the last rider eliminated. 

Archibald further added to her overall standings in the women's endurance after taking the win in a long-range sprint ahead of Anita Yvonne Stenberg (Norway).