'Beyond expectations' says Dutch rider about bidding farewell with bronze medal in Points race
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Lotte Kopecky of Belgium won the rainbow jersey in the women's Points race(Image credit: SWPix)
Lea Sophie Friedrich won her third world title at the Track World Championships with a victory in the women's Keirin(Image credit: SWPix)
Elia Viviani of Italy captures world title in men's Elimination race on Day 5(Image credit: SWPix)
The Netherlands went 1-2 in the men's Sprint with Harrie Lavreysen beating his compatriot Jeffrey Hoogland in the final round for the world title(Image credit: SWPix)
The Danish team of Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Morkov secured the gold medal in the men's Madison(Image credit: SWPix)
Dutch win men's Team Pursuit on Day 1(Image credit: SWpix)
Germany wins women's Team Pursuit gold on Day 1(Image credit: SWPix)
Podium for women's Scratch race on Day 1 - Martina Fidanza of Italy (Gold), Maike van der Duin of the Netherlands (Silver) and Jennifer Valente of the USA (Bronze)(Image credit: SWpix)
Letizia Paternoster of Italy wins women's Elimination race(Image credit: SWPix)
Donavan Grondin (France) wins gold in Scratch race for men(Image credit: SWPix)
Dutch teammates take top two spots in men’s Keirin, Jeffrey Hoogland (left) took silver and Harrie Lavreysen (right) won gold(Image credit: SWPIx)
Germany won women's Team Pursuit(Image credit: SWPix)
Italy won men's Team Pursuit(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lisa Brennauer (Germany) wins women's Individual Pursuit(Image credit: SWPix)
Amy Pieters and Kirsten Wild win women's Madison(Image credit: SWPix)
The 2021 UCI Track World Championships were held October 20-23 in Roubaix, France at the Vélodrome Couvert Régional Jean-Stablinski, known locally as “Le Stab”, located adjacent to the velodrome which hosted the finish of the famous Paris-Roubaix races for women and men.
The Union Cycliste Internationale moved the event to the new October dates instead of the traditional spring period due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. France took on host duties from Turkmenistan as well.
As part of a reform with track cycling, athletes had incentives to qualify for a new UCI Track Champions League, beginning with an opening round just two weeks after these UCI World Championships.
Germany won the most world titles over the five days of competition with six and were top of the total medal count with 11. The Netherlands and Italy were tied for second in the overall medal count with 10 each.
History was made by Elia Viviani of Italy for taking the first-ever gold medal in the men's Elimination Race at the Worlds. Landing on the podium with the silver was Iuri Leitao (Portugal) alongside Sergei Rostovtsev (Russian Cycling Federation) with the bronze.
In the men's Madison, Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv of Denmark won the gold medal with 68 points, four points ahead of Simone Consonni and Michele Scartezzini of Italy. In the 200-lap (50km) contest with 20 sprints, the Belgian team of Kenny de Ketele and Robbe Ghys took home bronze with 62 points.
The Netherlands went 1-2 in the men's Sprint with Harrie Lavreysen beating compatriot Jeffrey Hoogland in the final round for the world title. French sprinter Sebastien Vigier took bronze by defeating Germany's Stefan Boetticher.
The rainbow jersey in the women's Points Race was earned by Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) with 76 points after 100 laps (25km) and 10 sprints. Katie Archibald (Great Britain) scored 72 points for the silver medal and Kirsten Wild (Netherlands) earned bronze with 60 points.
Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany) captured gold in the women's Keirin, her third world title after claiming titles in the 500-metre Time Trial and the Team Sprint. In the Keirin finals, she beat silver medallist Mina Sato (Japan), while the bronze went to Yana Tyshchenko (Russian Cycling Federation).
The racing continued on Day 4 of the UCI Track World Championships in Roubaix, France on Saturday. World titles were handed out in the women's Madison, 500m Time Trial and Individual Pursuit, along with the men's Omnium.
Ethan Hayter (Great Britain) secured the rainbow jersey in the men's Omnium that closed out the penultimate day of racing. Hayter secured 180 points across the four events: Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, and Points Race. Aaron Gate (New Zealand) secured the silver medal and Elia Viviani (Italy) bronze.
Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters defended their world titles after securing the gold medal in the women's Madison. The Dutch pair secured 35 points to beat the French team of Clara Copponi and Marie Le Net who earned the silver medal with 30 points, while Great Britain's team of Katie Archibald and Neah Evans secured bronze with 24 points.
Lea Sophie Friedrich secured another the world title in the women's 500-metre Time Trial beating silver medallist Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Cycling Federation) and bronze medallist Daria Shmeleva (Russian Cycling Federation). It was a good day for Germany, as the nation went on to sweep the women's Individual Pursuit with Lisa Brennauer, Franziska Brausse and Mieke Kroeger.
Ashton Lambie (United States of America) rocketed to the gold medal in the men's Individual Pursuit on Friday at the UCI Track World Championships in France. Jonathan Milan of Italy took the silver medal while his teammate Filippo Ganna captured the bronze.
It was vindication for his 2020 performance, when Lambie settled for silver to Ganna taking the gold and rainbow jersey.
Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands) took the men’s 1K Time Trial finals victory for the second time in his career on Friday. Nicholas Paul (Trinidad and Tobago) took the silver while former World Champion Joachim Eilers (Germany) grabbed the bronze.
Benjamin Thomas won the first Points race title for France in 17 years to hold off Kenny De Ketele (Belgium). Vicent Hoppezak (Netherlands) finished for bronze.
Reigning World Champion Emma Hinze (Germany) held off teammate Lea Sophie Friedrich to defend her crown in the women's Sprint. Olympic Champion Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) defeated her teammate Lauriane Genest for the bronze.
Throughout the full schedule of racing in Roubaix were the multiple rounds of races to decide a champion in the women's Omnium. Katie Archibald (Great Britain) swept the Scratch, Tempo and Elimination rounds to set up her second women’s Omnium title, the last one in 2017. She was third in the Points race to win the rainbow jersey. Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) finished 18 points back for silver and Elisa Balsamo (Italy) was 21 points back for bronze.
Italy's Letizia Paternoster made her winning move on turn three to out-duel Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) for the first-ever gold medal awarded in the women's Elimination race. Jennifer Valente (United States of America) would take the bronze, her second third-place this week and now a 14th career medal at the World Championships.
In the Team Pursuit events on Thursday, Italy took the men's world title for the first time in 24 years, while in the women's contest Germany took its first ever gold. Both squads also captured gold medals in the Team Pursuit at the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this year.
The Italian men's team was comprised of Liam Bertazzo, Simone Consonni, Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan. The silver medal went to France with Thomas Boudat, Thomas Denis, Valentin Tabellion and Benjamin Thomas. The bronze medal went to Great Britain with Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, Charlie Tanfield and Oliver Wood.
The German women's team included Franziska Brausse, Lisa Brennauer, Mieke Kroger and Laura Sussemilch. In the gold-medal round they made up ground after the first 1,000 metres to hold off Italy, who's team included reigning road World Champion Elisa Balsamo, Martina Alzini, Chiara Consonni and Martina Fidanza. Great Britain captured the bronze with Katie Archibald, Megan Barker, Neah Evans and Josie Knight.
France claimed its first gold medal on home soil when Donavan Grondin won the gold in the men's Scratch race. His well-timed sprint held off Tuur Dens (Germany) and Rhys Britton (Great Britain), who finished for silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Harrie Lavreysen defended his world title in the men's Keirin for the Netherlands, holding off his teammate Jeffrey Hoogland, who took silver. Mikhail Iakovlev (Russian Cycling Federation) finished in third for the bronze.
The first medals of the 2021 UCI Track World Championships were handed out in the women's Scratch race on October 30, with Martina Fidanza (Italy) taking the gold. Maike Van der Duin (Netherlands) took silver while Jennifer Valente (United States of America) edged Maggie Coles-lyster (Canada) for the bronze.
In the men's Team Pursuit, the Dutch earned their fourth consecutive gold medal in the discipline, storming to victory with Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen and Roy van den Berg. The French team of Florian Grengbo, Rayan Helal and Sebastian Vigie took the silver. Germany's team of Stefan Boetticher, Joachim Eilers and Nik Schroeter won the bronze-medal round against Russia.
Germany defended its title in the women's Team Pursuit with riders Lea Sophie Friedrich, Pauline Sophie Grabosch and Emma Hinze. In the silver medal position was the Russian Cycling Federation with Nataliia Antonova, Daria Shmeleva and Yana Tyshchenko. Great Britain won the bronze.
