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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Gold for Mark Downey in Points Race at UCI Track Cycling World Cup – Apeldoorn
By Cycling Ireland Media
12 Nov 2016,
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MEDAL ALERT: Downey Wins Points Race at Apeldoorn World Cup
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| Mark Downey on the podium to collect the gold medal, he has also won a silver medal in this event at the Junior European Championships in 2014 and followed that up with a silver in the U23 European Championships earlier this year. |
Mark Downey has won the gold medal in the Men’s Points Race at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Apeldoorn today, finishing ahead of Morgan Kneisky from France and Sultanmurat Miraliyev from Kazakhstan. The Banbridge man is no stranger to the podium in this event having won silver in the European U23 Championships earlier this year.
Downey’s victory was cemented following a formidable win in the final sprint of 12, earning him double points in a race where the 20 year old was active throughout. In the Women’s Keirin Shannon McCurley also raced superbly finishing ninth overall, having just missed out on qualification for the A Final; Eoin Mullen was 24thin the Men’s Sprint with a time of 10.325. This is the second World Cup on the UCI Track Cycling World Cup calendar, which takes place in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn from the 11-13 November.
The Points Race is a bunch race which is 120 laps of the velodrome, with sprints every ten laps. The rider with the most points at the finish is deemed the winner. Downey started conservatively before making two key breaks, most significantly picking up points in the sprints before being returning to the bunch. Delighted with his win the talented rider described the race; “I really wanted this. I was going so hard, I didn’t really know how hard I was going! I have just spent five weeks with David [Muntaner – coach] working very hard. I took a short break before this trying to decide where I wanted to go – and I really want to win the World Championships this year. You reap the rewards when you really want something.”
Downey raced a clever and intelligent race; “I tried to get a lap in the middle and got half a lap, but I knew it wasn’t the right time so I took the sprint. Coming to the last sprint I was sitting out of contention and waited until everyone else’s face was worse than mine. I was sussing out who I needed to get away from –and the Polish guy was the main one, he was at the front so I just went for it. David was shouting to keep going so I just kept building, and was pulling more faces than I felt.”
The young rider won a silver medal in this event at the Junior European Championships in 2014 and followed that up with a silver in the U23 European Championships earlier this year; “I can’t believe it. To be 20 years old and winning a world cup is out of this world! I have two silver medals in this and am working towards the Worlds, I’m off to a flying start. I keep looking at the medal and wonder if it is made of chocolate! This is just reflecting the work that David and everyone else is putting in. When you see others putting in the time and so much work, it really drives you on.”
Speaking about McCurley’s ninth place Cycling Ireland Track Coach David Muntaner said “Shannon is going really well. She has made a lot of improvements since the Olympics and just missed out on the A Final. Between this result and her seventh at the World Cup in Glasgow last week she has really shown she can make the A Final soon.”
Tomorrow Downey is in action again, in the Madison with Felix English, who finished fourth in the Scratch Race yesterday. Also in action is Lydia Gurley in the Women’s Points Race. The Track World Cup in Apeldoorn runs from Friday 11th November to Saturday 13th November in the Omnisport Velodrome in Apeldoorn, in The Netherlands.
RESULTS
11th Nov
Men’s Scratch 7.5km: Felix English 4th
Women’s Omnium: Lydia Boylan 9th
12th Nov
Women’s Keirin: Shannon McCurley 9th
Men’s Sprint: Eoin Mullen 24th
Men’s Points 30km: Mark Downey 1st
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English Misses Medal in World Class Performance at World Cup
10th November 2016
Felix English marginally missed out on the podium finishing fourth in the Men’s Scratch Race at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup today in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. English has been consistently in the top five in this event over the past year, adding this fourth to his fifth place finish at the European Championships and fourth in the Track World Cup in Hong Kong last year. In the Women’s Omnium Lydia Boylan finished in 9th place with a strong performance in the final Points Race when she lapped the field. This is the second Track World Cup on the 2016/2017 calendar, with Glasgow hosting the first World Cup last weekend; four of that team are in action again this weekend. The UCI Track Cycling World Cup runs from Friday – Sunday in the Dutch city of Apeldoorn.
The Scratch Race was very active from the start with English chasing across to the main move, just getting pipped for bronze by Belgium’s Moreno de Pauw. Gold went to Raman Ramanau (MCC) with GB’s Christopher Latham taking silver. Speaking after the race English was disappointed to miss out on the medal, while being satisfied that his racing is consistent; “The race was really active from the gun, and I was doing my best to cover everything. However, I missed the main move and had to ride across the half lap gap. I managed to recover for the finale, but a moment of hesitation lost me a medal again, similar to the Europeans. I’m happy to be showing some consistency in the major events, but gutted to once again miss out on a medal.”
English will be competing with Mark Downey in the Madison Race on Sunday, and credited Cycling Ireland Coach David Muntaner with his progress, saying “We train consistently hard with David and it’s really paying off now. Full credit to him for not only bringing me on, but bringing the whole men’s endurance team up to a world class level. There’ll be a lot of success over the next few years with him at the helm. David’s the toughest, but also the best coach that I and all the other lads have ever had.”
Boylan has also been racing well in the Omnium, a multi-event that this year has been restructured to include four bunch races in one day. In the opening Scratch Race Boylan was eighth, followed by twelfth and fifteenth in the Tempo and Eliminations Race. In order to gain places from the twelfth place she held going into the final race, the Dublin rider who races for Team WNT won the opening sprint in the Points Race, lapping the field before gaining a further five points, bringing her to ninth overall.
Tomorrow sees Ireland’s first female track Olympian Shannon McCurley in action in the Keirin, along with Eoin Mullen in the Men’s Sprint. Also in action will be 20 year old Mark Downey, competing in the Men’s Points Race, an event in which he excels. At the European Track Championships in 2014 Downey won silver in the junior category, followed by another silver medal in the U23 Points Race at the European Track Championships this year. The Track World Cup in Apeldoorn runs from Friday 11th November to Saturday 13th November in the Omnisport Velodrome in Apeldoorn, in The Netherlands.
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