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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Track Worlds: Men's Madison Finish 9th - Gurley sixteenth in Points Race
By Heather Boyle, CI Communications Officer
4 Mar 2018,
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Men's Madison Finish 9th at Track Cycling World Championships - Gurley sixteenth in Points Race
Ireland’s Madison pairing of Felix English and Mark Downey finished ninth in the Madison at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships today, with the world title going to Germany ahead of Spain and Australia. Lydia Gurley finished 16th in the Women’ Points Race, with gold going to the unstoppable Kirsten Wild, from the Netherlands. USA’s Jennifer Valente took silver and Canada’s Jasmin Duehring rounded off the podium with bronze. The championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28th February – 4th March.
The Men’s Madison was a fast race, with Germany displaying their strength by winning five out of the twenty sprints on offer, as well as lapping the field. Spain, Australia and Austria also took a lap, and the Irish duo performed well to pick up five sprint points, totalling eleven points and resulting in ninth overall.
In the Points Race Gurley raced aggressively, featuring in several significant moves. “It’s disappointing to race that hard and not get any points out of it,” said Gurley afterwards, “I was involved in a few moves with strong riders – but they just didn’t work out.”
The Galway rider is still relatively new to track racing, and is happy with her progress – “my physical and mental level has moved up a level. I’m going to have a short break and come back stronger. If I keep racing the way I am racing, I feel that more results will come. I have been working really hard on my fitness – I train hard to make the racing easier.”
Next season is an important one, with the major events counting towards Olympic qualification – “The next big focus is the European Championships – that is when it starts to get serious, when the Olympic qualification starts – I really believe we can get results then.”
Today was the last day of racing at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, which took place from the 28th February – 4th March.
RESULTS:
Women’s Points Race
Gold: Kirsten Wild (NED) 49 Points
Silver: Jennifer Valente (USA) 43 Points
Bronze: Jasmin Duehring (CAN) 30 Points
Irish
16th: Lydia Gurley (IRL)
Men’s Madison
Gold: Germany 53 points
Silver: Spain 45 points
Bronze: Australia 37 points
Irish
9th: Ireland 11 points
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Women's Madison Finish Ninth in the Track Cycling World Championships - English 19th in Omnium
The Women’s Madison of Lydia Boylan and Lydia Gurley have finished 9th at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships tonight. Gold went to Great Britain, silver to the Netherlands, and Italy took bronze. In the Men’s Omnium Felix English finished 19th. The championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28th February – 4th March.
A ferociously fast start dictated the final podium in the Women’s Madison, with a group of five taking a lap.
“It started super-fast,” noted Gurley after the race, “a group of five got away and got the lap really quickly. It was unfortunate we missed that first move was we could have been in the top five. It was not a power issue missing out, it just started so quick. After missing that move we minimised damage and were in the mix.”
Boylan described a series of unfortunate incidents in the race that didn’t help – “we kept fighting after they got the lap, but I unclipped during a change and crashed down. Then I got a front wheel puncture which wasn’t ideal. But we managed to keep fighting to the end.”
“There were a few unfortunate, unforeseen things, but it was a better result than last year, and we did the best we could do, but you always want to do better,” added Gurley.
The Madison has been added to the Olympic programme for Tokyo, and was added to the World Championship programme last year.
“Last night, there were 17 teams competing – that’s 34 riders on the track. In a lot of the smaller events that we do there are maybe 12 teams. That adds another element to it,” said Gurley, “the Worlds is always a step up, it’s always the hardest race of the year – everybody brings their A game.”
Gurley is in action again tomorrow in the Points Race, and she is already looking forward to it – “I want to give it a good go. It’s a nice long race, it suits my fitness. I want to go out there and do the best race I can do.”
In the Omnium English raced aggressively in the final Points race, lapping the field to gain twenty points. However, a second attempt for a lap was pulled back, and he had to settle for nineteenth, after finishing 16th in the Scratch Race, 17th in the Tempo and 22nd in the Elimination Race earlier in the day.
Tomorrow is the final day of racing for the Irish team with Gurley competing in the Points Race. English will also be in action, competing in the Men’s Madison with Mark Downey. The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28th February – 4th March.
RESULTS:
Women’s Madison
Gold Great Britain
Silver Netherlands
Bronze Italy
Irish
9th Ireland
Men’s Omnium
Gold Szymon Sajnok (POL)
Silver Jan Willem van Schip (NED)
Bronze Simone Consonni (ITA)
Irish
19th Felix English (IRL)
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TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Downey 11th in Points Race- Boylan 17th in Omnium
2nd March 2018
Mark Downey finished eleventh in the Men’s Points Race at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships last night. Australia’s defending World Champion Cameron Meyer took the gold medal and world title, with silver going to Dutch man Jan Willem van Schip who was racing on his home track. Mark Stewart from Great Britain won the bronze medal. The championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28th February – 4th March.
At the halfway point in the 160-lap Points Race Downey took a lap with Kong Lok Cheung (Greece), and was happy with his performance. Speaking after the race the Team Wiggins Rider said:
This is my best performance at a major championship at this level. I let the race unfold for the first half, and got my first lap easily. I spent a lot of the race at the back, and I was playing a smart game.”
“With thirty laps to go I tried to go again, there were four guys away and I tried to go across to them – but I didn’t make it. Sometimes that’s is a gamble and can go either way. As soon as I was caught Cameron (Meyer) pounced, so I just came in a couple of laps too early.”
The race was dominated by Meyer, a professional cyclist with the UCI World Tour Team Mitchelton-Scott. While 21-year-old Downey has World Cup and European medals in the Points Race, he recognises he is still developing.
“Unless you are like Cameron and can force the race, you have to go with your moves. I was getting stuck in with the racing, and it wasn’t lack of legs tonight. I raced my own race, and tried to not follow Cameron, I knew everyone was following him, so I did my own thing. I’m not at his level yet – I know how strong he is. I let everyone else race Cameron, and I did my own thing.”
“The World Championships are a different level to the World Cups,” added Downey, “in the World Cups the races are over 120-laps, and if you take a lap you are likely to get a medal. At the World Championships with 160-laps you can take a lap and finish 11th, like I did tonight. You come aiming for medals, but the worlds are a higher level.”
Downey races on Sunday with Felix English in the Madison – “I feel good going into the Madison, my legs were good tonight – add Felix in and that’s a nice mix.”
In the Women’s Omnium Lydia Boylan finished in seventeenth place after the four races. Speaking after the race a dispirited Boylan said "I'm disappointed with today's race, but I'm going to have to put it behind me, refocus and get ready for tomorrow's Madison with Lydia (Gurley)."
Both Downey and Boylan have been named on the Northern Irish Commonwealth Team and will be competing in Australia next month.
Tomorrow Felix English will be competing in the Omnium, and Lydia Boylan will be teaming up with Lydia Gurley in the Madison Race. The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28th February – 4th March.
RESULTS:
Men’s Points Race
Gold Cameron Meyer (AUS)
Silver Jan Willem van Schip (NED)
Bronze Mark Stewart (GB)
Irish
11th Mark Downey (IRL)
Women’s Omnium
Gold Kirsten Wild (NED)
Silver AmalieDideriksen (DEN)
Bronze Rushlee Buchanan (NZL)
Irish
17th Lydia Boylan (IRL)
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