U.S. falls short in day one of track worlds
Melbourne, Australia (May 26, 2004)--
The opening day of the 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships has concluded as U.S. athletes contested the men’s team sprint and the men’s points race. And although they performed below their own expectations at these world championships, they are still expected to secure start positions at the 2004 Olympic Games based on their overall world cup standings in these events.
The evening session began with the men’s team sprint. Out of the 15 teams on the start list, the fastest eight in the qualifying heat would advance to the proper first round. And as a top-eight time in qualifying was possible for the U.S., merely a top-ten time would automatically secure the U.S. a start position in Athens in not only the team sprint, but also the individual sprint, the kilometer time trial, and the keirin.
As the first team off the blocks, Russia would post what would eventually become the evening’s slowest qualifying time of 47.681 seconds. As the U.S. and the Czech Republic took to the track next, the U.S. posted a time of 46.499 as the Czech Republic clocked a 46.526 briefly giving the U.S. squad of Adam Duvendeck (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Giddeon Massie (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Christian Stahl (Bethany, Conn.) the fastest time of the evening. In the following pairing, Slovakia’s time eclipsed that of the Americans with a 45.880, but New Zealand ran a slightly slower 46.581. In the next group, Cuba posted a 46.561 meaning that the U.S. trio had bested four out of the first six teams to ride and only had to outride one more team to secure a top-10 finish.
Unfortunately for the U.S. the remainder of the teams put in solid performances and the last eight teams to ride all posted faster times than the U.S. The result was not only an exclusion from the first round of eight, but also a finish out of the top-10, placing 11th overall.
Under UCI guidelines, the top-10 teams at the world championships qualify a start position for the Olympic Games in the team sprint and those top-10 teams are also allotted a start position in the individual sprint, the kilometer time trial and the keirin. Although the U.S. squad missed that qualification criterion, UCI guidelines also stipulate that the top-two teams in the overall world cup standings not otherwise qualified through world championship competition would earn a start position for Athens. The U.S. finished the world cup season ninth overall and seven of the eight teams ahead of them all placed in the top-10 this evening. Only Cuba, who was ranked eighth overall in the world cup standings, did not post a top-10 finish tonight. That means that Cuba and the U.S. should receive a start position in the team sprint in Athens as the top-two world cup teams that did not place in the top-10 at the world championships.
Unfortunately for the U.S., only qualification as a top-10 team at the world championships translates into an automatic spot in the individual sprint, the kilometer time trial and the keirin.
Official allotment of start positions in the team sprint are expected to be announced by the UCI during the remainder of the world championships.
France posted the fastest qualifying time of the evening at 44.422 seconds followed by Great Britain at 44.482, Spain at 44.845, Germany at 45.054, The Netherlands at 45.055, Australia at 45.136, Japan at 45.219, Poland at 45.310, Slovakia at 45.880 and Greece at 46.012.
In round one, France and Spain posted the fastest times to advance to the gold medal match while Great Britain and Germany clocked the next fastest times and were placed together in the bronze medal ride.
In the medal rounds, Great Britain took the bronze from Germany before the French team of Mickael Bourgain, Laurent Gane and Arnaud Tournant rode to a world championship in the gold medal round ahead of Spain.
Men’s Points Race
Like the team sprint, a certain finish would guarantee a start position for the U.S. in Athens, and like team sprint, the U.S. missed its opportunity for an automatic qualification through a performance at the world championships. A top-four finish by Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) meant a U.S. start at the Olympic Games in the points race, but Pearce placed 15th.
After an unorthodox qualifying procedure in the morning, 24 riders lined up for tonight’s final. In the 160 lap, 40km event, Pearce was aggressive at the beginning, instigating early moves including an early break of five. In the second sprint of the evening, out of that group of five, Pearce collected his first two points of the night.
Pearce’s early aggression may have prevented him from marking a couple of key moves later in the race. About a third of the way into the contest, a group of five including Juan Curuchet (ARG), Frank Perque (FRA), Franz Stocher (AUT), Milan Kadlec (CZE), and Angelo Ciccone (ITA) managed to lap the field. Pearce would notch six more points before a second group containing Milton Wynants (URU), Makoto IIjima (JPN) and Alexander Aeschbach (SUI) would also lap the field. With seven riders already a lap up on Pearce and the remainder of the field with time running out, any late race heroics fell short. Pearce managed to collect a few more points, but the damage was done. Perque took the rainbow jersey with 35 points followed by Wynants and Curuchet who had 31 and 28 respectively. Pearce scored 11.
Although Pearce won’t qualify a spot for the U.S. through his performance this evening, his third place in the overall world cup standings should hold up to give the U.S. a start position in Athens for the points race.
The 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships continue tomorrow with finals in the men’s individual pursuit, the women’s keirin, and the men’s kilometer time trial.
 The velodrome at Vodafone Arena. |
The evening session began with the men’s team sprint. Out of the 15 teams on the start list, the fastest eight in the qualifying heat would advance to the proper first round. And as a top-eight time in qualifying was possible for the U.S., merely a top-ten time would automatically secure the U.S. a start position in Athens in not only the team sprint, but also the individual sprint, the kilometer time trial, and the keirin.
As the first team off the blocks, Russia would post what would eventually become the evening’s slowest qualifying time of 47.681 seconds. As the U.S. and the Czech Republic took to the track next, the U.S. posted a time of 46.499 as the Czech Republic clocked a 46.526 briefly giving the U.S. squad of Adam Duvendeck (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Giddeon Massie (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Christian Stahl (Bethany, Conn.) the fastest time of the evening. In the following pairing, Slovakia’s time eclipsed that of the Americans with a 45.880, but New Zealand ran a slightly slower 46.581. In the next group, Cuba posted a 46.561 meaning that the U.S. trio had bested four out of the first six teams to ride and only had to outride one more team to secure a top-10 finish.
Unfortunately for the U.S. the remainder of the teams put in solid performances and the last eight teams to ride all posted faster times than the U.S. The result was not only an exclusion from the first round of eight, but also a finish out of the top-10, placing 11th overall.
Under UCI guidelines, the top-10 teams at the world championships qualify a start position for the Olympic Games in the team sprint and those top-10 teams are also allotted a start position in the individual sprint, the kilometer time trial and the keirin. Although the U.S. squad missed that qualification criterion, UCI guidelines also stipulate that the top-two teams in the overall world cup standings not otherwise qualified through world championship competition would earn a start position for Athens. The U.S. finished the world cup season ninth overall and seven of the eight teams ahead of them all placed in the top-10 this evening. Only Cuba, who was ranked eighth overall in the world cup standings, did not post a top-10 finish tonight. That means that Cuba and the U.S. should receive a start position in the team sprint in Athens as the top-two world cup teams that did not place in the top-10 at the world championships.
Unfortunately for the U.S., only qualification as a top-10 team at the world championships translates into an automatic spot in the individual sprint, the kilometer time trial and the keirin.
Official allotment of start positions in the team sprint are expected to be announced by the UCI during the remainder of the world championships.
France posted the fastest qualifying time of the evening at 44.422 seconds followed by Great Britain at 44.482, Spain at 44.845, Germany at 45.054, The Netherlands at 45.055, Australia at 45.136, Japan at 45.219, Poland at 45.310, Slovakia at 45.880 and Greece at 46.012.
In round one, France and Spain posted the fastest times to advance to the gold medal match while Great Britain and Germany clocked the next fastest times and were placed together in the bronze medal ride.
In the medal rounds, Great Britain took the bronze from Germany before the French team of Mickael Bourgain, Laurent Gane and Arnaud Tournant rode to a world championship in the gold medal round ahead of Spain.
Men’s Points Race
Like the team sprint, a certain finish would guarantee a start position for the U.S. in Athens, and like team sprint, the U.S. missed its opportunity for an automatic qualification through a performance at the world championships. A top-four finish by Colby Pearce (Boulder, Colo.) meant a U.S. start at the Olympic Games in the points race, but Pearce placed 15th.
After an unorthodox qualifying procedure in the morning, 24 riders lined up for tonight’s final. In the 160 lap, 40km event, Pearce was aggressive at the beginning, instigating early moves including an early break of five. In the second sprint of the evening, out of that group of five, Pearce collected his first two points of the night.
Pearce’s early aggression may have prevented him from marking a couple of key moves later in the race. About a third of the way into the contest, a group of five including Juan Curuchet (ARG), Frank Perque (FRA), Franz Stocher (AUT), Milan Kadlec (CZE), and Angelo Ciccone (ITA) managed to lap the field. Pearce would notch six more points before a second group containing Milton Wynants (URU), Makoto IIjima (JPN) and Alexander Aeschbach (SUI) would also lap the field. With seven riders already a lap up on Pearce and the remainder of the field with time running out, any late race heroics fell short. Pearce managed to collect a few more points, but the damage was done. Perque took the rainbow jersey with 35 points followed by Wynants and Curuchet who had 31 and 28 respectively. Pearce scored 11.
Although Pearce won’t qualify a spot for the U.S. through his performance this evening, his third place in the overall world cup standings should hold up to give the U.S. a start position in Athens for the points race.
The 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships continue tomorrow with finals in the men’s individual pursuit, the women’s keirin, and the men’s kilometer time trial.
This Article Published May 26, 2004 For more information contact:
