Cyclingnews Racing News

Lea preparing for return to Olympic Games in London

Laura Weislo — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:26:35 GMT

The UCI confirmed the final allotment of places for track cycling in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. One of those places for Team USA will be reserved for omnium rider Bobby Lea. The 2008 Olympian jokingly referring to himself as the Mitt Romney of cycling – the presumptive track candidate for the Olympics. Lea will be officially named to the squad on June 15 after the National Olympic Committees confirm the allocations with the 34 nations who are qualified for the Games. Qualification ...

UCI confirms track quotas for London Olympic Games

Laura Weislo — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:40:58 GMT

The UCI announced today the final allotment of places for the track cycling events in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Great Britain and Australia were the only countries to qualify spots for all ten races on the schedule. All together, 34 nations were given the opportunity be represented in track cycling in London. The National Olympic Committees must now confirm they will use the allocations by June 15. Any unused spots will be awarded to countries designated as reserves. A total of 188 ...

Video: Geraint Thomas on switching road and track

Daniel Benson — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:53:04 GMT

With the 2012 Olympic Games just months away, excitement and tensions are starting to surface. Earlier this month the world was treated to a taste of things to come when Australia hosted the World Track Championships . One of the hotly contested battles was between Great Britain and the home nation for bragging rights -and the rainbow jerseys – in the team pursuit. Great Britain came out on top, setting a world record in the process, and in this exclusive video for Cyclingnews, part of the ...

Meyer won't compete in London on the track

Jane Aubrey — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:25:14 GMT

Cameron Meyer will not be a part of Australia's track cycling team for the upcoming London Olympic Games , citing a lack of passion for the team pursuit. Meyer was a member of the world championship-winning quartet in 2010 but did not compete in the event at the 2011 and 2012 worlds , instead, concentrating on the madison and the points race. Last Saturday, Meyer took out the points race by just a single point over Great Britain's Ben Swift for his third world title in the event, and on Sunday the ...

Brailsford ready to make some tough decisions

Mark Robinson — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:11:44 GMT

It was an up and down few days for Great Britain at the 2012 Track World Championships in Melbourne last week, but things ended on a high for David Brailsford's squad as it finished the championships on top of the medal table for Olympic events ahead of its big rivals for this summer's Games, Australia. Brailsford does have a selection dilemma on his plate over the next few weeks though following Jason Kenny's defeat of Sir Chris Hoy in the semi-finals of the individual sprint. In their last competitive ...

Australian track team set for another transitional phase after London 2012

Mark Robinson — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:16:02 GMT

Just as Australia was forced to begin a new era for its track team following the Beijing Olympic Games, after finishing 12th on the medal table with one silver – a comparative shock after Athens 2004 where the nation finished first with 10 medals, including six gold – national High Performance director Kevin Tabotta has warned that it’s a cycle that will begin again after London. At the very centre of this transition, is the men’s team pursuit squad, consisting of Jack Bobridge, ...

Two world titles for GreenEdge in Melbourne

Peter Hymas — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:31:23 GMT

GreenEdge earned its first two world titles on Saturday evening at the UCI Track World Championships with neo-pro Michael Hepburn winning the individual pursuit crown and Cameron Meyer chasing down his third points race world championship . When it came to the individual pursuit, Bobridge and Hepburn were in the same qualifying heat which was merely a preview to the main event with Hepburn also finishing on top. "It's something very special but after the disappointment in the team pursuit the ...

Commissaires decide a second sprint world title in Melbourne

Mark Robinson — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:44:22 GMT

Jason Kenny took a significant step towards earning the sprint place in Team GB for the London 2012 Olympics, despite his relegation in the final against Frenchman Gregory Bauge at the 2012 Track World Championships . Kenny defeated teammate and rival for the position, Sir Chris Hoy in the semi-final. Bauge appeared comfortable in his defeat of Kenny in the opening heat of the final but with everything on the line for the Brit in the second, he began his sprint from the very start of the three-lap ...

Hoy 150/1 to defend three Olympic titles

Mark Robinson — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:00:39 GMT

Sir Chris Hoy has been building towards a successful defence of three of the four Olympic gold medal he won at Beijing in 2008, but today's defeat in the semi-final of the men's individual sprint at the 2012 Track World Championships by British colleague Jason Kenny looks likely to have ended those ambitions. Hoy was knighted, voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and became a household name in Britain after his extraordinary feats in Beijing but Kenny is emerging out of his shadow. His defeat ...

Pendleton wins sixth world sprint title after rollercoaster semi with Meares

Laura Weislo — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:14:56 GMT

Just as the thunder rolled around outside the Hisense Arena in the thick Melbourne air, the rivalry between Anna Meares and Victoria Pendleton reached fever pitch on Friday evening with the pair clashing in the semi finals of the women's sprint of the 2012 UCI Track World Championships . Despite Meares' pleas to the contrary , both the crowd and the media highly anticipated the showdown between the Australian defending champion in the event, and the reigning Olympic champion. This was the battle ...

No North Americans in Olympic team sprint

Laura Weislo — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:19:14 GMT

Neither the USA nor Canada were able to secure a place in the London Summer Olympic Games for their men's or women's team sprint squads at the UCI Track World Championships in Melbourne, Australia yesterday. Canada's men finished 11th, shy of the points it needed to surpass Venezuela in the race for one of the 10 places awarded for the three-man teams in London. The Venezuelans finished 8th to secure a birth. Travis Smith teamed up with Joseph Veloce and Hugo Barrette in a new team combination for ...

Disappointment for Hoy and Pendleton at Track Worlds

Mark Robinson — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:09:35 GMT

It was a topsy-turvy opening day for Team GB at the 2012 Track World Championships in Melbourne , with joy at gold and a new world record for the men's pursuit team and Ben Swift's gold in the men's scratch race tempered by disappointment elsewhere. Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, arguably the team's two biggest stars, came away empty-handed in the men's and women's team sprints on a day of drama. Hoy, Jason Kenny and debutant Philip Hindes were set to compete in the bronze medal race but ...

Sir Chris Hoy excited by addition of Hindes to Team GB ranks

Mark Robinson — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:20:33 GMT

There's a new kid on the block in Team GB colours at this year's Track World Championships , which started earlier today in Melbourne, Australia. And the team's totem, Sir Chris Hoy, has stated that his presence could make a real difference to their prospects of gold in the three-man sprint both here and in the 2012 Olympic Games this summer. German-born Philip Hindes raced for the county of his birth as a youngster, but has elected to represent Great Britain at senior level after meeting eligibility ...

Hoy excited by addition of Hindes to Team GB ranks

Mark Robinson — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:37:26 GMT

NZ young guns ready for sprint challenge at track worlds

Jane Aubrey — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:29:31 GMT

No longer considered the new boys on the block, the youthful sprint cyclists aim to get New Zealand's campaign off on an emphatic note at the UCI Track World Championships in Melbourne on Wednesday. With an average age of just 22 years, the burgeoning men's sprint programme will be in action in the team sprint at the Hisense Arena. BikeNZ Sprint Coach Justin Grace has opted for the same combination that finished sixth at last year's world championships for the team sprint in Ethan Mitchell, Sam ...

Perkins with sprained wrist after colliding with car

Jane Aubrey — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:29:32 GMT

Reigning keirin world champion Shane Perkins was hit by a car while training in the lead up to his title defence in Melbourne later this week. Perkins, was lucky to escape serious injury. "This was no April Fools Joke either!" the 25-year-old Tweeted on Sunday. "Got cleaned up, nothing broken sprained wrist, bruising on glute! Very lucky!!" The event follows a near-miss where Perkins was run off the road by a truck while training at his Adelaide base. Last week , Perkins told ...

Brailsford: Track World Championships the key Olympic trials

Mark Robinson — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:38:19 GMT

Next week's Track World Championships in Melbourne are almost upon us and the eyes of the world's cycling media are set to look Down Under in the search for clues ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games this coming summer. For many nations, including Great Britain, the Worlds represent the final chance to hone their skills in a competitive environment before the big one on home soil. Team GB enjoyed unprecendented success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they won eight gold medals under the watchful ...

Keirin world champion Perkins eyeing sprint success

Jane Aubrey — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:12:23 GMT

It was hard to find a more emotional moment at last year's track world championships than Shane Perkins' victory in the keirin. The Australian heads into next week's 2012 championships knowing that he can achieve the highest success at senior level but also that expectations abound. The 25-year-old admits that he's had a few ups and downs since he relegated Sir Chris Hoy to a silver medal in Apeldoorn , but he's optimistic that any loose ends are coming together. "You always go into a race ...

Australian squad finalised for track worlds

Jane Aubrey — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:18:16 GMT

Australian selectors have confirmed the final Cyclones team to contest the 2012 UCI Track World Championships being staged at Melbourne's Hisense Arena next week. At the end of the training camp in Adelaide the men's track endurance squad has been trimmed by one with Queensland's Mitchell Mulhern missing out on selection. "All credit to Mitch for his fantastic contribution this season through the World Cup rounds and for his commitment during the training camp," said Cycling Australia ...

One step at a time for Meares in fight to regain world titles

Jane Aubrey — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:44:10 GMT

Embarking on a war of words with arch-rival Victoria Pendleton was never going to be Anna Meares' style, following the Brit's attack on the reigning sprint, keirin and team sprint world champion with the Australian adamant that her battles would be fought only on the track. Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon, in the lead up to next week's UCI Track World Championships , Meares denied Pendleton's claim on Tuesday that she is a rider who not only " likes to push ...

Kovalev struck by hit-and-run driver in Australia

Susan Westemeyer — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:22:58 GMT

Ivan Kovalev of the Russian pursuit team was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Australia after training for the upcoming world championships. The extent of his injuries were not immediately known. According to a press release from his team RusVelo , Kovalev was riding back from training at the Dunc Gray Velodrome outside of Sydney, when he was hit by a fast-moving car. He flew over the car's bonnet and hit the ground hard, but the driver did not stop. Emergency help arrived for the Russian ...

Tough-going for Thomas as he focuses on track pursuit

Jane Aubrey — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:23:10 GMT

This time last year, Geraint Thomas was about to finish in the top 10 of the Tour of Flanders. Twelve months on, his focus is on the track as part of Team GB's pursuit squad which takes on the UCI Track World Championships in Melbourne, Australia next week, but it hasn't all been plain sailing for the Welshman. Team GB touched down in Melbourne earlier this week ahead of the championships and the team pursuit squad got off to a flying start. Any remnants of jet lag were blasted away when the team ...

Pendleton: Meares "likes to push the rules"

Jane Aubrey — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:52:22 GMT

It is the track sprinting rivalry that will not go away. Victoria Pendleton fronted the media on Tuesday in Melbourne ahead of next week's UCI Track World Championships where she spoke of her on-going battle with Australian Anna Meares. Despite saying that she is saddened by the fact that the pair used to have an amicable relationship, so much so that they once shared "a few beers" in Stuttgart after the world championships in 2003, Pendleton also fired a broadside at the reigning sprint, ...

Team GB kit for London 2012 Olympics unveiled

Mark Robinson — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:32:07 GMT

Official photographs of the Team GB cycling kit for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games have been released, with Sir Chris Hoy and Lizzie Armitstead striking the poses as models. The dark colouring is a departure from the kit worn at previous Games, and has come about via a partnership between British fashion designer Stella McCartney and German sportswear giant Adidas. The kit will be available to purchase in shops, and proceeds from sales will go towards paying for the Games. The ...

Tennant added to Team GB for Track World Championships

Jane Aubrey — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:38:41 GMT

British Cycling has announced that Andy Tennant has been added to the men's endurance squad for next month's UCI Track World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Tennant, 25, joins Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Peter Kennaugh, Ben Swift and Geraint Thomas, in a bid to be selected to compete in the team pursuit, with one set to miss out. "Training over the last couple of weeks has gone really well," British Cycling's performance director, Dave Brailsford said. “Andy has justified his ...