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World Cup Golden Girl: Lizzie Amitstead Posted: March 18th 2009 Source: Larry Hickmott Track Worlds Preview | GB Team | UCI Track Cycling Worlds Reports
In Poland, Lizzie is expected to be competing in three events, the Team Pursuit with Joanna Rowsell and Wendy Houvenaghel, the Scratch race and, on the final day, the Points race. The Otley woman was back on the track yesterday (Tuesday, March 17) to do some motor pacing and get her speed back after her endurance efforts across the channel over the weekend. Her Belgian races were both 100 kilometres, a lot further than any of her events on the track but the European champion explained that she was quite pleased with how they went and didn’t feel that tired afterwards, giving her confidence in her endurance abilities. They were Lizzie’s first outings with her new Belgium team Lotto-Belisol Ladiesteam but she admits results wise, they didn’t go to plan! “I messed up big time in both races” she explained. “The first day was 14 laps of a 7k circuit and I kind of attacked on the first lap by accident. I went first into a few corners and when I looked behind, there was no one there.” “I thought I am going to have to keep going and hope that some one comes across. They didn’t! I was away for 13 laps on my own and on the 14th lap, I punctured...... so that was rubbish! Then on the second day, one of my teammates was up the road so I was covering moves all day and then when we caught her, another break went which I was in and another teammate of mine attacked and she won but I was useless in the sprint. I went far too late and although my sprint was good, it was just too late. The team were happy though and it helped me meet everyone”. However, the races in Belgium were primarily preparation races for the track worlds. Lizzie rode six bunch races in the winter World Cups and won four of them. She crashed in one of the others and was 7th behind a silver medal winning teammate in the final one. It is a great record but does that add to the pressure in Poland? “It’s a difficult one that. I’m trying to think logical and not put pressure on myself because I’m not getting any pressure from anyone else. I am trying to be realistic and thinking if I can get top six in both events, I’ll be happy, but consciously if I don’t podium, I’ll be a little disappointed.” Asked who her main challengers are, Lizzie explained there are many including Eleonora Van Dijk and Giorgia Bronzini. What she is worried about more than the favourites is a ‘soft’ break going that no-one chases and it getting a lap without her in it.
Two of the fastest and strong riders in the female peloton on the track, Lizzie Armitstead and Dutch woman Eleonora Van Dijk Lizzie knows she is going to be marked but says that having coach, Simon Cope, by the side of the track will be a great help and gives her a lot of confidence. Since the final World Cup of the winter, in Copenhagen, where Lizzie won two more Gold to make seven in all at the World Cups, she and her endurance teammates have had a camp in Majorca, a Team Pursuit trial, then the recent racing in Belgium. Now, she has two weeks on the track to freshen up and get some speed into the legs. Her first race at the World Championships will be the Team Pursuit, where she joins reigning World Champions Joanna Rowsell and Wendy Houvenaghel. It's a young event - this will be only its third staging - and it's an event where the competition is getting better and better. “I am really pleased with the schedule because I can go into the Team Pursuit really fresh whilst Wendy and Jo will have already ridden the individual pursuit. In the Scratch race in Copenhagen, when I was away off the front, I said to myself I can do this based on my team pursuit work.” “I feel the least pressure in the Team Pursuit because it is a team event and we all share the load. Jo and Wendy are fantastic athletes, really strong and I am third wheel and all I have to think about is delivering my laps, which I know I can do. During a ‘normal’ race, I’ll do four laps on the front but it depends on how everyone is feeling and I may need to do a lap and a half at one stage for instance.” “If some one else wants to do a lap and half then you just sit in the wheels thinking ‘lovely’ and if they only do a half, you don’t panic, you just get round and keep the speed because that is what is important, keeping the speed.” It is a strange feeling, she says, going into a World Championships knowing she could achieve something. “I have not really done that since I was a Junior (2005/06) and it has helped keep me motivated and disciplined because I know the difference could be the little things.”
Lizzie happy in her work after her coach Dan Hunt says something to make her smile in training on Tuesday Of course, a rider’s coach can help make up those differences and Lizzie has Dan Hunt on her side. Dan's pedigree is unquestioned - in recent years he's coached both Rebecca Romero and Wendy Houvenaghel, with great success. “In the lead up to this World Championships I have had probably gone through the most specific, targeted training I have ever done. I have never gone into a championships so confident in the training. I know I have done the right things and Dan certainly worked us hard in Majorca. The training there included lots of double days, for example”. The young academy riders certainly have a lot of incentives to get on the podium in Poland, outside the obvious one of winning medals and making names for themselves. Win a world championship medal in an Olympic discipline and a rider’s funding is boosted, which would be very welcome! But for now, the dreams are on hold and until she leaves for Poland at the end of the week, Lizzie, like the rest of the team, will be very busy training on the track, and on the road. We wish her lots of luck in Poland.
Lizzie and Joanna Rowsell were both in front of the cameras on Tuesday
Stretching between efforts in amongst the banter between riders |
With a week to go before competition starts in the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, the rider who won the most Gold medals of any rider in the last World Cup series over the winter, Lizzie Armitstead (right), has been preparing in road races in Belgium.
