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UCI Track Cycling World Cup - Cali - Day 2

December 17, 2010 | Cali (Columbia)

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Day two of the Cali World Cup saw three more medals for GB, with Ed Clancy's outstanding ride to win the Omnium a real highlight. The World Champion in this event, Ed came under huge pressure from home favourite Arango Carjaval, but he didn't buckle and went on to a famous win.

Ed Clancy - gold medal winner in the Omnium

MEN'S OMNIUM - DAY 2

Well placed in second overnight, GB's Ed Clancy must have gone into the second day of competition in the Omnium with some confidence, knowing that he was facing two of his stronger disciplines - the pursuit and Time Trial - with only the Scratch Race to really concern him: avoid a bad result in that event and he was in with a great shot of the medals.

The Individual Pursuit went very much to plan with Clancy producing an excellent 4:26.708, which was a great ride by any measure. The Bad news was that Clancy's main rival for the goild, overnight leader Arango Carvajal of Columbia went even quicker and extended his lead in the standings.

It was now crucial for Clancy to ride a solid Scratch Race, and more importantly beat his Columbian rival. Both riders missed a four-man move which went away mid race and gained a lap, leaving fifth the best that either could hope for in the finishing gallop. Clancy duly delivered, with a great closing lap effort, securing fifth place. Arango Carvajal couldn't quite stay with Clancy and finished in 10th place.

That turned a four point deficit into a one point lead for Clancy, with only the Kilo Time Trial left. As the two leaders, Clancy and Arango Carvajal were drawn together in the final heat. The pressure on both riders was immense. Clancy led after the opening lap by two tenths, but with the home crowd cheering him on, Arango Carvajal came back at him to lead at the half-way point by jut five hundredths.

The Columbian kept up the pressure on the third lap but Clancy clawed back six thousandths and it all came down to who could turn in the best final lap - the fourth lap is always a decisive section of this event as sprint begins to turn to endurance. Clancy is the master at holding his form during that final 250m and he once again delivered, pulling back two tenths of a second, which was pretty much the winning margin at the end. It was a great ride by a rider who is increasingly coming to terms with the unique demands of a very testing event.

WOMEN'S SPRINT

Victoria Pendleton slipped up at the last hurdle in the Women's Sprint. Having made her way imperiously to the final, she then lost out by the odd heat to the German Kristina Vogel.

Pendleton began the day very well, going fastest in qualifying, recording 10.999. Jess Varnish also produced a fine ride to go fourth with 11.264.

Pendleton despatched Virginie Cueff of France in two straightforward heats in the quarter final, but Varnish went out without winning a heat against Lyubov Shulika of the Ukraine, a disappointing end given her recent improvement.

Pendleton avenged that defeat, putting out Shulika in the semi finals, again looking untroubled in two heats. In the final, though Pendleton lost out in the first heat to her German opponent Kristina Vogel, came back to take the second heat, but then lost the third to finish with sliver.

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT

There was another silver medal for GB in the Women's Individual Pursuit, where Wendy Houvenaghel made it through to final with a fine qualifying ride of 3:32.226, a second and a half slower than Alison Shanks of New Zealand, who recorded 3:30.868.

Shanks duly backed up this ride with another slightly quicker time, 3:30.258, a pace which Houvenaghel couldn't quite live with. Houvenaghel's 3:34.794 meant silver, whilst Pascale Schnider of Switzerland took the bronze from Caroline Ryan of Ireland.

MEN'S KEIRIN

Jason Kenny represented GB in the Keirin and made it through to the final, but there his luck ran out and he finished sixth, with Malaysia's Awang taking the gold from Pervis of France and Spicka of the Czech Republic.

Second in his opening round heat, Kenny was forced into the Repechages. He duly won his repechage heat to progress to the second round, where he scraped through to the final foe medals by finishing third, behind Awang and Spicka. The other second round heat was won by Van Velthooven of New Zealand.

However, the final was dominated by Awang who went on to take the gold medal.

WOMEN'S OMNIUM

GB's Laura Trott endured a difficult opening day in the Women's Omnium. She was caught up in a huge crash in the qualifying round, which saw two riders stretchered off. She put in a solid flying lap, finishing sixth, but looked distinctly below par in the Points Race - where she scored in only two sprints and missed the moves which allowed Machacova of the Czech Republic and Becker of Germany to claim a lap and Sarah Hammer of the USA two laps.

The Elimination Race saw Trott finish 9th and she ended the day in seventh place: not entirely out of contention for the medals, but with a lot of work to do. In contrast, Sarah Hammer of the USA was in imperious form throughout, winning all three races.