Lycra, Legends, and a Little Bit of Leaning: The Melbourne Velodrome Meltdown
Oh, Melbourne. Land of sunshine, questionable coffee art, and apparently, a lot of very fast people in very tight suits. If you’ve been living under a rock (or perhaps just stuck in a particularly long queue for a flat white), you might have missed the absolute spectacle that was the World Track Cycling Championships. We’ve just seen the boards of the Hisense Arena scorched by some of Britain’s finest, and let me tell you, the drama was high enough to make a soap opera writer blush. From golden girls who seemingly don’t know how to lose to a legendary “Battle of the Brits” that’s left everyone a bit breathless, it’s been a right old scrap.
The Golden Girl Who Only Does Top Steps
Laura Trott: Is She Actually Human?
Let’s start with the lady of the hour, the week, and frankly, the foreseeable future. Laura Trott (#Ad). At just 19 years old, Trott has decided that the podium has only one step worth standing on, and it’s the one at the very top. Since she burst onto the senior scene in 2010, she has collected six medals at European and World levels, and every single one of them is gold. Honestly, it’s getting a bit ridiculous; does she even own a silver necklace?
In Melbourne, she tackled the omnium, which for the uninitiated, is essentially the cycling version of a decathlon but with more aerodynamic helmets and six different ways to make your legs scream. Laura Trott (#Ad) was a picture of consistency, never once dropping out of the top two across the disciplines. She’s turned the elimination race into her own personal playground—a “signature event” where she basically spends the time entertaining the crowd while others get the boot.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. After leading overnight, she had a bit of a mixed bag on the final day, placing third in the individual pursuit and a somewhat uncharacteristic 13th in the scratch race. But, like the champion she is, she pulled a blinder in the time trial to secure that glorious rainbow jersey. She admitted to BBC Sport that being in the lead going into the final event was “really hard on my head,” but she got herself fired up and it clearly paid off. It turns out she’s been doing her homework, watching back old races with her coach to fix the bits that weren’t quite perfect. If this is her “improving,” the rest of the world should probably just start practising their “congratulations” speeches for London 2012.
The Battle of the Brits: Awkwardness at 40mph
Kenny vs. Hoy: Only One Seat on the Plane
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the velodrome. Or rather, the two titans of British sprinting who are currently trying to occupy the same very small space. Thanks to a bit of a rule tweak by the UCI, nations now only get one entry per event at the Olympics. This means that Jason Kenny (#Ad) and Sir Chris Hoy (#Ad) are essentially in a high-speed, Lycra-clad version of The Hunger Games (#Ad).
In Melbourne, the tension was thick enough to cut with a spoke. Kenny, the 24-year-old young gun (#Ad), went head-to-head with the 36-year-old legend Hoy (#Ad) in the semi-finals. And, in a result that surely made the post-race tea bit awkward, Kenny only needed two heats to dispatch the Olympic champion. It was a massive statement, especially after Hoy had outperformed him at the World Cup back in February.
But don’t go ordering Kenny’s London 2012 monogrammed towels just yet. While he beat the Knight of the Realm, he couldn’t quite clinch the gold in the final against France’s Gregory Bauge. It was a bit of a weird one, really. Bauge took the first heat, and just when it looked like Kenny had caught him cold in the second with a sneaky early dash, the judges stepped in. Kenny was judged to have “gone off the sprinting line,” handed a 2-0 defeat, and that was that. No third heat, no dramatic decider, just a silver medal and a lot of “what ifs”.
As for Hoy, he had to settle for a bronze after beating Australia’s Shane Perkins. It’s a strange position for a man who beat Kenny to gold in Beijing four years ago. Now, they both have to wait until June to find out who gets the solitary nod for the London individual sprint. Talk about a long wait for a bus.
The Rest of the Bunch: Hits, Misses, and “Why Isn’t This Olympic?”
Pendleton’s Puncture and Swift’s Silver Linings
It wasn’t just the Trott and Kenny show (#Ad), of course. Victoria Pendleton (#Ad), our queen of the track, had a bit of a “Friday night/Saturday morning” kind of weekend. After a gripping win in the sprint (including a cheeky collision with her arch-rival Anna Meares), she simply ran out of steam in the keirin. She failed to make the final, which Meares went on to win. It just goes to show that even superheroes need a nap occasionally.
Then we have Ben Swift, who has had a “highly impressive week” by any standard. He bagged a gold in the scratch race earlier in the week and followed it up with a silver in the points race in Melbourne. The only downside? Neither of those events is actually in the Olympic programme. It’s a bit like being the world’s best at Tiddlywinks; it’s impressive, but you won’t see it on a cereal box this summer.
The same goes for Geraint Thomas (#Ad), who finished fifth in the individual pursuit. Another event dropped from the Olympic schedule since Beijing. It seems the powers that be have a habit of taking away the toys our boys and girls are best at playing with.
Looking Forward: Is London Calling?
So, what have we learned from the frantic spinning in Melbourne? Well, for one, the British team is looking lean, mean, and remarkably golden—well, mostly golden. Laura Trott is essentially a lock for an Olympic place, having secured her second world title of the week following the team pursuit win on Thursday. She says she’s “setting herself up well for London,” and frankly, we’re inclined to believe her.
The sprint situation remains a delicious, nerve-wracking mess. Does the selection committee go with the legendary experience of Hoy or the youthful momentum of Kenny? It’s a tough call, and one that will keep the cycling world gossiping until June.
One thing is for certain: the London 2012 Olympics are going to be absolutely mental. If the “extra margin” Trott found in her points race is anything to go by, and if Kenny can keep his sprinting line straight, we might need a bigger trophy cabinet. For now, let’s give our riders a round of applause (and maybe a damp flannel for those sore legs) as they head home. Melbourne was a blast, but the real party is just getting started on home soil.
Stay tuned, keep your tyres pumped, and maybe avoid any high-speed collisions with Australians if you can help it. Cheers!
BBC Sport – Track Worlds: Laura Trott wins omnium as Kenny beats Hoy.
