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Cycling World Track Championships - day one as it happened

World Track Championships
Venue: Apeldoorn, Netherlands Dates: 23-27 March
Coverage: Watch and listen live across the BBC - What to watch and where to watch it

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By Chris Bevan

2116: The women's team pursuit and women's team sprint are the main events of day two, as the Brits try to win back those titles from the Aussies. Plenty else going on too, though, including the individual men's sprint qualifiers and quarter-finals, and none of it will be dull. You can follow all the action here on the BBC Sport website, where Marc Vesty will guide you through all the action. That's all from me, though, so cheerio for now.

2110: And that concludes day one of the World Track Championships from Apeldoorn. Belarus are top of the medal table with two golds, Great Britain are ninth with two bronzes. Expect that to change dramatically over the next four days... and this is what is coming up on Thursday...

RESULT: Men's team sprint
Gold:
France
Silver: Germany
Bronze: Great Britain



2108: I need to give you one last (formal) result...

British sprinter Jason Kenny on having to settled for third place behind France and Germany in the men's team sprint: "It's a shame we missed out on the gold final but we've done two solid rides today and we're happy with a bronze medal."

2101: I've just heard Sir Chris Hoy asked if today's medal means more to him because it is is his birthday. "I am going to celebrate with 10 or 12 beers maximum, followed by some champagne," said the Scot, who won three Olympic golds at Beijing in 2008. He was joking, obviously.

Britain's Sir Chris Hoy on winning bronze in the men's team sprint and what it means ahead of London 2012: "We came in here as the third-ranked team and probably got the result we deserved. We used to be more than half a second down on the French and now we're closing the gap. We'd prefer gold or silver but we're heading in the right direction. The medal table may not reflect exactly what we're looking for but the boys did well, personally I was pleased with my ride and you can't ask for more than that. Think back to pre-Beijing, we didn't win a world title until the Olympics. We'll aim to turn it around next year in Melbourne, get one over the Aussies and use it as a springboard for London."

2055: Birthday bronze for Sir Chris Hoy (35) and Jason Kenny (23) then. They will be going for gold in the keirin and individual sprint later in the week too. And here's a stat for you - that was Hoy's 21st World Championship medal. I wonder if he has ever put them all on at once?

2052: France's triumphant trio were Gregory Bauge, Michael D'Almeida and Kevin Sireau - and that is the 11th time the French have won this event. Impressive. They are about to get their mitts on their medals, and rainbow jerseys. Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Matt Crampton have just been given their bronze medals - and, by the way, their time in the final was quicker than that of Germany, who take silver.

It's bad news for a Briton
2045: Of slightly more concern is Ed Clancy's condition. Sam Harrison, who competed in two events tonight, is down to do the 4km individual pursuit on Thursday and might be asked to do the omnium on Friday and Saturday too (it's cycling's version of the decathlon, really, with a mix of sprint and endurance events) if Clancy does not recover in time. That is one heck of a shift for an 18-year-old.

Twitter
HonestMan1910 on Twitter: "Fairly convincing display for bronze."

It's good news for a Briton
2042: So, two bronze medals for Britain after day one of the World Track Championships. Not a bad start... and plenty more to come, I'm sure. There were no GB golds on day one last year either so we shouldn't worry about that just yet.

Champagne moment
2037: France take the men's team sprint title, led by Gregory Bauge who made a terrific flying start (not literally). They clocked 43.867 seconds.

2036: Very, very, very close... but France lead with a lap to go.

2035: Germany versus France, for gold, has just started.

It's good news for a Briton
2033: Sir Chris Hoy takes over with a fluid change and Matt Crampton leads them home. An easy win in the end, and a second bronze medal of the night for Britain. They beat Australia by over a second, clocking 44.235 seconds.

2033: Jason Kenny gives GB a slight lead after the first lap...

2032: Here we go..

2031: Right, the British riders (and the Australians) are just getting on their bikes for the men's team sprint. Jason Kenny will lead off the trio, followed by Sir Chris Hoy and Matthew Crampton.

Twitter
richardcassidy on Twitter: "Great win for Ho Ting Kwok - awesome break."

RESULT: Men's scratch race
Gold:
Ho Ting Kwok (HK)
Silver: Elia Viviani (Ita)
Bronze: Morgan Kneisky (Fra)

RESULT: Women's points race
Gold:
Tatsiana Sharakova (Bel)
Silver: Jarmila Machacova (Cze)
Bronze: Giorgia Bronzini (Ita)

2025: A couple of medal ceremonies will take place first, which is a good time for me to add a couple more results...

2023: Just the men's team sprint to come tonight then. A reminder that Sir Chris Hoy and co will go for bronze, not gold. GB are up against their big rivals Australia for third place, while Germany and France will contest gold and silver.

Cycling expert Chris Boardman in Apeldoorn on the BBC: "That was a spirited ride by Sam Harrison, he was tactically really good to watch and knows how to move around in a bunch at that speed at this level. There is plenty more to come from him in the next year or so."

2021: Tatsiana Sharakova has stopped crying now, thankfully. Here's what it meant to her to clinch a second gold medal of the night for Belarus by winning the women's points race: "It means a lot for us because we are a small country - two gold medals is amazing."

A shock result
Champagne moment
2016: A shock result this. Hong Kong rider Ho Ting Kwok takes gold with his late surge, holding off Elia Viviani of Italy, who took silver. Morgan Kneisky of France took bronze. "Kwok needed some legs to carry that off, and it was a fantastic ride," says Chris Boardman on the BBC. "He used the height of the track and dived down at the last second to burst clear."

2015: It is Elia Viviani who is on Ho Ting Kwok's tail, but he is running out of gas, and distance. Just two laps left.

2014: Right, just five laps left... and counting. Ho Ting Kwok of Hong Kong has stolen a march on everyone else and has opened up a bit of a gap. A lot of a gap, to be honest. Britain's Sam Harrison, meanwhile, has retired.

2012: Elia Viviani of Italy had been tracking Cameron Meyer's every move but he has lost the Australian now (briefly). Meyer is 20 metres clear, but being drawn back in - this could go down to a final sprint to the line.

2012: Sam Harrison is going backwards now, so no second medal for him. There are 12 riders in the front group, with 17 laps left. Cameron Meyer, one of the favourites, is up there now.

2009: Right, 22 laps to go. Sam Harrison has been dropped by the front group of six, and is looking very tired. Cameron Meyer of Australia is trying to bridge the gap.

2008: Sam Harrison is fifth, with 33 laps to go. The current leader is Rafal Ratajczyk of Poland, but there are attacks all over the place at the moment.

2007: If there are any doubts about Welsh teenager Sam Harrison's stamina, check out this quote from team-mate Peter Kennaugh after their bronze medal ride in the men's team pursuit, just over an hour ago: "Eighteen years old, his first major championships and Sam was the strongest man out there."

2005: Britain's Sam Harrison is involved at the front end of this men's scratch race with 42 laps of the 60 to go. He doesn't look too tired... and is tracking every attack at the front.

2000: Er, Tatsiana Sharakova is still crying as she rides around the warm-down zone (it changed its name since the last entry). More tears to come from her on the podium later, I would wager. Back on the track, the men's scratch race final has just started. Sam Harrison, with his bronze medal from the team pursuit safely stashed at trackside, is in the field of 21 riders...

1958: Tatsiana Sharakova is in floods of tears now as she returns to the warm-up zone. Like the 500m time trial, the points race is not an Olympic event - hence Britain did not bother entering a rider - but two gold medals tonight is still a great achievement for Belarus.

Champagne moment
1955: Another Belarus win! Tatsiana Sharakova (30 points) blows kisses at the crowd after winning the women's points race. Jarmila Machacova of Czech Republic (20 points) takes silver and Giorgia Bronzini of Italy (14 points) collects bronze.

BBC Radio 5 live
Shane Sutton, head coach of GB Cycling on 5Live Extra about Britain's performance in Apeldoorn so far, and their Olympic prospects in London next year: "It's a World Championships and we want to win. We were beaten by a better team in the men's Team Pursuit and there's no excuses for that. But the team is progressing. Teams have stepped up their game (since Beijing) and we've got 14 months to do that too. I'm confident in the team of coaches we've got, and the home crowd will raise the performance of the team. It's a good young squad, I honestly believe that the team is going to move forward."

1949: Hold on to your hats! It's all change in the women's points race, where Tatsiana Sharakova of Belarus is now on 30 points and almost certainly going to win gold. Jarmila Machacova, still on 20, is holding on to second spot and Italy's Giorgia Bronzini, who won the sprint at 20 laps to go, is currently in third. A second gold in three events for Belarus? Forget Australia, Team GB have got someone else to worry about... anyway, 13 laps left.

British team pursuit bronze medallist Peter Kennaugh on seeing Australia win World Championship gold: "The Aussies - we're going to be up against them at the Olympics, they're coming out here like the thunder-clappers and we'll have to work really hard to get back on terms with them. It's super-hard. The pressure's not the best here, it works out at something like two-tenths per lap slower than what we've been training in Manchester, but the best team will win whether it's a fast or slow track."

1942: Back to the women's points race. Yes, I know you probably don't care. Anyway, Jarmila Machacova picks up another five points in the sprint with 40 laps to go. She is in pole position now.

More on British rider Ed Clancy, who struggled in the qualifiers for the men's team pursuit and was left out for the bronze final, from team-mate Andy Tennant: "Ed's got a bit of after-viral fatigue, he's still suffering from it. We haven't had the best preparation all week but it's a slow track and the Aussies are still riding round in some quick times. We should still all be proud of ourselves, we knew we had to win that bronze - we didn't want to come from these championships without anything."

1935: Hmmm. I suspect I am doing a less than adequate job of describing how this women's points race is unfolding. I will persevere though. There are two riders clear now, trying and failing to get a lap up, but one of them, Jarmila Machacova of the Czech Republic, keeps winning the sprints and is now a clear leader on 15 points. Marianne Vos, who has just four points so far, continues to attack, tracked every time by Italy's Giorgia Bronzini. There are now 44 laps left.

British bronze medallist Sam Harrison, who replaced Ed Clancy for the team pursuit finals: "I was pretty excited to get the nod, I was sort-of hoping after Ed said he was unwell that I could step in and gain some experience. It's been good working with these lads, they've taught me a lot. I couldn't be any happier. I think the boys are pretty disappointed but I'm really happy with a bronze and to get a chance with the team."

1932: Just the 69 laps to go in the women's points race then. Three riders have got away from the bunch and Marianne Vos is not one of them. Overall, it's a four-way tie for first place with five points apiece. Glad I could clear that up.

More from Australia's Jack Bobridge, this time on Britain's Ed Clancy, who was left out of the final after feeling out of sorts in the qualifiers: "Ed's a world-class Olympian and he's one of the best team pursuiters in the world. Everyone has good and bad days, he might have been off today but I'm sure he'll step up in his next ride and next year, and show he's a world-class bike rider once again. On the bike it's rivalry with Britain, off the bike it's all friends."

1927: Dutch rider Marianne Vos is the heavy favourite for this women's points race, and she is trying to split up the field here after picking up a point for finishing fourth in the first sprint. There are 100 laps in all, with points (five for the winner, three for second, two for third and one for fourth place) up for grabs for sprints every 10 laps, but the main target is the 20 points you get for lapping your opponents.

Jack Bobridge, part of Australia's triumphant men's team pursuit squad: "It's not so much about seeing Britain in bronze, it's just another stepping-stone for us on the way to London. We've been working hard since Beijing. We had Luke Durbridge in here this year, he missed out last year but he's super-strong and taken the rainbow jersey. We couldn't be happier, everything's just come together and it's overwhelming, for sure.

1919: No British rider in the women's points race, which means "we can't lose" according to Chris Boardman. By the way, before it gets started I should point out that this even can be pretty confusing. Very confusing actually, what with so many riders out on the track and all of them lapping each other. If I were you, I would check out this guide to how it actually works.

1913: Oh, and you get flowers too! I forgot about the posies... very nice.

1912: You don't just get a gold medal for winning in the World Championships you know. A coveted rainbow jersey is the other prize on offer. The Australian quartet are just putting their stripes on right now... then it will be anthem time.

1908: Time for the British boys to get their team pursuit bronzes. Lots of medals to be handed out here, and they are going to need a very big podium too.

Cycling expert Chris Boardman in Apeldoorn on the BBC: "The British team look disappointed with their bronze medal, but it is a good sign when a bronze medal is not good enough. They have at least three top riders in this event that aren't here, so that bodes well - and there is still plenty of time before the Olympic Games in London next year."

RESULT: Men's team pursuit
Gold: Australia
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Great Britain

1902: We have just had the medal ceremony for the 500m time trial actually. Panarina was all smiles. Sandie Clair looked like she'd just been told her bike's been stolen.

RESULT: Women's 500m time trial
Gold: Olga Panarina (Bel)
Silver: Sandie Clair (Fra)
Bronze: Miriam Welte (Ger)

1858: While the victorious Australian squad pose for pictures and celebrate with their coaches, I'm going to wrap up our results so far (after two events). Next up on the track is the women's points race, and there are no British riders involved.

Britain's Becky James after finishing seventh in the women's 500m time trial: "The track's running quite slow, you can feel it - you're really having to push. But it's been a good day so far. I just wanted to get a good hit out to see where my form's at. I'm happy I did it and I've done a personal best, so that's great. I wasn't expecting that with the track running slow."

Champagne moment
1852: This track is MEANT to be slow, but Australia might be thinking otherwise. They have just clocked a time of 3 min 57.832 sec to defend their team pursuit gold medal. "Russia stayed in the fight longer than we thought they would," says Chris Boardman on the BBC. "I don't think we have heard the last of them."

1852: Both teams are down to three riders. That gap is getting bigger, not smaller.

1851: Defending champions Australia lead Russia by 1.05 seconds at the halfway mark of the men's team pursuit final. This is going to be closer than we thought...

1849: The British bronze-medal winning quartet were Sam Harrison, Steven Burke, Peter Kennaugh and Andy Tennant. Ed Clancy, who rode in the qualifier, dropped out because he was unwell.

1848: It was comfortable in the end for Britain, but they will be disappointed that they missed out on the gold final. That is about to start, with Australia up against Russia. Chris Boardman, on the BBC, thinks Australia have got the strength in depth and experience to win gold... we are about to find out.

It's good news for a Briton
1845: BRONZE FOR GREAT BRITAIN in the men's team pursuit

1844: The GB quartet are still going very, very quick. After 3km of the 4km, they are still two seconds up on New Zealand, who have lost a rider.

1842: The inexperienced British team are actually doing well. After 1.5km, they are almost two seconds up on New Zealand.

1841: Here we go...

1840: So, no Ed Clancy for GB - 18-year-old Welsh rider Sam Harrison is in for his World Championship debut instead.

1839: Right, what's next? Try the men's team pursuit finals. Great Britain versus New Zealand, for bronze, is first up.

Twitter
EpicallyFailing on Twitter: "Manarina, Meyer, Vos, France (team sprint) & Australia (team pursuit) - my inexpert picks for tonight"


I should make it clear that Ian made this prediction about 15 minutes ago. Let's see how the rest of his tips get on though...

Champagne moment
1834: Late drama, and our last rider has only gone and nicked the gold medal in the women's 500m time trial. Olga Panarina of Belarus clocks a time of 33.896 to become our first track world champion of 2011. She is looking pretty pleased too, but poor Willy Kanis looked absolutely distraught when she realised she had missed out on a medal. Britain's Becky James? Seventh.

1830: Ah, the crowd at the Omnisport Velodrome have found their voice, and here's why: Dutch hope Willy Kanis has just hit the track. No home gold for them to celebrate just yet, mind because her time of 34.657 seconds is only good enough for third spot so far.

1828: BBC co-commentator Chris Boardman has just corrected himself (from 1814) because Jess Varnish is actually partnering Vicky Pendleton in the women's team sprint, not Becky James. Anyway, back to the track, and we have ANOTHER new leader. France's Sandi Clair zips into the lead with a time of 33.919 seconds. Just two riders left now...

1825: No medal of any colour for Britain's Becky James tonight, I'm afraid. Germany's Miriam Welte takes over at the top of the leaderboard with a time of 34.496. James is fourth, with three riders left.

1822: And as soon as I wrote that, this happened: Hong Kong's Wai Sz Lee is our new leader after clocking 34.710 seconds. Chris Boardman wasn't impressed with her racing line either.

1821: Lots has been said (and written) about the track at the Omnisport Velodrome, mostly about how slow it is. No world records expected this week, and the main reason for that is that it has not been sanded for the past two years. Anyway, on with the racing. Eight riders of the 13 have gone now, and Becky James is still second fastest.

It's bad news for a Briton
1816: Bad news, for Britain anyway. Cuba's Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez is even faster, clocking 34.722 seconds. She is the new leader of the women's 500m time trial. No gold for GB in this event either.

It's good news for a Briton
1814: Good news. Britain's Becky James is the new leader, after posting a time of lifetime best time of 35.035 seconds. "She made a really nice start," says Chris Boardman on the BBC. "She will have to use that again this week with Vicky Pendleton in the women's team sprint."

1810: Four riders have now gone in the women's 500m time trial and Russia's Olga Streltsova is fastest so far, clocking 35.727 seconds. There are 13 riders in all, and Becky James is next.

1807: Right, we are under way in the women's 500m time trial... well, sort of. We've just had a big delay while Mexican rider Luz Gaxiola Gonzalez had a broken toe strap replaced. She was only the second rider to go - Britain's Becky James is fifth out.

1805: And before we get too depressed about missing out on gold in the men's team pursuit too, let's remember that Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas, part of the GB team that won gold in the World Cup event in Manchester in February, are absent this week, having returned to road racing. Of more concern is the fitness of Ed Clancy, who Ollie Williams and Jill Douglas both tweeted about earlier as looking very tired in qualifying. Sam Harrison will replace Clancy (who has a busy week in the omnium) in the British quartet for the bronze final alongside Steven Burke, Peter Kennaugh and Andy Tennant, although he is also scheduled to race in the men's scratch race tonight too.

It's bad news for a Briton
1803: Just a bit more info for you on the those British performances from earlier. It's not a massive surprise that GB's men's sprint trio of Sir Chris Hoy, Matt Crampton and Jason Kenny didn't make the gold final - they took bronze last year, when I was in Copenhagen to see Hoy's pedal break off on the start line of their qualifier. A place on the podium would still be a decent start to the week, and a nice birthday present for Hoy and Kenny who turn 35 and 23 today.

1800: By the way, if you need to brush up on your track cycling knowledge, or have any questions about these world championships (which run until Sunday) then I highly recommend you read Ollie Williams' guide to what is going on, and why it matters. Here is a handy synopsis of exactly which events are happening when too.

1758: All set then? Good. But don't forget you need to get involved too. How? Easy. Tweet me via @chrisbevan_bbc using the hashtag #BBCCycling or text me using 81111 (UK).

1756: The good news, if you love your cycling, is that as well as my words, you can watch live coverage on the BBC Sport website (manually refresh this page now but in the UK only I'm afraid) and on the red button from 1830 to 2100 GMT, and listen to live commentary on BBC 5 live Sports Extra from 1855 GMT too. Fill. Your. Boots.

1754: The evening action in Apeldoorn gets under way very shortly 1800 GMT with Becky James going as Britain's representative in the women's 500m Time Trial at around 1800 GMT, followed by the men's team pursuit finals at approximately 1915 GMT. Then we have the women's points race and the men's scratch before Sir Chris Hoy and co go in the men's team sprint finals at around 2045 GMT.

1750: In this afternoon's qualifiers for the team pursuit and team sprint, Britain were third fastest in both... meaning they will go for bronze, not gold later this evening. Here's all the times from both events: MEN'S TEAM PURSUIT
1. Australia 4min 00.168 sec
2. Russia 4min 00.965 sec
3. Great Britain 4 min 02.764 sec
4. NZ 4 min 04.164 sec


MEN'S TEAM SPRINT
1. France 43.951 sec
2. Germany 44.101 sec
3. Great Britain 44.128 sec
4. Australia 44.501 sec

1747: Yep, with just 492 days to go until the start of the Olympics, all eyes are on the Omnisport Velodrome in Apeldoorn. The early news for Team GB? Not exactly good, I'm afraid...

1745: So, are Great Britain's cyclists on track for London 2012 success... or are the wheels coming off their bid to replicate their Beijing bounty? The 2011 World Track Championships, which got under way this afternoon in a small Dutch town about 60 miles from Amsterdam, should give us some indication of that.



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see also
GB open with double world bronze
23 Mar 11 |  Cycling


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