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Los Angeles Track World Cup - CDM
ADT Velodrome, Carson, California, USA, December 10-12, 2004
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Session 2 - Evening, December 10
LeMond greets fans at busy evening's racing
By Eddie Monnier
Three time Tour de France winner -- and perhaps more on topic, former individual pursuit junior world champion -- Greg LeMond was on hand before this evening's session. He mingled with and entertained fans with stories from his cycling days and his thoughts on cycling today. This guy who helped usher in technological evolution into our sport clearly still has many fans.
A tactical men's scratch race
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The evening session opened with the Men's 15K Scratch race, being contested by 19 riders from 19 countries, including reigning World Champion Greg Henderson of New Zealand. With no teams among the riders, it would prove to be a very tactical race.
The first measurable attack of the day was put in by Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) but he eased up after just a few laps when it was clear he wasn't going to get too far by himself. The field slowed briefly until Jose Medina Andrade (Chile) and Tony Gibb (Great Britain) put in a serious move. Siarhei Daubniuk (Belarus) took off in pursuit and joined them two laps later. The chasing field split under the pressure but came back together as the catch seemed imminent. Gibb dropped off the lead group and the field slowed further, which prompted Daubniuk and Medina Andrade to re-launch their attacks, as did Gibb. The pack again picked up the pace enough to force a split. Six riders caught the lead trio and then were quickly joined by the rest of the pack. A quick five-man counter with Henderson ensued but their lead was short-lived.
After the half way mark, there were a few attacks but nothing looked too threatening. It seemed the field was content to duke it out in a mass field sprint. Then, with about eleven laps remaining, a four rider break formed including the very active Gibb and Rasmussen, the first attacker of the day. But two laps later Rasmussen soldiered on solo as the other three dropped off one at a time. Reluctance among the field provided Rasmussen with almost a half lap lead at seven laps to go. King Cheung (Hong Kong) and Daubniuk put in strong moves and were followed immediately by Medina Andrade. Rasmussen gained a lap on the field with two to go. Daubniuk and Medina Andrade rounded out the podium, taking Silver and Bronze, respectively.
Rasmussen, who last medaled with a Silver in Moscow two years ago, described the track as very similar to his home track in Copenhagen. "There's lots of room to move around. Maybe it's not necessarily the fastest, but it makes for good, exciting racing."
Men's individual pursuit final
With more than three seconds separating the qualifying times between the pairings in both the Gold/Silver and Bronze/4th place ride-offs, there was little hope of a close match. Marc Ryan (New Zealand) held relatively close to Sergi Escobar (Spain) until the third kilometer when Escobar just pulled away. The duel between Robert Bartko (Germany) and Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) went much the same. Each rider turned considerably slower times then their qualifying efforts earlier in the day.
Women's sprint
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The fastest time among the single-elimination quarter finals was run by Anna Meares (Australia) who delivered a 12.067 to beat Yvonne Hijgenaar (Netherlands). In the semi's, Natallia Tsylinskaya (Belarus) beat Elisa Frisoni (Italy) in two straight but very fast heats of 12.156 and 12.161. Meares lost two Tamilia Abassova in two straight. The most exciting match of the evening was the Final for Bronze / 4th between Frisoni and Meares. In each ride, Mears let Frisoni have some leeway and then charged hard into the third turn to come roaring out of turn three. Frisoni held her off in the first ride but Mears prevailed in the second ride to force a third ride, which was won by Frisoni. Tsylinski dispatched Abassova in two straight to take the Gold medal.
Women's Keirin World Champion Clara Sanchez (France) won the ride-off for 5th through 8th places.
Men's keirin
The keirin is always an exciting event to watch. The motor operator plays an important role as he paces the riders from an initial speed of 19 mph to 31 mph before pulling off with two and a half laps remaining. The spectators seemed to enjoy motor operator and local racer John Walsh as much as the racing itself. After riding the motor at Junior Worlds, he was again bestowed the honor for this World Cup. It's a great gig if you can get it!
Josiah Ng (Malaysia) moved straight onto the motor when the gun fired to start the first Keirin Heat of the evening, from which three riders would advance to the Final for 1st-6th. Jose Villanueva (Spain) jumped into the lead as the motor pulled away but it was Teun Mulder who came rampaging over the top on the bell lap to take the Heat. Kasper Jessen (Denmark) just held off Villaneuva to take the two remaining spots.
The second heat featured kilometer world record holder and living legend Arnaud Tournant. This 26-year old, now "retired" from the kilometer, is focused on the keirin and will also do some match sprints. He drew starting spot 1 for Heat 2 and held the motor from the gun. When Walsh moved the motor aside, Tournant powered away easily but slowed in the final straight and was overtaken by Barry Forde (Barbados). Andrei Vynokurov grabbed the final qualifying spot from the German Matthias John.
For the first time of the evening, Tournant did not take the motor from the start but sat in third position instead with Teun Mulder on his wheel. As soon as the motor pulled off, Tournant powered straight over the top of the riders in front of him. Mulder matched Tournant's acceleration and then overtook him for the win while Villaneuva grabbed the Bronze.
In a friendly gesture, Tournant handed off his award ceremony flowers to former World Champion Mike McCarthy's young daughter, who stood nearby as her father presented the awards. I had a chance to chat with the friendly Frenchman, who admitted he was surprised by the Dutchman's speed. The new track season is hard on the riders in an Olympic year and many who competed at the Olympics are only now getting back into reasonable form again. He's clearly enjoying himself and welcomes the challenge of mastering some disciplines besides the kilo.
After a disappointing Olympic showing, Mulder came to this event with two goals: making the final and winning a medal. "The first round didn't go too well, but the other heats did." When asked what he thought of the track itself, Mulder responded, "the long straights make for exciting racing." He thinks Tournant, Bailey and possibly his teammate Theo Bos will be the ones to watch in March at the World Championships.
Josiah Ng won the heat for 7th - 12th.
Women's Points Race
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Two dozen women started this 20K scratch race and it proved a very fast race indeed. While there were constant attacks, nobody was able to stay away for very long or take a lap due to the always-on pressure. The most threatening break came about mid-race when Lyudmyla Vypyraylo (Ukraine), Marlijn Binnendijk (Netherlands) and Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand) established a gap, with the Ukranian winning the sprint with 30 to go. Erin Mirabella (USA) caught the break before the 20-to-go sprint, which she won to move into a 3 point lead over Vypyralo. Neither Mirabella nor Vypraylo scored in the next to last sprint, which was won by Charlotte Becker (Germany), leaving the US rider still just three points better than the Ukranian. Alexis Rhodes (Australia) put in a big attack with three laps to go and established a sizeable gap. Adrie Visser (Netherlands) followed but at some distance. To Mirabella's advantage, both stayed away meaning Vypyralo posed no threat in the final sprint. The smart move by Rhodes moved her into the Silver medal position behind Mirabella. Visser took the Bronze.
The Kilometer
While the timed events can be trying at times for even the modest ardent spectator, the kilometer is actually a pretty good event for the general public. It's over quickly, the speeds are very high, and it's very simple. Well, simple to understand that is. Anyone who's ever ridden a kilo knows it's a difficult, highly specialized and very painful experience.
Ben Kersten (Australia) posted a 1:03.296 in the 6th Heat against Carsten Bergmann (Germany), whom he beat by nary a hair's width (0.11 seconds) to move atop the leader board. With Jason Quelly (Great Britain) and Theo Bos (Netherlands) remaining, there wouldn't be any celebrating until the final heat was run. Silver medalist at the Athens Olympics in the sprint where he proved he is as tough as nails, Theo Bos smashed through the pain barrier to deliver a smoking fast 1:01.768 and bring the fans to their feet and jaws to the floor. Quelly turned in a fine ride of 1:03.018 to edge out Kersten for the Silver Medal.
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And what's the reward for riding a 1:01 kilo? Besides a Gold medal and flowers, you get very nauseous as Theo Bos demonstrated during the Kilometer awards ceremony. Let's just say he may have "Buckets" as a new nickname.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Mike Gladu/www.velodrome.com
- Greg LeMond speaks to VIP's
- Marked by almost everyone Tony Gibb (Great Britain) could not get away in the Mens Scratch Race
- Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) goes away solo to take a lap
- With a lap up, Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) moves to the front to defend
- Erin Mirabella and Becky Quinn (USA) get together
- Mirabella and Quinn at the front while Alexis Rhodes (Australia) attacks
- Alexis Rhodes (Australia) battles to second place in the womens scratch race
- Erin Mirabella (USA)
- Erin Mirabella leads Lyudmyla Vypyraylo for a late sprint to seal the win
- Final pack sprint has no one dangerous...
- ...so Mirabella celebrates her win.
- Teun Mulder (Denmark) takes the keirin
- Erin Mirabella (USA) on the podium
- Anna Meares (Australia) looks good for the win, but it was Elisa Frisoni (Italy) in a photo finish
- Sergi Escobar, defending World Champ in the pursuit takes bronze
- Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) powers to silver in the pursuit
- Robert Bartko (Germany) delivers the pursuit win
- Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) holds off Tamilia Abassova (Russia) in sprint
- Ben Kersten (Australia) to bronze in the kilo
- Theo Bos (Netherlands) clocks a 1:01.768 to prove the LA surface is fast
- Theo Bos (Netherlands) in the kilo
- Kilo took a lot out of Bos, Better look out...
- ...he's going to hurl... Bos celebrates his kilo win
- Jason Qually (Great Britain) - silver is good for the WC series lead
- Queally takes a bow...
Images by Mitch Friedman Photography
- Elisa Frizoni has just a small support crew (personal chef not pictured)
- Greg LeMond holds court in the infield
- Greg LeMond was guest of honour on the first night of racing of the LA world cup
- Where is that Godot bloke anyway?
- Jason Queally (Great Britain) hammers out of the blocks in the kilo
- Theo Bos (Netherlands) storms to victory in the men's kilo
- Theo Bos (Netherlands) waits for the presentation
- Teun Mulder (Netherlands) leads the charge for the line in the keirin final
- The keirin top three - Arnaud Tournant (France, 2nd), Teun Mulder (Netherlands, 1st) and José Antonio Villanueva Trinidad (Spain, 1st)
- Alexis Rhodes (Australia) rides in the women's points race
- Erin Mirabella (USA) rides in the women's points race
- Erin Mirabella (USA) rides in the women's points race
- The women's points race was a USA vs Australia tussle
- Alexis Rhodes (Australia) with the points race silver medal
- Alexis Rhodes (Australia) clearly still taking her coach's advice- "Be more aggressive" - from her last world cup outing
- Adrie Visser (Netherlands) with the points race bronze medal
- Alexis Rhodes (Australia) leads the women's points race
- Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) in the thick of the women's points race
- The women's points race podium - Alexis Rhodes (Australia, 2nd), Erin Mirabella (USA, 1st) and Adrie Visser (Netherlands, 3rd)
- The men's pursuit podium - Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia, 2nd), Robert Bartko (Germany, 1st) and Sergi Escobar Roure (Spain, 3rd)
- Watching me, watching you, watching me in the men's scratch
- Joshua Kerkhoff (USA) rides in the men's scratch
- Tony Gibbs (Great Britain) animated the men's scratch race
- Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) lapped the field to win the men's scratch race
- It was this big - Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) celebrates his scratch race win
- The scratch race podium - Siarhei Daubniuk (Bielorussia, 2nd), Alex Rasmussen (Denmark, 1st) and José Alfredo Medina Andrade (Chile)
- Tamilia Abassova (Russia) takes out Clara Sanchez (France) in the sprint quarters
- Olympic champion Anna Meares (Australia) has not yet regained her Athens form
- Elisa Frisoni (Italy) beat Anna Meares (Australia) in three races for the bronze
- Elisa Frisoni (Italy) knocks out Lori-Ann Muenzer (Canada) in the women's sprint quarter-finals
- Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) beat Tamilia Abassova (Russia) in the women's sprint finals
- Natallia Tsylinskaya salutes the crowd after her win
- The women's sprint podium - Tamilia Abassova (Russia, 2nd), Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) and Elisa Frisoni (Italy, 3rd)
Images by Dana Ross/www.danarossphoto.com
- Theo Bos (Netherlands) storms across the finish line in the men's kilo
- Theo Bos celebrates victory in the kilo
- Greg Lemond with Erin Mirabella Friday night's winner of the Women's Points Race.
Images by David Bruno
- Teun Mulder (Netherlands, right) talks to Cyclingnews reporter Eddie Monnier after winning the kierin
- An exhausted Theo Bos (Netherlands) is helped from his bike after a monumental effort in the men's kilo
Results
Men's scratch 1 Alex Rasmussen (Denmark) 18.07.874 (49.638km/h) One lap behind 2 Siarhei Daubniuk (Bielorussia) 3 José Alfredo Medina Andrade (Chile) 4 King Wai Cheung (Hong-Kong) 5 Wim Stroetinga (Netherlands) 6 Tony Gibb (Great Britain) 7 Gregory Henderson (New Zealand) 8 Sebastian Donadio (Argentina) 9 Martin Blaha (Czech Republic) 10 Lyubomyr Polatayko (Ukraine) 11 Rafat Ratajczyk (Poland) 12 Nikolai Troussov (Russia) 13 Ashley Hutchinson (Australia) 14 Martin Gilbert (Canada) 15 Andrey Bozhko (Kazakhstan) 16 Marc Altmann (Germany) 17 Miguel Alzamora Riera (Spain) DNF Md Sayuti Md Zahit (Malaysia) DNF Joshua Kerkhoff (USA) Men 1000m Time Trial 1 Theo Bos (Netherlands) 1.01.768 (58.283km/h) 2 Jason Queally (Great Britain) 1.03.018 (57.127km/h) 3 Ben Kersten (Australia) 1.03.296 (56.876km/h) 4 Carsten Bergmann (Germany) 1.03.406 (56.777km/h) 5 Travis Smith (Canada) 1.04.947 (55.430km/h) 6 Didier Henriette (France) 1.05.271 (55.155km/h) 7 Yusho Oikawa (Japan) 1.05.404 (55.043km/h) 8 Athanasios Mantzoyranis (Greece) 1.05.441 (55.011km/h) 9 Maksym Lopatyuk (Ukraine) 1.06.163 (54.411km/h) 10 David Cresswell (New Zealand) 1.06.323 (54.280km/h) 11 Aaron Kacala (USA) 1.07.059 (53.684km/h) 12 Tisin M Rizal (Malaysia) 1.07.199 (53.572km/h) 13 Guatto Sergio (Argentina) 1.08.490 (52.562km/h) DNS Frederick Segura (Venezuela) DNS Ahmed Lopez Naranjo (Cuba) Men 4km Individual Pursuit Final 3-4 1 Sergi Escobar Roure (Spain) 4.34.499 (52.459km/h) 2 Marc Ryan (New Zealand) 4.38.810 (51.648km/h) Men 4km Individual Pursuit Final 1-2 1 Robert Bartko (Germany) 4.32.382 (52.867km/h) 2 Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) 4.37.058 (51.975km/h) Men Keirin Second Round Heat 1 1 Teun Mulder (Netherlands) 11.116 (64.772km/h) 2 Kasper Jessen (Denmark) 3 José Antonio Villanueva Trinidad (Spain) 4 Josiah Ong Lam Ng (Malaysia) 5 Ryan Bayley (Australia) Rel Vladimir Kiriltsev (Russia) Heat 2 1 Barry Forde (Barbados) 11.066 (65.064km/h) 2 Arnaud Tournant (France) 3 Andrei Vynokurov (Ukraine) 4 Matthias John (Germany) 5 Cédric Stoller (Switzerland) 6 Christian Stahl (USA) Men Keirin Final 7th - 12th 7 Josiah Ong Lam Ng (Malaysia) 11.216 (64.194km/h) 8 Cédric Stoller (Switzerland) 9 Vladimir Kiriltsev (Russia) 10 Matthias John (Germany) 11 Christian Stahl (USA) 12 Ryan Bayley (Australia) Men Keirin Final 1st-6th 1 Teun Mulder (Netherlands) 10.976 (65.598km/h) 2 Arnaud Tournant (France) 3 José Antonio Villanueva Trinidad (Spain) 4 Andrei Vynokurov (Ukraine) 5 Barry Forde (Barbados) 6 Kasper Jessen (Denmark) Women 20km Points Race Final 1 Erin Mirabella (USA) 12 pts 2 Alexis Rhodes (Australia) 11 3 Adrie Visser (Netherlands) 10 4 Lyudmyla Vypyraylo (Ukraine) 9 5 Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) 7 6 Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand) 7 7 Rebecca Quinn (USA) 6 8 Yulia Arustamova (Russia) 5 9 Charlotte Becker (Germany) 5 10 Mandy Poitras (Canada) 4 11 Emma Davies (Great Britain) 4 12 Marlijn Binnendijk (Netherlands) 3 13 Guerrero Mendez Belem (Mexico) 2 14 Gema Pascual Torrecilla (Spain) 2 15 Katarzyna Jagusiak (Poland) 1 16 Gina Grain (Canada) 17 Jacqueline Marshall (Great Britain) 18 Catherine Sell (New Zealand) 19 Andrea Hannos (Hungary) 20 Pascale Schnider (Switzerland) 21 Eleonora Soldo (Italy) DNF Natalia Llaca Salas (Mexico) - 20 DNS Iona Wynter (Jamaica) DNS Dayana Chirinos (Venezuela) Sprints 70 to go 1 Adrie Visser 5 pts 2 Joanne Kiesanowski 3 3 Mandy Poitras 2 4 Alexis Rhodes 1 5 Yulia Arustamova 60 to go 1 Yulia Arustamova 5 pts 2 Erin Mirabella 3 3 Giorgia Bronzini 2 4 Lyudmyla Vypyraylo 1 5 Emma Davies 50 to go 1 Rebecca Quinn 5 pts 2 Erin Mirabella 3 3 Gema Pascual Torrecilla 2 4 Adrie Visser 1 5 Emma Davies 40 to go 1 Alexis Rhodes 5 pts 2 Emma Davies 3 3 Giorgia Bronzini 2 4 Adrie Visser 1 5 Rebecca Quinn 30 to go 1 Lyudmyla Vypyraylo 5 pts 2 Marlijn Binnendijk 3 3 Joanne Kiesanowski 2 4 Erin Mirabella 1 5 Mandy Poitras 20 to go 1 Erin Mirabella 5 pts 2 Lyudmyla Vypyraylo 3 3 Joanne Kiesanowski 2 4 Rebecca Quinn 1 5 Adrie Visser 10 to go 1 Charlotte Becker 5 pts 2 Giorgia Bronzini 3 3 Guerrero Mendez Belem 2 4 Katarzyna Jagusiak 1 5 Eleonora Soldo Final 1 Alexis Rhodes 5 pts 2 Adrie Visser 3 3 Mandy Poitras 2 4 Emma Davies 1 5 Rebecca Quinn Women sprint quarter-finals Heat 1 1 Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) 12.094 (59.534km/h) 2 Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain) Heat 2 1 Anna Meares (Australia) 12.067 (59.667km/h) 2 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Netherlands) Heat 3 1 Tamilia Abassova (Russia) 12.433 (57.910km/h) 2 Clara Sanchez (France) Heat 4 1 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) 12.226 (58.891km/h) 2 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Canada) Women Sprint Semi Final Heat 1 Race #1 1 Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) 12.156 (59.230km/h) 2 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) Heat 1 Race #2 1 Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) 12.161 (59.206km/h) 2 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) Heat 2 Race #1 1 Tamilia Abassova (Russia) 13.653 (52.736km/h) 2 Anna Meares (Australia) Heat 2 Race #2 1 Tamilia Abassova (Russia) 12.241 (58.819km/h) 2 Anna Meares (Australia) Women sprint 5-8th Place 1 Clara Sanchez (France) 12.351 (58.295km/h) 2 Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain) 3 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Canada) 4 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Netherlands) Women sprint finals 3/4 Race #1 1 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) 12.428 (57.934km/h) 2 Anna Meares (Australia) 3/4 Race #2 1 Anna Meares (Australia) 12.211 (58.963km/h) 2 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) 3/4 Race #3 1 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) 12.609 (57.102km/h) 2 Anna Meares (Australia) Final Race #1 1 Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) 12.614 (57.079km/h) 2 Tamilia Abassova (Russia) Final Race #2 1 Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) 12.463 (57.771km/h) 2 Tamilia Abassova (Russia) Women Sprint Final Classification 1 Natallia Tsylinskaya (Bielorussia) 2 Tamilia Abassova (Russia) 3 Elisa Frisoni (Italy) 4 Anna Meares (Australia) 5 Clara Sanchez (France) 6 Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain) 7 Lori-Ann Muenzer (Canada) 8 Yvonne Hijgenaar (Netherlands) 9 Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) 10 Jennie Reed (USA)
