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World Track Championships - CM
Copenhagen, Denmark, September 25 - 29, 2002
Event program and results Men's Scratch Women's Scratch
Scratch Race
Men's Scratch Race
Marvulli takes gold amid rules confusion
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Franco Marvulli of Switzerland won the final dash to the line ahead of Britain's Tony Gibb and Stefan Steinweg of Germany in third. It was frantic finish to a controversial scratch race that saw the medalists and Ukrainian Volodymyr Rybin lap the field half-way through the race.
The controversy came when officials fired the gun to indicate that the lapped riders should leave the track. According to a report from the US team, the field had been expecting that all riders would complete the 15km distance even if they were lapped, and the riders paused in confusion when the gun sounded.
As the crowd whistled its disdain, officials indicated that the four lead riders were to continue for five laps and sprint for the medals.
Veteran US rider Marty Nothstein was vocal in his criticism of the decision. "Clearly, what happened tonight is a different interpretation of the rules that were set this morning, this afternoon or even this evening," said Nothstein. "So the race surprised a lot of people - it should never have ended - because the rules were that everyone had to do the full distance [15km]. And if anyone was lapped in the field, they would have to ride an additional five laps. Four guys lapped the field…and most of the riders, including myself, were waiting for our opportunity to try to get a lap at that point, but they stopped the race. I think a lot of guys feel like they were cheated, because you can't make every break, and you can't get in every move.
"To be honest with you, it's a complete mess…a total debacle," said Nothstein. "The officials didn't even know what has happening, as you could tell by the reaction of the fans. It was an unfair race.
"There's really no game plan in a race like this," Nothstein continued. "It's very hard and extremely fast…you pick and chose your moves. I chased really hard right before the break-away went, and the other guys slipped away. A lot of good guys missed a break, and were resting and waiting to make their move. But the officials fired the gun, and everybody was standing there, not knowing what happened. If you read the communiqué that they sent out [earlier in the day], it's totally different than what happened out there."
Race officials ratified the results, after protests were filed by a number of countries.
Women's Scratch Race
Czech mate
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Lada Kozlikova from the Czech Republic dominated the women's 10 kilometre scratch race in Copenhagen on the final day of competition with a cunning move towards the end.
The Czech was wary of the fast finish of Russian Olga Slioussareva and Australian Rochelle Gilmore. Kozlikova therefore decided to go on the attack: "I knew my only chance was to attack and try and gain a lap." She timed her moved to absolute perfection, building a lap's advantage over her rivals towards the end and comfortably secured her place at the top of the podium.
Report from Rochelle Gilmore
World Championship Silver!
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Today I achieved a result that I can clearly say has been the highlight of my career! Yet I still feel a little disappointed - second is the first loser, and even though second at the World Championships is a great result, I'm disappointed, but more hungry than ever!
This year was the first year that the scratch race has been a World Championship event. It proved to be a very exciting event for the spectators but ever so frustrating for the competitors as the rules are a little complicated.
The rules of the race were explained to me before my race begun: the race is 10km (40 laps). If one rider laps the field alone they are declared the winner, and the rest of the bunch will then race the full distance for a sprint. If two or more riders lap the field, the main bunch sprints first on the 40th lap, and the riders who lapped the field will then receive five laps to go (being the only riders on the track).
Our race was very fast from the start; my plan was to jump straight onto everything so there would be no need to chase down breaks, I knew I had good speed going into today's race - my times in training over the last week have been faster than ever. I was praying that the race would stay together for a bunch sprint.
With about 15 laps to go a Czech woman broke away from the bunch, and as I had no idea who she was and did not think she was a threat, I relied on others to chase her down. No-one went out after her and she took a very fast lap - apparently she has been around for years and is extremely strong! I knew that if the race came down to a sprint, Olga Slioussareva from Russia would be the one to beat; she has won many World Championships and has awesome speed.
At the bell lap I was sitting comfortably on her wheel, racing down the back straight. She moved up the track and I quickly decided to take the opportunity to move under her - leading all the way to the line for 2nd place!
Tomorrow I fly back to Italy to negotiate contracts for next year - today's result will definitely influence the process. Although I am very grateful for the support I have received from the Australian Institute of Sport, I am looking forward to moving on to a professional team. I am just itching for opportunities - I'm just looking for the right team to support my efforts to become no.1 in the World!
On the 13th of October I will ride the World Road Championships in Zolder, Belgium. I was the only Australian female to be selected in both the Track and Road World Championships this year. The course is flat which will suit me and other sprinters if the race stays together! I am looking forward to it!
Cycling Australia Team Report
By Gennie Sheer
Two beanies are better than one
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Earlier in the session Sydney's Rochelle Gilmore, 21, added more silverware to the Australian collection when she placed second behind Lada Kozlikova in the women's 10km scratch race.
Kozlikova surprised the field when she attacked leaving her rivals dazed before going on to gain a lap to secure her win.
"I didn't think she would go on with it because she is a fast sprinter and we expected her to stay with us for a sprint finish," explained Gilmore. "After she got away I suppose I rode a bit negatively because I thought others would chase but they didn't, so she got the lap."
But Gilmore wouldn't be caught out a second time and led out from the bunch with one and a half laps to go in the sprint for silver.
"All season I have been sprinting against Russian Olga Slioussareva and I really wanted to sprint against her for the gold here and beat her," said Gilmore who crossed more than a bike length clear of the rider she respects and admires.
"Well I did beat her, which is fantastic even if it was for the silver."
Today was Gilmore's first race of the Championships and she admits the success of the team has had both a positive and negative effect on her.
"It's been really hard to walk around for four days without racing and fabulous to see the team do so well," she said. "But I think it made me more nervous because yesterday I was throwing up and had diarrhoea and all I've been able to eat for the past 32 hours is a bread roll."
But Gilmore, who in 12 months of bad luck off the bike has had her house burn down, broke up with her boyfriend of five years and was devastated when with her grandmother suffered a stroke, says she went into the race with a medal in her sights.
"Last week at training I asked Macca (Endurance Coach Ian McKenzie), who is a man of very few words, how I went," she laughed. "He said 'brilliant' and that gave me the confidence to believe I had the form to get a medal."
US Team Report
By Kelly Walker, USA Cycling
Lady luck doesn't shine on Quinn
Going into the race, Rebecca Quinn knew her strategy would be to follow on the wheel of recently-crowned World Points Race Champion Olga Slioussareva of Russia. "I knew she'd be there, and that's where I wanted to be - so I wanted to stay with her and I wasn t going to let anything get away!" said Quinn.
Quinn was riding inside of the pack of the front riders, when a rider collided with her front wheel with four laps remaining in the race.
"A New Zealand rider (Joanne Marie Kiesanowski) and somebody else bumped, colliding into Joanne's rear wheel and taking out my front wheel," said Quinn. "I couldn't avoid anything because she just washed out my wheel. I wanted to get back in, but nobody was over there to throw me back in - so it took me a while to get my feet out of the pedals because I was locked in. I was trying to get back in myself - it all just happened so fast that no one could get over there."
"It s really disappointing," said Quinn, who finished the race in 15th place. "I felt good the whole race, but there was nothing I could do and it's just racing. It happens and you hope it doesn't, but it does and that's unfortunate. It could happen to anybody. It could put you in a good position to win the race, but it can also put you in a bad position. And this time I was in a bad position."
Photos
Images by AFP
- Emma Davies crashes with Greek Eleftheria Ellinikaki during women's scratch final
- The women's scratch podium
- Riders in the women's scratch race
- Czeckh gold medallist Lada Kozlikova in the women's scratch
- Great Britain's Emma Davies is evacuated after falling during the women's scratch
- Emma Davies on the ground after falling during the women's scratch
- Emma Davies and Elefthria Ellinikaki lay on the ground after falling
Images by Rochelle Gilmore
- The women's scratch podium
- Women's Scratch winners pose for photos
Images by AFP
- Swiss Franko Marvulli beats British cyclist Tony Gibb and German Stefan Steinweg to win the men's 15 km scratch race
Images by Mike Gladu/www.velodrome.com
- Marty Nothstein (USA) had high hopes for the 15k Scratch race.
- Franco Marvulli (SUI) initiated the first successful break.
- Marvulli joined by Stefan Steinweg (GER).
- Volodomyr Rybin (UKR) and Tony Gibb (GBR) join the break and help it take a lap. Then all hell breaks loose.
- The officials discuss how to solve the problem of ringing the bell with 29 laps remaining when the rules state the race is supposed to go 60.
- The race neutralised, the lapped riders removed, the four riders a lap up alone on the track with the lap counter at four laps to go.
- Marvulli takes the final sprint.
- Marvulli can't believe it.
- Hey mom! Oh no - it's just the answering machine!
- Olga Slioussareva (RUS) holds up the action by wearing the same number as Colombia's rider.
- This is what it looks like to be marked by every woman in the world.
- When the action started, the only way any breaks would be brought back was if Slioussareva chased.
- Emma Davies (GBR) before the fall.
- Becky Quinn (USA) was glued to Slioussareva's hip for the entire race.
- Rochelle Gilmore (AUS) kept a close eye on the leaders.
- Lada Kozlikova (Cze) seized the opportunity and took off on her own.
- Lada Kozlikova (Cze) just before gaining a lap and locking up Gold in the Women's Scratch Race.
- Cathy Moncassin (Fra) shoots for the Silver with one lap to go.
- Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) waited patiently for her chance, making Slioussareva pay for all her time at the front.
Men - 15 km
1 Franco Marvulli (Swi) 2 Tony Gibb (GBr) 3 Stefan Steinweg (Ger) 4 Volodymyr Rybin (Ukr) 5 Juan De La Rosa (Mex) 6 Noriyuki Iijima (Jpn) 7 Jukka Heinikainen (Fin) 8 Roland Garber (Aut) 9 Jos Pronk (Ned) 10 Matthew Gilmore (Bel) 11 Alex Rasmussen (Den) 12 Leonardo Duque (Col) 13 Graeme Brown (Aus) 14 Miguel Alzamora Riera (Spa) 15 Ivan Vrba (Cze) 16 Marcin Mientki (Pol) 17 Alexei Chmidt (Rus) 18 Ruben Bongiorno (Arg) 19 Martin Liska (Svk) 20 Robert Slippens (Ned) 21 Nothstein Marty (USA) 22 Jérôme Neuville (Fra) 23 Jean-Pierre Van Zyl (RSA)
Women - 10 km
1 Lada Kozlikova (Cze) 2 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) 3 Olga Slioussareva (Rus) 4 Gema Pascual Torrecilla (Spa) 5 Lyudmyla Vypyraylo (Ukr) 6 Maria Luisa Calle Williams (Col) 7 Mandy Poitras (Can) 8 Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) 9 Belem Guerrero Mendez (Mex) 10 Rikke Olsen (Den) 11 Joanne Marie Kiesanowski (NZl) 12 Adrie Visser (Ned) 13 Cathy Moncassin (Fra) 14 Anke Wichmann (Ger) 15 Rebecca Quinn (USA) 16 Maaria Siren (Fin) 17 Evelyn Garcia (Sal) 18 Eleftheria Ellinikaki (Gre) 19 Emma Davies (GBr)
