Durbridge Adds His Name as WAIS World Champion
Australia has enjoyed a golden start at the 2011 UCI Track World Championships in the Netherlands with victory over Russia in the men’s teams pursuit final.
2010 world champions Jack Bobridge, 21, Rohan Dennis, 20, and Michael Hepburn, 19, were joined by Western Australian Institute of Sport debutant Luke Durbidge, 19, and were the only team of the competition to ride under four minutes for the four kilometre, 16 lap event.
The Cyclones’ young guns clocked a time of 3:57.832 to defeat Alexey Markov, 31, Alexander Serov, 28, Evgeny Kovalev, 22 and Ivan Kovalev, 25 who claimed silver in 4:02.229.
The Australians went in as defending world champions and were the last on the track to post a qualifying time. That meant they had the benefit of knowing the time needed to earn a place in the gold medal final.
“After training this week we were pretty confident we could match the four minute ride the Russians did (in qualifying) and we did it quite comfortably,” said Bobridge of their 4:00.168 ride in the afternoon session. “The main key was smoothness and control. We know what we can do and we rely on each other to ride smooth and we saved a lot of energy so we could come out in the final and really put the hammer down and take another win.”
Queensland teenager Michael Hepburn admits there was added pressure on the team as defending champions.
“There was a lot of pressure and a lot of teams looking at us as the top team here,” Hepburn explained.
“Some class competition out there but the track was a little bit slower than we expected and we were a little bit surprised by some of the times in qualifying but in saying that we knew we had to be right on our game and not let our ball down.”
Although the Australians started faster and were a clear four-and-a-half seconds up across the line their Russian rivals put their noses in front at the 1500m mark of the race spurring the Australians to lift their pace. Cycling Australia’s National Men’s Track Endurance Coach, Ian McKenzie says the competition is hotting up ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.
“There’s no doubt the Russians are coming,” said McKenzie. “Our plan was to ride to schedule on a 3.58 to the 2km mark and then see where we were against them but they hit the front (on lap six) so we started racing then.
“That’s the best part I reckon,” said McKenzie of the challenge posed by the Russians. “I’d much rather have a race than qualifying, just going for a time. To get a good time is rewarding but I reckon it’s all about the racing for me, for the spectators and the riders enjoy it more too.”
The Australian’s time was impressive especially considering the cooler conditions and relatively slow track.
“It was not so warm as our nationals or Manchester recently, probably three or four degrees slower but in saying that all the times are relative and we came home with the win,” said Dennis. “Still it was a very hard race.”
Three time junior world champion Durbridge narrowly missed selection in last year’s track team but on the road claimed silver in the U23 time trial at the World Championships in Geelong. Claiming his first rainbow jersey in elite track competition left him overwhelmed,
“I’m lost for words a little bit and it will take a while to sink in,” said the young West Australian. “I trained with these guys all last year and the year before and it’s so good to come here and experience it. It keeps you hungry for the next year and I’m really happy and glad I could win it with these guys.”
“Durbridge’s made a huge step from last year and I’m very pleased with the way he went in both rides today but the big bonus for me is now he’ll be even hungrier to make the Olympic team and the more the better,” said McKenzie.
Meantime the bronze medal was won by the Great Britain team of Steven Bourke, Samuel Harrison, Peter Kennaugh and Andrew Tennant who rode 4:02.781 to beat New Zealand’s Sam Bewley, Peter Latham, Marc Ryan and Jesse Sergent (4:05.977). The Brits admit they have some ground to make up if they want to defend their Olympic crown on home turf in London next year.
The Australians they’re coming out here like thunder clappers and we’ll have to work really hard to get back on terms with them,” said Kennaugh.
In other racing on day one the men’s team sprint lost their bronze medal battle against Great Britain. The Australians (Dan Ellis, Jason Niblett and WAIS athlete Scott Sunderland) qualified fourth fastest and in the final 18 year old Matthew Glaetzer stepped in for Sunderland. But the British line up of Matthew Crampton, Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny proved too strong clocking 44.235 against the Cyclones time of 45.241. The gold medal battle was rerun of the 2010 final but this time the French trio of Gregoru Bauge, Michael D’Almeida and Kevin Sireau was fastest posting a time of 43.867 to wrest the crown from Germany’s Rene Enders, Maximillian Levy and Stefan Nimke (44.483).
2010 triple World Champion and Western Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, Cameron Meyer, who had opted out of the team pursuit this year to concentrate on defending his 2010 Madison (with Leigh Howard) crown and trying for a third straight points race win warmed up with the 15km scratch race. He finished seventh in the event which was won by Hong Kong cyclist Ho Ting Kwok.
In the women’s points race WAIS athlete Sarah Kent, didn’t complete the 25km women’s points race, but will potentially return to the Velodrome for the women’s team pursuit.
Australia will head into day two with hopes of more gold by way of reigning world champions and world record holders Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch in the women’s team sprint. Australia is also defending their women’s teams pursuit title with 2010 champion Josie Tomic being joined by dual Olympian Kate Bates who returns to World Championship competition on the track for the first time since 2008. Making up the trio will be the baby of the team, 18 year-old Amy Cure from Tasmania who last year claimed three gold medals on the track, including two world records, and a bronze medal on the road at the junior World Championships.
In the men’s events Bobridge, Dennis and Hepburn will all be back in action in the individual pursuit qualifying. Bobridge last month set the world record for the four kilometre distance at the Australian championships in Sydney and goes in as the clear favourite but fellow South Australian Dennis, who clocked a world record time as well in Sydney only to see Bobridge demolish it minutes later, is also expected to challenge for gold.
“I’ll go into tomorrow with my head held high and I came here to win both (teams and individual) but I can only do what I can do,” said Bobridge. “I’ve got tonight in the legs but I’m fit and I’m healthy and I normally can respond pretty well but we’ll see what happens tomorrow. The best man will win but I’ll give it 110 percent and see what I can do.”
McKenzie rates all three Australians as contenders for medals.
“I’m not sure about a clean-sweep but two definite medal chances in Bobridge and Dennis. Jack’s ride in tonight’s final was really, really good and Rohan was rock solid today.”
The men’s sprint also gets underway tomorrow with 2010 silver medallist, Shane Perkins, headlining the Australian assault. 2010 junior sprint and keirin world champion Matthew Glaetzer has also earned a start as has Scott Sunderland.
– Cycling Australia