Meyer Points Race Champion
WAIS-AIS athlete Cameron Meyer has won a fifth senior track world championship after a stunning late surge saw the GreenEDGE team member claim the points race title at the 2012 Track World Championships in Melbourne.
It was Meyer against the rest of the world with his rivals marking his every move for almost the entire race. He managed to snaffle a few minor placings in six of the 16 sprints contested during the 40 kilometre, 160 lap event but Britain’s Ben Swift, Belgian Kenny De Ketele and Spain’s Unai Elorriaga Zubiaur sprinted their way to the top three placings and countered Meyer’s repeated attempts to break clear in a bid to grab the 20 points on offer for lapping the field.
“Oh, I definitely gave myself a heart attack out there, it was one of the most nervous bike races I’ve ever done I knew it was going to go something like that before the start,” he explained. “I knew I’d probably go in as one of the favourites and I’d get followed a lot and it was quite frustrating out there at times. But I never gave in.”
“I had to do a lot of the work and whenever I went I’d always have a few followers with me, but I know in a points race the ‘lacky’ (elastic) band will always snap at some point and I just had to back myself that I had the strongest legs and that I could snap that ‘lacky’ band at the end.”
As it turned out ‘at the end’ was a spot-on prediction with Meyer’s eleventh hour attack launched with 20 laps to go. Kiwi cyclist Aaron Gate jumped aboard with a ‘Mexican wave’ of sound roaring around the track beside the pair as they worked together to gain the lap.
“He (Gate) helped me a lot out there and I used him just to recover enough and you could see that with five laps to go he’s just given me enough recovery to put in two big laps and put in that bridge to the peloton and take the lap,” said Meyer.
“I snapped it (the elastic) right towards the end with a few laps to go,” he said grinning. “I just like to make it good for the crowd.
But Meyer wasn’t sure whether his dramatic lap gain was enough to give him the win.
“I didn’t know where I’d finished when I came over the line I had to wait until it came up on the board,” he said of the wait to see his points total of 33 appear at the top of the leader board. “It’s a one point win, but one is enough.”
“There’s just no way to describe the feelings that I have right now.”
Meyer has contested six points races at world championship level and described tonight’s as ‘probably the most special.’
“I was never going to give in on my home turf. It’s one of the pinnacles of my bike career so far,” said the 24 year old who along with Leigh Howard will tomorrow ride in defence of the Madison title they have won for the past two years. “I’m going to be just as motivated to win tomorrow, it’s the third one and I’m sure Leigh’s (Howard) very excited about that race and I’d love to win another race in front of the home crowd.”
The silver medal went to Swift (32 points) while Belgium’s De Ketele hung on for third place (28 points)
Madison
Australians Cameron Meyer and Leigh Howard claimed the bronze medal in the 50 kilometre, 200 lap Madison that wrapped up the Championships.
The pair knew going into the race that they would be marked riders after winning the event at the past two world championships and on the back of Meyer last night winning his third world points race crown.
“I had it yesterday,” said Meyer of being marked through out the points race. “I came away with a win, but I spent 150 laps frustrated and today I spent 200 laps frustrated.
“It’s disappointing that some countries go out there with a mindset that ‘oh, we’re going to follow one team’,” said Meyer. “I know that’s bike racing, but I’m on the bad end of it, unfortunately, and so is Leigh (Howard).”
The gold medal was won by Belgian pair Kenny De Ketele and Gijs Van Hoecke. The last time Belgium won the title was in 1998 in Bordeaux when Etienne De Wilde and Australian born Matthew Gilmore scored gold. Gilmore is now on the Cyclones’ team as a coach for the Madison event.
The Belgian pair amassed a total of 24 points to finish six ahead of Great Britain’s Ben Swift and Geraint Thomas on 18 with the Australian duo third on 11 points.
Meyer paid “full credit” to the Belgians and to the British pairs.
“They had more points then us on the day and we’re still very happy to be on the podium in front of a home crowd,” Meyer said.
– Cycling Australia