Six medals obtained, including one gold: the Belgian track cycling team achieved in Roubaix its best record of the 21st century and is especially catching up with the 2020 edition, without the slightest medal. The passage of witnesses between the veterans and the young shoots of the track is slowly confirmed, and gives hope for Paris 2024.
Two medals for De Ketele’s retirement
These world track cycling championships, at the end of a long season marked by the Olympic Games, were the occasion for a transition for the Belgian track team. If Jolien d’Hoore, best Belgian representative on the track in the 2010s, had already retired after Paris-Roubaix, Kenny De Ketele, used to endurance events, had decided to extend his career to the Worlds for a few laps of the track in the assault of a last international title. And at 36, the Flandrien confirmed that he still had bottles. On the points race, the veteran offered himself a prestigious duel against the French Benjamin Thomas, chaining the breakaways to play for the gold medal. With three laps ahead of the peloton, De Ketele confirmed his great endurance, but against young Thomas, whose sprints are more powerful, the Belgian rider could only admit his defeat.
“I don’t know if I could have a better race”, admits the one who gleans a new silver medal in a career already adorned with a world title (on the American) and three European titles (on the American also). “Everything worked out well, and the others could only watch the battle between Benjamin and me. (…) In the sprint, I could only keep his wheel, he was a class apart. (…) All my life, I have come across aliens. I saw myself with the rainbow jersey, but I couldn’t do better », confides the runner of Oudenaarde.
De Ketele hoped to end his career even better in his last American race, accompanied by young Robbe Ghys. Despite a good start (15 points in five sprints), the Belgian duo missed their breakaway attempt at mid-race, before falling behind the teams in search of the podium. But De Ketele and Ghys showed unsuspected resources in the last twenty laps: they took a lap on the leaders before the last sprint, before taking second place at the finish line, enough to barely grab third place. , and a new bronze medal!
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ / 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
Halfway through this Men’s Madison and the rainbow jersey is still very much up for the taking as Italy lead!#Roubaix2021 pic.twitter.com/OKrpP0bs0F
– UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) October 24, 2021
Kopecky’s revenge
If she is only 25 years old, Lotte Kopecky is already considered an experienced on the track, which she has been surveying from an early age. After a long season between frustrations and national titles on the road then disappointments at the Olympic Games, the Antwerp resident continued on the Roubaix track with the hope of sweeping her setbacks from Tokyo. And it went perfectly for the one who had so far won a gold medal at the World Track Championships (on the American in 2017). In the historic first edition of the elimination race, Kopecky had the perfect race before being overwhelmed on the last lap by the Italian Letizia Paternoster. The next day, she seemed in difficulty on the omnium (22nd after the scratch) before stringing together the performances of choice (3rd in tempo and 4th in elimination) to conclude this quadrathlon with a silver medal thanks in particular to two laps recovered from the peloton during the final points race.
“This season is grueling, and it’s mentally difficult. But I still feel in good shape ”, rejoices Kopecky, now THE Belgian star of the peloton, with all the pressure that goes with it … “In Tokyo, I had a condition that I had never experienced before. I was there with ambition, so I am disappointed not to have been able to achieve ”. This will obviously remain a scar for the Antwerp native, but she quickly put these disappointments in the bag to focus on the last event on her program this week: the points race. And like De Ketele, Kopecky played the offensive card, with good luck! While the multiple world champion Kirsten Wild was leading the way from the start of the last race of her career, Kopecky followed the right pace and was already two laps ahead of the peloton, before relaunching a final attack in the last third of the race to secure first place with a third bonus round!
INCREDIBLE
Kopecky laps the field and then goes straight past the peloton to try and seal the deal. What. a. ride.#Roubaix2021 pic.twitter.com/Yi7jbwQOYJ
– UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) October 24, 2021
” At last ! “, she blurted at the microphone of the VRT after the second world title of her career. “I was a little surprised at how my legs were responding during this week. I thought I was worn out, especially mentally, but everything finally fell into place to make it go well. Admittedly, the Games did not live up to my expectations, but this rainbow jersey more than makes up for it. Make way for vacation ”, confirms Kopecky, who can still dream of good years both on the road and on the track. Even with the ambition to do some cyclo-cross for his personal pleasure. The double Belgian champion on the road is, as a reminder, vice-champion of Belgium in the plowed fields. Kopecky is complete and confirmed it again at Roubaix this week.
Already the money for Dens
The Belgian youth present this week can also dream of great ambitions in the coming seasons. And even in the near future! Just like Tuur Dens, who won the first Belgian medal at these world championships, in silver on the scratch. Only beaten by the French favorite Donavan Grondin, the only 21-year-old sprinter, already winner of the American race with Kenny De Ketele in the recent Nations Cup, now dreams of a career tracker.
MOOOONDE CHAMPION ????@donavan_grondin wins the first title of the Blues of these worlds on the scratch event #Roubaix2021
pic.twitter.com/R70tlWk9DW– France Team (@EquipeFRA) October 21, 2021
“I am not disappointed to finish second. In the sprint, I couldn’t really fight. I did what I had to do in the end ”, confides, moved, Dens at the microphone of the VRT. “I like to ride on the road, I can still progress a little on this ground, but I dream of the track, I was born for that. That’s where my future is, I think ”. He confirms this fate over the races, like Fabio Van den Bossche, eighth in the omnium thanks to a good final race in points; Shari Bossuyt and Katrijn De Clercq who, at 21 and 19, obtained an eighth place full of promise on the American; or Jules Hesters, fifth in an elimination race between sprint stars and won by Elia Viviani.
The Belgian track has not known only sumptuous days, but the youth which is revealed in recent years confirms its claims. Three years from the next Olympic Games in Paris, the results are already reassuring.
The results of the 2021 World Track Cycling Championships in Roubaix:
WOMEN
Against the watch
1. Lea Sophie Friedrich (All), the 500 meters in 0: 33.057
2. Anastasiia Voinova (Rus) at 0: 00.106
3. Daria Shmeleva (Rus) at 0: 00.107
American Race (Madison)
1. Amy Pieters et Kirsten Wild (P-B) 35 points
2. Clara Copponi and Marie Le Net (Fra) 30 pts
3. Katie Archibald et Neah Evans (G-B) 24 pts
…
8. Shari Bossuyt et Katrijn De Clercq (BEL) -19 points
Race to elimination
1. Letizia Paternoster (Ita)
2. Monkfish Kopecky (BEL)
3. Jennifer Valente (USA)
Points race
1. Lotte Kopecky (BEL) 76 points
2. Katie Archibald (G-B) 72 pts
3. Kirsten Wild (P-B) 60 pts
Keirin
1. Lea Sophie Friedrich (All)
2. Mina Sato (Jpn)
3. Yana Tyshchenko (Rus)
Of all things
1. Katie Archibald (G-B) 137 points
2. Monkfish Kopecky (BEL) 119 pts
3. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) 116 pts
Individual pursuit
1. Lisa Brennauer (All), the 3 km in 3: 18.258
2. Franziska Brausse (All) at 0: 04.722
- Mieke Kroger (All) and 3:20.903
- Martina Alzini (Ita) – Outdated
Team pursuit
1. Germany, the 4 km in 4: 08.750
(Franziska Brausse, Lisa Brennauer, Mieke Kröger and Laura Suessemilch)
2. Italy at 0: 04.938
(Elisa Balsamo, Martina Alzini, Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza and Letizia Paternoster)
- Great Britain in 4: 17.359
(Katie Archibald, Megan Barker, Neah Evans et Josie Knight) - Canada at 0: 05.530
(Ngaire Barraclough, Erin Attwell, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Devaney Collier et Sarah van Dam)
Scratch
1. Martina Fidanza (Ita), the 40 laps (10 km) in 13:13
2. Maike van der Duin (PB)
3. Jennifer Valente (USA)
Individual speed
1. Emma Hinze (All) 2 wins to 0
2. Lea Sophie Friedrich (All)
- Kelsey Mitchell (Can) 2 wins to 0
- Lauriane Genest (Can)
Team speed
1. Germany in 0: 46.064 (world record)
(Lea Sophie Friedrich, Pauline Sophie Grabosch et Emma Hinze)
2. Russia at 0: 00.654
(Nataliia Antonova, Daria Shmeleva et Yana Tyshchenko)
- Great Britain in 0: 48.059
(Sophie Capewell, Blaine Ridge-Davis, Milicent Tanner and Lauren Bate) - Japan at 0: 00.553
(Riyu Ohta, MIna Sato et Fuko Umekawa)
MEN
Against the watch
1. Jeffrey Hoogland (PB), the 1,000 meters in 0: 58.418
2. Nicholas Paul (TTO) at 0: 01.373
3. Joachim Eilers (All) at 0: 01.590
American Race (Madison)
1. Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv (Dan) 68 points
2. Simone Consonni and Michele Scartezzini (Ita) 64 pts
3. Kenny De Ketele et Robbe Ghys (BEL) 62 pts
Race to elimination
1. Elia Viviani (Ita)
2. Iuri Leitao (Por)
3. Sergei Rostovtsev (Rus)
…
5. Jules Hesters (BEL)
Points race
1. Benjamin Thomas (Fra) 94 points
2. Kenny De Ketele (BEL) 84 pts
3. Vincent Hoppezak (PB) 35 pts
Keirin
1. Harrie Lavreysen (P-B)
2. Jeffrey Hoogland (PB) at 0: 00.070
3. Mikhail Iakovlev (Rus) at 0: 00.101
Of all things
1. Ethan Hayter (G-B) 180 points
2. Aaron Gate (Nzl) 124 pts
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) 121 pts
…
8. Fabio Van den Bossche (BEL) 78 pts
Individual pursuit
1. Ashton Lambie (USA), the 4 km in 4: 05.060
2. Jonathan Milan (Ita) at 0: 01.089
- Filippo Ganna (Ita)
- Claudio Imhof (Sui) – Exceeded
Team pursuit
1. Italy, the 4 km in 3: 47.192
(Liam Bertazzo, Simone Consonni, Filippo Ganna, Jonathan Milan and Francesco Lamon)
2. France at 0: 01.976
(Thomas Boudat, Thomas Denis, Valentin Tabellion and Benjamin Thomas)
- Great Britain in 3: 51.205
(Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, Charlie Tanfield, Oliver Wood et Kian Emadi) - Denmark at 0: 01.977
(Matias Malmberg, Tobias Hansen, Carl-Frederik Bevort, Rasmus Pedersen and Robin Skivild)
Scratch
1. Donavan Grondin (Fra), the 60 laps (15 km) in 16:59
2. Tuur Dens (BEL)
3. Rhys Britton (G-B)
Individual speed
1. Harrie Lavreysen (PB) 2 wins to 0
2. Jeffrey Highland (PB)
- Sébastien Vigier (Fra) 2 wins to 1
- Stefan Bötticher (All)
Team speed
1. Netherlands in 0: 41.979
(Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen and Roy van den Berg)
2. France at 0: 00.571
(Florian Grengbo, Rayan Helal and Sébastien Vigier)
- Germany in 0: 43.141
(Stefan Bötticher, Joachim Eilers, Nik Schröter et Marc Jurczyk) - Russia at 0: 00.576
(Ivan Gladyshev, Alexander Sharapov et Pavel Yakushevskiy)
Photo: Stab Vélodrome
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