Canadian Dylan Bibic became one of the four winners of the third edition of the 2023 UCI Track Champions League, along with sprinters Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) and distance runner Katie Archibald (Great Brittany), after the dispute of the fifth race, at the Lea Valley VeloPark in London.
The four arrived as leaders in this last round and all of them declared their triumphs without major problems, throughout different moments of the evening. For the Dutchman and the British this is their second absolute victory, after the one they achieved in 2021, while the New Zealander and the Canadian are making their debut: in the case of the latter, he is the youngest winner in the history of the competition , 20 years, 3 months and 8 days old.
Bibic ruled in the scratch, although not mathematically. An attack with six laps remaining by Mark Stewart, William Perrett, Sebastián Mora and Philip Heijnen gave them enough advantage to enter in this order, with sixth place for Bibic and tenth for his main rival, William Tidball, i.e. , twenty points in the provisional classification. With this, it was enough for the Canadian not to fall among the first in the elimination, or if he did, with any result except the victory of the British.
The one from Ontario overcame the first eliminations without problems, although he fell early, eleventh, but already with victory assured. In the end, the test was decided in a head-to-head between the two Belgians, with Tuur Dens triumphing over Jules Hesters who was celebrating his 25th birthday, and he was not able to celebrate it with a partial victory, although he could with third position on the podium , with 113 points compared to 117 for Tidball and 131 for Bibic.
Lavreysen, scoring record
Lavreysen, with a 29-point advantage over Matthew Richardson, had everything in his favor and the moment he made his way to the sprint semifinals, his victory was official, although in the final of this discipline he lost to the Australian . As for the keirin, the Dutchman took revenge precisely against his great rival, finishing with 191 and 162 points, respectively. In the case of the Dutchman, this represents a scoring record in the Champions League, where he has won seven events and has been second.
The already two-time champion took revenge in the keirin with authority, ahead of Richardson and Rudyk, with the Pole consolidating himself as third in the final overall, with 134. On the contrary, Kevin Quintero was the cross of the day, since he did not pass his speed series – which was won by the surprising Nien Hsing Hsieh – nor did he qualify for the final of the keirin, his discipline, where he stayed too far behind and could not react.
Second double for Andrews
Andrews, on the other hand, had to wait until the kerin to be mathematical champion. In speed, she increased her difference over Alessa Catriona Propster by five points – up to twelve – as the German did not enter the final. The leader achieved victory over Martha Bayona, using the Colombian’s weapons, a powerful acceleration.
And upon entering the final of the keirin she already consolidated her leadership, but she was not satisfied, since she took her victory, achieving her second double in the current edition after the one achieved in Berlin . As in speed, Bayona was the overtaken cyclist, with third place for Emma Finucane, who was not able to shine as a world champion desired, neither in the League nor in this double event in London. In the end 173 points for Andrews, 154 for Propster and 127 for Bayona, despite not having scored in Berlin because they were in the Pan American Games.
Archibald could not get the full elimination
Finally, Archibald also took a very important step in the scratch, by winning the group sprint, behind the three cyclists who stood out with eight laps remaining, the British Neah Evans, the Irish Lara Gillespie and the Lithuanian Olivija Baleysite, who crossed the finish line in this order. As Anita Yvonne Stenberg was eighth, the Norwegian was 17 points behind, that is, with hardly any options except for the Scottish debacle.
But nothing happened. Quite the opposite, since Archibald came out determined to finish the Champions League with full success in the eliminations, winning the fifth round of it. She couldn’t be, since she finished fourth, but ratifying the lead with 160 points. Behind her, Stenberg could not say goodbye to her with a victory as the icing on the cake of her consistency, since she never dropped below fourth position, with 145 points.
The victory went to Gillespie ahead of the Norwegian, although she was five points short of entering the podium at the expense of a very combative Lily Williams at the start of the League but who lost steam as the competition progressed: 128 to 123.
CLASIFICACIÓN GENERAL FINAL
| SPRINT MUJERES 1. Ellesse Andrews (Nueva Zelanda) 160 pts 2. Alessa-Catriona Pröpster (Alemania) 154 3. Martha Bayona (Colombia) 127 RESISTENCIA MUJERES 1. Katie Archibald (Gran Bretaña) 160 pts 2. Anita Stenberg (Noruega) 145 3. Lily Williams (Estados Unidos) 128 SPRINT HOMBRES 1. Harrie Lavreysen (Países Bajos) 191 pts 2. Matthew Richardson (Australia) 162 3. Mateusz Rudyk (Polonia) 134 RESISTENCIA HOMBRES 1. Dylan Bibic (Canadá) 131 pts 2. William Tidball (Gran Bretaña) 117 3. Jules Hesters (Bélgica) 113 |
Source: www.cicl021.com y Revista Mundo Ciclístico