Track Champions League 2022 recap - Archibald doubles up, Richardson stuns Lavreysen again

Updated 19/11/2022 at 23:36 GMT

Welcome back to Eurosport's live coverage of the 2022 UCI Track Champions League. Last time out we had a thrilling opening night in Mallorca with Katie Archibald and Mark Stewart the stars of the show. This time around we are in Berlin for what should be an absolutely incredible night's racing in the velodrome with plenty of stars and what should be a brilliant atmosphere.

Archibald triumphs after gaining lap in scratch

What happened here then?

Thanks for joining us this evening. I leave you with this. If you can work it all out, you're a better person than me. See you next weekend.

Berlin

Track Champions League recap - Archibald & Gros star at SQY round

27/11/2022 at 00:21

'She doesn't know she's out!' – Confusion reigns as Archibald wins elimination race

The scores on the doors after Round 2

Men’s endurance - Top 5

1. Matthias Guillemette (Canada) 55 points
2. Mark Stewart (Great Britain) 50
3. Claudio Imhof (Switzerland) 48
4. Sebastian Mora (Spain) 44
5. William Perrett (Great Britain) 42

Women’s endurance - Top 5

1. Jennifer Valente (USA) 66 points
2. Katie Archibald (Great Britain) 60
3. Lily Williams (USA) 43
4. Sarah van Dam (Canada) 40
5. Anita Stenberg (Norway) 38

Men’s sprint - Top 5

1. Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) 74 points
2. Matthew Richardson (Australia) 72
3. Stefan Botticher (Germany) 58
4. Kevin Quintero (Colombia) 39
5. Santiago Morales Ramires (Colombia) 39

Women’s sprint - Top 5

1. Martha Bayona (Colombia) 49 points
2. Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) 48
3. Mathilde Gros (France) 46
4. Shanne Braspenninckx (Netherlands) 45
5. Laurine van Riessen (Netherlands) 40

Oh, what a night

That seriously flew by, didn't it? Some seriously exciting racing producing three different winners and two changes of overall lead. The star of the evening has to be Katie Archibald, who won both her races to rocket up the standings into second place in the women's endurance table.

Women’s sprint final - Mathilde Gros wins!

Are you ready? It’s the women’s world champion in the sprint, in the rainbow jersey, facing off against a surprise finalist, Laurine van Riessen of the Netherlands. Can Van Riessen provide some more Dutch delight.

Gros lets Van Riessen lead this one out, and the Dutch rider opens up early, and gets a bit of a gap, but here comes Gros. Round she comes with half a lap to go, catapulting her way round Van Riessen for a victory worthy of any race. It was over with a third of a lap remaining. That. Was. Awesome.

She'll be in front of her own home crowd next Saturday. That's going to be fun, eh?

Men’s keirin final - Harrie Lavreysen wins!

Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands)
Matthew Richardson (Australia)
Stefan Botticher (Germany)
Kevin Santiago Quintero (Colombia)
Mateusz Rudyk (Poland)
Esow Esow (India)

The penultimate race of the night, and it’s the men’s keirin final. Can Stefan Botticher bring it home in front of the German fans? Will Lavreysen do enough to keep the light blue on his back? We’re five laps from finding out.

The derny joins the track and the riders settle in behind him, the Polish man the first of them. Up to speed and as the pace bike pulls off the track, there’s a lot of looking around. Quintero moves from the back with half an effort. Esow makes a whole one and Lavreysen isn’t wasting any time. The bell goes with Lavreysen followed by Richardson… Lavreysen bounces back! He kept his speed high at the bottom of the track and no-one could come past him. He wanted that and needed it. By my calculation he stays in blue by just two points. This really is shaping up to be the battle of the competition. Botticher is 14 points further back with 58.

One more race, and it's the women's sprint final.

Men’s elimination - Dylan Bibic wins!

It’s the men’s devil and Mark Stewart is currently hanging onto the overall lead by a single point from… I’m not sure, in all honesty. Maybe Guillemette, who finished 6th in the scratch race.

Everyone present and correct, and off we go. Bit of a split in the bunch on the neutral lap, so they go again. Bang.

The first rider to say see ya is Gavin Hoover! That’s a surprise. He’s an elimination specialist and last year’s winner but he’s getting no points from this one. Also getting nothing is the Polish rider whose name I can’t spell. Last out before the money is Rotem Tene of Israel, and we’re into the points.

No reprieve granted for USA’s Grant Koontz who finishes in 15th spot. Donega looks to be struggling and so it proves as he is the next rider to lose his moorings. Mark Stewart is boxed in but finds his way through at the expense of Haga. Eefting has yet to find his form in this competition and he’s a long way gone in 12th.

The eighth rider out is Sweden’s Johannsson who is caught at the bottom with nowhere to go. Ollie Wood looked safe at the turn but he was napping, and 10th is the best he can do today. Malcharek fights desperately with his bike for one more but he can’t manage it and auf wiedersehen to him.

This time it’s Mark Stewart’s turn who looks around and knows it’s him. His lead is looking very vulnerable now. Buchli gives up long before the race does for him. He was a sprinter after all.

Five riders left after Scartezzini leaves us in 6th. Mora can do nothing when the pace is upped ahead of him, but a good top 5 for him. Imhof gets polished off by Perritt at the bottom and it’s down to two Canadians and a Brit. Of those it’s Guillemette who has already lost contact. A bit of time to recover for Perritt and Bibic, the latter having done very well to recover from that crash earlier. Bibic launches early, going very long and flies away to announce himself at the Champions League. What a way to bounce back.

I think that puts Guillemette in the men’s endurance leader’s jersey.

Women’s sprint semi finals

Semi-final 1
Ursula Los
Kelsey Mitchell
Mathilde Gros

At least one big name is getting knocked out here. Either the Olympic gold medalist or the reigning world champion. Los is no slouch, either, though. Kelsey Mitchell made a right mess of that, she’ll be the first to admit. She never really got going, was effectively ball-watching, letting Mathilde Gros gallop into the final.

Semi-final 2
Martha Bayona
Taky Marie-Divine Kouame
Laurine van Riessen

Are we going to see an all-French final? They start off high up the track and it’s fast, very fast. Kouame comes through from the back but Van Riessen has put in the most dominant ride that there’s nothing either Bayona or Kouame can do. She held that effort and there was no catching her. Great ride, and one of the upsets of the night.

Three races left tonight. Men's elimination first.

Men’s keirin - Round 1

Heat 1
Thomas Cornish
Hamish Turnbull
Rayan Helal
Mateusz Rudyk
Shinji Nakano
Stefan Botticher

It’s derny time again. The riders get into formation for two laps before three more at superspeed. Can Botticher delight the home fans by going through to the final? He moves up to a cheer from the German crowd but Nagano is at the front at the bell. Botticher tries and succeeds in coming round him. I think the Japanese rider did enough to take the second spot, and so it proves.

Heat 2
Sergey Ponomaryov
Jair Tjon En Fa
Jeffrey Hoogland
Mikhail Iakovlev
Kevin Quintero
Matthew Richardson

Can the man on fire, Matthew Richardson do it again? There are five riders who hope he can’t. Early move from Iakovlev, from the back and jumping into the lead almost ahead of the derny. He leads at the bell but Quintero comes round, then Richardson who has acres of space. He starts his recovery early and has Quintero for company. Great night for Colombian sprinters so far.

Heat 3
Jai Angsuthasawit
Tom Derache
Santiago Morales
Mohd Azizulhasni Bin Awang
Esow Esow
Harrie Lavreysen

Who will join Lavreysen in the final, because he is going through. My money is on the Colombian, because it would be a fool who bets against the South Americans. The derny disappears and immediately Esow makes a move from 4th place. Not afraid to get stuck in. Awang is looking boxed in on Lavreysen’s wheel. Lavreysen was looking in trouble but the door opened for him and he sailed through, after a very sketchy move that could have but didn’t cause a big crash. Esow may have been responsible but he managed to go through in second place. Huge result for the young rider from India.

Women’s elimination - Katie Archibald wins!

We’re into the devil. You know the drill, hopefully. Eighteen riders, whittled down one lap at a time as the last rider to cross the line gets sent packing.

Can Archibald improve upon her shock early exit last week? She certainly can’t do worse than last place. A reminder that any of the first three riders out gets nul points. And they’re off.

Valente keen to stay out of trouble, hitting the front in blue. At the back it’s Laura Kenny, one of the superstars of the discipline who is first out. She really doesn’t have the legs, does she? Next is Japan’s Uchino who just gets dumped in it by Stenberg at the end of the lap. Last rider to go home with nothing is Emma Cumming, Mark Stewart’s partner.

Into the points and it’s last week’s winner, Anita Stenberg who is out already. That’s a surprise. Next to go it’s adios to Tania Calvo.

Sophie Lewis moves round to put Ireland’s Emily Kay out in 13th, but Lewis was on borrowed time and she’s next to leave us.

The 11th place finisher is Teutenberg of Germany, who knew it as well. Round of applause from the home fans. Moran of Australia doesn’t have the legs to save herself from the chop, and we’re into the top ten as the bunch tightens and it should get easier.

Lily Williams, Gavin Hoover’s partner says goodbye in 9th and it’s only big names left. Zanardi of Italy is out in 8th, with Maggie Coles-Lyster the next to sit up. Williams hasn’t actually dropped out yet. Have a word, someone?

Not quite making the top 5 is Michelle Andres of Switzerland before Michaelle Drummond is eliminated. Good race from her. Should be four riders left, but there’s four present.

Archibald just saves herself from the chop and puts Sarah van Dam to the sword in fifth.

It’s descended into chaos, as Williams is called for the second time. I’ve definitely made a mess of all of this, but all I know is it comes down to Archibald v Valente for the win. Valente doesn’t even try to contest that one. Just like last year it’s a 40 point night for Katie Archibald. Enough to give her the overall lead in the women’s endurance competition? We’ll soon see.

Women’s Sprint - Round 1

Heat 1
Mathilde Gros (France)
Helena Casas Roig (Spain)

As the men’s sprint comes to a conclusion, it’s time for the women’s. Just the two riders in this one, due to Sophie Capewell’s withdrawal with injury. Gros a strong favourite, in the rainbow jersey, but can Casas Roig spring a trap? This one starts off slow, as two-rider races tend to, with Casas going higher and Gros raising the pace at the bell. Can Casas come round? She can’t. She doen’t have the legs. Gros did what she needed to. Straight through to the semis.

Heat 2
Taky Marie-Divine Kouame (France)
Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands)
Luz Daniela Gaxiola Gonzalez (Mexico)

Can another French rider advance? Kouame is very popular, but Van de Wouw showed us last week how strong she is, finishing 2nd in the keirin and 4th in the sprint. Straight onto the blue they ride, with the Dutch rider at the head of things. Cagey start, with the rider in navy in the middle of them. Two laps to go and still taking it slow.

The pace winds up with a lap and a half to go. The bell rings and Kouame makes her move. She gets in front and stays there. Great performance, always in control.

Heat 3
Urszula Los (Poland)
Orla Walsh (Ireland)

Another two-woman race here, as Lea Friedrich has gone up to recover from whatever malady was plaguing her earlier. A chance for two less fancied riders, who are both outside the top ten in the league. Another cagey 1 v 1, with Walsh at the front, using as much of the track as there is, raising the pace with 2 laps to go. Los looks to get on terms, uses the slipstream, accelerates round and through to the semis she goes. Walsh did well, but it came down to legs.

Heat 4
Miriam Vece (Italy)
Martha Bayona (Colombia)
Steffie Van der Peet (Netherlands)

Bayona has been so impressive this year, you’d reckon her confidence will carry her through on its own. As we get underway it’s Vece in the blue who hits the front first, though continuing the trend we’ve seen this evening to take things easy in the opening laps. Van der Peet puts in the first acceleration, hits the front with Bayona on her shoulder. Into the home straight and it looks like Van der Peet might hang on but Bayona comes through right on time. The Colombian advances.

Heat 5
Laurine van Riessen (Netherlands)
Pauline Grabosch (Germany)
Olena Starikova (Ukraine)

Can Grabosch make a statement in front of her home fans? Starikova is one of the riders to beat. Van Riessen hits the front though, three bike lengths ahead with a lap to go and… she does it! Right from under their noses. Stylish win for the dark horse. That makes two Dutchies in the semis.

Heat 6
Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
Shanne Braspenninck (Netherlands)
Emma Finucane (Great Britain)

Will the league leader make it three? Her opponent is none other than the Olympic champion, Kelsey Mitchell. No pressure on Finucane, who leads the race out. Mitchell is in second, looking over her shoulder at the rider in blue. She makes her move with two laps to go. The bell rings and Braspenninck gets on terms, but can’t come round. Mitchell goes into the semi final with ease, and the league leader is OUT. That puts the cat amongst the pigeons.

Video: Richardson stuns Lavreysen again!

‘Tactical masterclass!’ – Richardson stuns Lavreysen again in sprint

Video: Archibald triumphs again in the scratch race

Archibald triumphs after gaining lap in scratch

Men’s sprint final - Matthew Richardson wins!

Here we go then, Richardson v Lavreysen, the rematch. Two riders, three laps, winner takes all.

The ref blows his whistle and they’re off, with Lavreysen in the light blue easing away first. Richardson looks to be doing what he did last week, just watching the wheel, while the Dutchman looks to put him off. The speed picks up after one lap, and Lavreysen is pushed out of the way! Richardson gets a gap and there’s nothing Lavreysen can do. He spooked him, used the whole track, snuck down underneath Lavreysen and marched away. I won’t say that looked easy, but definitely easier than last time. That victory puts Richardson in the virtual lead, by a single point!

Men’s scratch race - Ollie Wood wins!

League leader, Mark Stewart, starts at the top of the fence and in the front. I spoke to him a few days ago and he’s absolutely loving this. £1500 for twenty laps work definitely doesn’t hurt.

The first move of the race comes from one of the Italians, Imhof, the Swiss rider, and Ollie Wood of Great Britain. Wood is hoping to do a bit better tonight than in Mallorca. Mark Stewart doesn’t want to let this get out of hand but he doesn’t want to do it all himself, either.

The three riders have a more than reasonable lead but they’re not cooperating too well together. They’re about a third of a lap behind halfway through the race. A move from the German rider, Malcharek, has changed things a bit and excited the local fans. It looks like the trio will join up and that’s another lap taken at the TCL. The best Stewart and the rest can hope for is 4th place now.

Six laps to go and the bunch is thinking about the sprint for 4th, or 5th place if the German gets across, which he does.

Sebastian Mora surges but they’re not going to let him get away. Who took the win from our four lap-takers? I think it was Ollie Wood, Imhof in second, Matteo Donega in third. There was a crash towards the end as well, with three riders down including Dylan Bibic in the rainbow jersey. Fortunately they're all on their feet.

That's four British wins from four scratch races in the Track Champions League this year.

It's the men's sprint final up next.

Women’s keirin final - Kelsey Mitchell wins!

Olena Starikova
Hettie Van de Wouw
Laurine Van Riessen
Shanne Braspenninck
Marta Bayona
Kelsey Mitchell

Three dutch riders in the final. Will they take the top three places or cause each other trouble? We wave goodbye to the derny and Mitchell moves to the front. Two laps left and Starikova is keen to take it on early. Round comes Mitchell, with Bayona on her shoulder. It looked like Mitchell, just about. No-one’s celebrating, though. Who’s it gonna be… it’s Mitchell, by the smallest of margins, according to the photo. Starikova faded to the back at the end. 20 points for Mitchell, 17 for Bayona, 15 for Bras[enninck in 3rd.

Men's scratch is next.

Men's sprint - semi-finals

Semi final one sees Quintero of Colombia against Harrie Lavreysen and Mikhail Iakovlev. Lavreysen hits the front first, again no messing around. Quintero charges into the lead at the bell. Lavreysen accelerates at the final turn, doing exactly what needs to be done. He broke 10 seconds for the final 200m. Wow, that was rapid.

The second semi brings us another Colombian, Santiago Morales, Stefan Botticher and Matthew Richardson. Will we get another shock or a repeat of last week’s final? Can the German do it in front of the home fans? A cagey start, with lots of looking around. Botticher leads from the front, going long. Richardson accelerates round him at turn three and relaxes at the line. He won that by maybe half a length. We have the final everyone wanted.

Women’s scratch race - Katie Archibald wins!

Can Katie Archibald do it two weeks in a row? Has Laura Kenny found her legs? Will Jennifer Valente hang onto her blue leader’s jersey? 20 laps, five kilometres, it’ll be over before you know it. Here we go. The first laps is completed somewhat conservatively, as the riders string out and swing up in turn. An early attack from the German in the company of HEY it’s Katie Archibald. Archibald forces Valente to chase her down. This is a big early move as the two take turns. Valente is inclined just to mark her rival. Half a lap lead is theirs after eight laps of racing completed.

The bunch don’t seem to quite know what to do. These two in front are super strong. Can they gain a lap? No bonus points for that, though there really should be. If they stay away they’ll take the top two spots, and it’s looking good for them with a third of the race remaining.

They can see the back of the bunch, who only have commiseration points to play for. And with four laps left of the race that’s the second lap we’ve ever seen taken at the TCL and Archibald and Valente can take a breather. Archibald wants the win, moving up in the bunch. The bell goes and Valente drops back, allowing Archibald to take it. Who was third? Chloe Moran of Australia.

Women’s Keirin - Round 1

Heat 1
Steffie Van der Peet (Netherlands)
Orla Walsh (Ireland)
Taky Marie-Divine Kouame (Ireland)
Martha Bayona (Colombia)
Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
Lea Friedrich (German)

A reminder that the top two go through in the keirin. Two laps behind the derny - which tonight is a proper one with the riders up to speed - and Walsh leads into the penultimate lap. Through comes Mitchell, Friedrich has a lot to do at the bell. Bayona nicks it from Mitchell at the line but both go through. Friedrich way off the pace and will take no points from this competition, even in the rainbow stripes.

Heat 2
Mathilde Gros (France)
Laurine van Riessen (Netherlands)
Pauline Grabosch (Germany)
Olena Starikova (Ukraine)
Helena Casas Roig (Spain)
Emma Finucane (Great Britain)

Heat two should be Gros and Grabosch but Starikova is going well in 2nd spot in the league, and the Spaniard is no slouch either. She’s in 8th place overall. Round and round behind the derny, with the British woman on the motorbike’s wheel. An early move from the Catalan woman, before Starikova ups the pace at the bell. Van Riessen leads and Gros is coming round high and wide but can’t do enough. It’s Starikova and Van Riessen who advance.

Heat 3
Miriam Vece (Italy)
Shanne Braspenninck (Netherlands)
Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands)
Sophie Capewell (Great Britain)
Luz Daniela Gaxiola Gonzalez (Mexico)
Urszula Los (Poland)

It’s the two Dutch riders who you’d pick to take the final two spots in tonight’s final. Race leader Braspenninck didn’t win anything last week, but she was the most consistent rider, finishing 4th in both sprint and keirin, for 26 points in total. Vece starts behind the bike as the derny peels away and Los hits the front. Braspenninck takes her into the final turn and steams away to the line, with her compatriot on her shoulder. Quite pleased with that (obvious) prediction.

Endurance is next, starting with the women's scratch.

Men’s sprint - Round 1

Heat one
Kevin Santiago Quintero (Colombia)
Mateusz Rudyk (Poland)
Jair Tjon En Fa (Suriname)

Tjon En Fa is riding on his own bike this week, after his got stuck in Madrid last Saturday, which is good news. He hits the blue first and looks over his shoulder, gradually winding things up. Quintero goes after him as they’re halfway through. Thet take the bell and the Colombian takes the lead. It’s between him and the Pole, but Quintero hangs on nicely. Through to the semis he goes.

Heat two
Santiago Ramirez Morales (Colombia)
Hamish Turnbull (Great Britain)
Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands)

Another Colombian in heat two. Can Hamish Turnbull score one for Great Britain in the sprint, after the Brits fared so well in the endurance last weekend? Turnbull starts at the top of the track. I do like the Santini stripes. Hoogland should go through here, but he’s not looked quite as strong this year as last. Away they go, at the ref’s whistle, and Turnbull wastes no time in taking the lead. He looks like he wants to go long but Ramires dives down and ahead. The bell goes and the Colombian leads. Hoogland does his best but he’s got too much to do and too far to go. Two from two for Colombia.

Heat three
Mikhail Iakovlev (Israel)
Esow Esow (India)
Mohd Azizulhasni Bin Awang (Malaysia)

Occupying 4th place in the league, Iakovlev will go through here, I’m pretty sure of that, but I do like Awang, holding his own in 10th spot. Esow is in 16th with 6 points. The Israeli rider starts off guarding his men from the back, and comes through to the lead with three lengths at the bell. Awang turns it on but can’t do enough. Comfortable win for Iakovlev.

Heat four
Stefan Botticher (Germany)
Rayan Helal (France)
Thomas Cornish (Australia)

3rd plays 17th plays 12th. Botticher nailed on to make it to round two. Cornish starts off in the lead before they come together at the bell. Helal is going for it into the final bend but the home favourite flies into the short straight to the delight of this Berlin crowd. 68.5kph his top speed, we’re informed. Crikey.

Heat five
Matthew Richardson (Australia)
Sergey Ponomaryov (Kazakhstan)
Jai Angsuthasawit (Thailand)

The number two rider in this competition, starts the first of what he hopes will be three sprint successes on this track tonight (not counting the keirin). He’ll want it to be as easy as possible so he can deliver a repeat of last weekend when he became the first rider to beat Harrie Lavreysen in this competition. This one starts off quite cagey, with Angsuthasawit going first very very sloooooowly. Up and down the banking they go. One lap finished in the time the other races have been done and dusted. The speed picks up, they take the bell, Angsuthasawit takes a march but he can do nothing about Richardson, who accelerates to give us the first win from behind of the night.

Heat six
Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands)
Shinji Nakano (Japan)
Tom Derache (France)

The final first round heat and it’s the fastest man on two wheels. Can Nakano or Derache do anything to stop him? I don’t think so tbh. It’s the first sighting of the blue race leader’s skinsuit. I prefer the rainbows personally. This one is a bit quicker than the previous heat, Lavreysen want to get it over with. Nakano overhauls him, picks up the pace. At the bell Lavreysen makes his move and glides into the semis. That looked super easy.

What makes Berlin special?

'A huge drop!' - Grabosch on what makes Berlin velodrome special

League standings going into Round 2

Men’s endurance - Top 5

1. Mark Stewart (Great Britain) 35 points
2. Matthias Guillemette (Canada) 30
3. Sebastian Mora (Spain) 28
4. Michele Scartezzini (Italy) 22
5. William Perrett (Great Britain) 21

Women’s endurance - Top 5

1. Jennifer Valente (USA) 32 points
2. Anita Stenberg (Norway) 24
3. Lily Williams (USA) 24
4. Sarah van Dam (Canada) 24
5. Tania Calvo Barbero (Spain) 24

Men’s sprint - Top 5

1. Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) 37 points
2. Matthew Richardson (Australia) 35
3. Stefan Botticher (Germany) 30
4. Mikhail Iakovlev (Israel) 22
5. Santiago Morales Ramires (Colombia) 20

Women’s sprint - Top 5

1. Shanne Braspenninckx (Netherlands) 26 points
2. Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 24
3. Martha Bayona (Colombia 22
4. Lea Friedrich (Germany) 22
5. Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands) 21

It is CLOSE. And every category really is wide open. It's game time.

Welcome to the big time

'Welcome to the big time!' - Meet The Upsetters

Last week, in the Track Champions League...

Watch the thrilling men's sprint final as Richardson stuns Lavreysen in upset

We're starting with the men's sprint, so there's a reminder of the thrilling final between Harrie Lavreysen and Matthew Richardson, which gave us a bit of an upset but not the biggest. Richardson is the real deal.

This evening's schedule...

All times local.

Ding ding! Round 2!

Hello and welcome. Thanks for tuning in to live coverage of the greatest (cycling) show on earth, the UCI Track Champions League. We're racing in Berlin for the first time in TCL history, with some of our 72 riders hoping to pick up where they left off last weekend, and others looking to put it behind them and start afresh. Mallorca saw eight finals produce eight different winners and four different leaders of the men's and women's sprint and endurance categories. Is tonight going to be just as competitive? I think we're all hoping it will be!

Richardson: TCL was definitely hard, but I expected it to be harder

“It was definitely hard, but I expected it to be harder.”

Matthew Richardson is not being boastful or cocky or arrogant when he says he found the first round of the Track Champions League a bit less demanding than he had anticipated.

The debutant is making no assumptions about the four nights of racing still to come, however. “It might get harder as we go, I don’t know…” he said.

On the eve of the second round in Berlin, the young Australian has every reason to believe that he belongs there.

As the only rider to beat Harrie Lavreysen in 15 sprints at this competition - three races a night at every round across last year and this, maths fans - he would also now be perfectly justified in seeing himself as a true contender for the overall title.

No chickens are being counted yet, though.

Read full interview here.

- - -

After a great debut season, the UCI Track Champions League is back for season two, with Laura Kenny joining the party. You can watch it all live and on demand on discovery+. We will have extensive coverage across eurosport.com and the second race is in Berlin on Saturday Nov 19.

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How steep is the bank at the Track Champions League in Berlin? We demonstrate...

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24/11/2022 at 09:53

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