Great Britain’s youthful line-up for the third round of the UCI Track World Cup will leave Beijing without a medal, but with valuable experience.
The Men’s Team Sprint squad came closest to a medal, finishing fourth overall. A line-up of Mark Christian, Sam Harrison, Joe Kelly and Simon Yates finished three seconds behind New Zealand in the run off for bronze.
In the men’s madison, both Owain Doull and George Atkins qualified for the final, where they finished in eleventh place, two laps adrift of the winners, the Czech Republic.
The men’s sprint competition saw Callum Skinner eliminated in the first round. Pete Mitchell qualified for the B quarter-final, where he beat the Frenchman, Francois Pervis. His competition ended at the semi-final stage, however, after he was beaten by the Japanese rider, Kazunari Watanabe.
In the Women’s Keirin, both Becky James and Victoria Williamson were eliminated at the repechage, after finishing third and sixth in their respective heats. The gold medal went to China’s Junhong Lin.
The fourth and final round of the world cup will be held in London on February 17th, 18th, and 19th, at the new Olympic velodrome, in a meeting that will double as the Olympic test event.
Great Britain is expected to field its strongest competitors, with Sir Chris Hoy already stating his intention to ride.
