Lydia Gurley in the middle of the action for Ireland at the World Track Championships in Holland. Three Irish riders have been involved in racing so far, with lots more to come.
Lydia Gurley, Marc Potts, Robyn Stewart at World Track Champs
Ireland’s first riders have been in action at the World Track Championships in Holland.
During the first events of these Worlds Lydia Gurley and Marc Potts competed in the scratch races and Robyn Stewart was in sprinting action.
In a first for Irish woman, Stewart was today up in the women’s sprint. She succeeded in qualifying out of the flying 200 heats and into the one-on-one match sprints.
The 27-year-old clicked a time of 11.360 seconds in the heats. In a positive Worlds debut, that was good enough to be among the 28 riders who progressed.
She came up against Ukraine’s Olena Starikova in the next round and was beaten. That saw Stewart go out of the competition, for an eventual finish of 24th.
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“Overall I was happy with my flying 200m,” she said. “I was pleasantly surprised with where I sat in relation to the other girls.
"And I was within hundredths of seconds of being quite a few places higher.”
She said the flying 200 wasn’t straight forward.
“It wasn’t a PB, but this isn’t a fast track, so I’m happy,” she said. “The track is slippy and flat.
“So I had to make sure that I was applying enough pressure on the front and back of the bike to stay solid on the track.
“Coming down the home straight you don’t get very much from the track – so I’m happy with how I went.”
She said she was “a bit disappointed” with her performance in the match sprint.
“I didn’t get enough height and speed to really use my strength. So it wasn’t my best race.
“I have a lot of take home from it. But it certainly has given me fire in my belly for next year. This is where I’d like to shine next year.”
Reflecting on her first ride for Ireland at this level, she said it was a source of pride.
“Putting on the jersey this morning felt extra special, it was a special moment,” she said.
“I’m now going to try to take in as much racing as I can – I get very inspired by watching, that’s how it all started for me.”
Marc Potts was also up today, taking 13th in the scratch race; an event it was 4th in at the Europeans.
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The 15km, sixty lap, bunch race was an aggressive after. And just after the halfway point a decisive move went.
Three riders – from Italy, Belarus and Australia – rode away. And with 20 laps to go they had gained a lap and took the medals.
Yauheni Karaliok from Belarus won gold, Italy’s Michele Scartezzini took silver and Australia’s Callum Scotson rounded out the podium.
In her scratch race Lydia Gurley made her move with 10 laps to go. However, she was brought back by a determined chase.
Kirsten Wild did the lion’s share of the chasing to catch the Irish woman. And Wild would take the gold in front of her home crowd.
Jolien d’Hoore from Belgium took the silver, with Denmark’s Amelie Dideriksen winning the bronze.
“I gave it a go, but it didn’t work out this time,” said Galway woman Gurley after the race.
“I'd let a few attacks go, and waited until the group tired. As the bunch moved up the track, I stayed low.
“I knew it was the right time to go, and it was all the chips in. The attack was at the right time. It was the right move, but it just didn’t quite work out.”
Gurley took 4th in the same event in the Europeans. And while she could not replicate that result in Apeldoorn, she was happy with how she raced.
“Going into the race myself and David (Muntaner, coach) talked about what our plan was,” she explained.
“I executed what the plan was. You have to race with no expectations of a result – and race my best race given my strengths.
“Maybe if the bunch lulled a bit longer I could have got my lap – but I raced to plan, and that was the right time to go.
“It was a race that suited me, and it went my way for the attack so I was happy to read the race correctly.
“I’m satisfied with how I raced, but I’m disappointed with the result. Seven out of ten times that move might work – but it didn’t this time.”
When Gurley attacked she was out front solo for a time before being joined by Japan’s Nao Suzuki.
They tried to lap the field, though Wild showed her strength and rode across to them; bringing others with her.
The crowd went crazy when Wild made her move, but Gurley said she stayed focused on her own task.
“I didn’t really notice the sound. You zone it out and don’t hear what the crowd is doing,” she said.
“You focus on being patient and doing your plan. My head was in a good place and at the World Championships there are always distractions.
“I can go into the other races knowing my legs and head are there.”
On Friday Lydia Boylan rides the omnium and Mark Downey is in points race action.
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