The much anticipated 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships start on February 28th, 2018 and they will be going through to March 4th. The Championships are being hosted at the Omnisport Apeldoorn in Apeldoorn, Netherlands and there will be a total of twenty different events going off across the men’s and women’s competitions. It is a tremendous celebration of the sport and the stars will be out in force.
Great Britain will be sending a strong squad out to the Championships including Jason and Laura Kenny, Ed Clancy and Callum Skinner. There is experience in the squad, there is youth and there is a strong chance that the team will be bringing back some medals as well from the Championships, which is an annual event. Last year at the Championships, Great Britain did have their struggles as some of their big players weren’t in attendance. But hopes will be higher going to the Netherlands.
2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championship
Last year’s edition was held in Hong Kong and Great Britain picked up a five-medal haul, with two of them gold. Neither of Britain’s elite (namely Laura and Jason Kenny) were in attendance though for Great Britain, and the two of them have been working their way back to the top of the sport. Jason Kenny reversed a decision to retire and Laura Kenny has returned to the sport after giving birth.
So twelve months ago, it left other British riders in the spotlight and it was Elinor Barker who took the gold in the Points Race, while Katie Archibald delivered gold in the Omnium. It was definitely Australia’s Championships last year as they took a total of eleven medals away with them, three of them being gold, the same number as both France and Russia collected.
Team GB at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Men’s endurance
Dan Bigham, Ed Clancy , Kian Emadi, Ethan Hayter, Chris Latham, Mark Stewart, Charlie Tanfield, Ollie Wood
Women’s endurance
Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Ellie Dickinson, Emily Kay, Laura Kenny, Emily Nelson
Men’s sprint
Jack Carlin, Phil Hindes, Jason Kenny, Ryan Owens, Callum Skinner, Joe Truman
Women’s sprint
Lauren Bate, Katy Marchant
The Different Discipliness
Individual Sprint
A tactical race between two riders who start next to each other on the track. This is where there is slow jostling for position over the first part of the race, usually with riders looking not to take the lead in order to benefit from the draft from the front rider. It’s a tactical game of patience of when to strike out in a sprint for home. It’s not a quick, full sprint blast from the off, it’s a tactical grind with an immense burst of a finish.
Team Sprint
Two teams start on opposite sides of the track and at the end of the first lap, the leader of each team drops out, then the second riders drop out at the end of the second lap and that leaves the third and final riders to sprint for home.
Keirin
A group of riders will follow a Derny motorcycle over the laps, with speeds gradually increasing over the early laps. Then the pace bike gets out of the way and it just leaves a mass sprint to the finish line.
Omnium
The Omnium consists of six events, a time trial, scratch race, elimination race, individual pursuit, points race and another time trial. Riders collect points for finishes from each discipline which goes towards their overall total.
Time Trial
A simple format of individual riders racing against the clock to post the fastest time over everyone else.
Scratch Race
All riders start together and this is just a basic race of doing whatever you want. There are no points, no sprints, just whoever gets home over the distance first.
Points Race
Arguably the most confusing event to watch. It is a long distance race and every ten laps, there is a sprint and the top four riders in that sprint then collect points. The rider with the most points at the end of the race from those sprints is the winner. Riders will get 20 bonus points for lapping the main field as well.
2018 UCI Track World Championship Cycling Events
Men’s Sprint
Men’s 1 km time trial
Men’s individual pursuit
Men’s team pursuit
Men’s team sprint
Men’s keirin
Men’s scratch
Men’s points race
Men’s madison
Men’s Omnium
Women’s sprint
Women’s 500m time trial
Women’s individual pursuit
Women’s team pursuit
Women’s team sprint
Women’s keirin
Women’s scratch
Women’s points race
Women’s madison
Women’s omnium
Team GB Chances
Back in the 2015 edition, Britain were on top of their game. Jason Kenny won the Sprint and he will be going as one of the favourites for the 2017 World Championships after seemlessly moving out of retirement and back to the top of his game. He won the Sprint gold at the 2016 Olympics as well for course, as well as collecting in the team sprint and the Keirin. Kenny and Callum Skinner are the headliners of the sprint chances for Great Britain.
The Sprint and the Team Sprint are areas in which Great Britain do excel really and the other strong event for them should be in the Pursuit and the Team Pursuit. There was a lack of output from the men’s team as a whole last year but they do look a bit better equipped and stronger overall to push for medals this go around. On the women’s front Laura Kenny was so dominant at Rio 2016 that if she is back to her best, or even close to it then there should be medals for her. There is a very good endurance team from Britain with Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker and Ellie Dickinson there.
Cycling World Championships History
France are the most successful nation ever at the Cycling World Championships and by some distance as well. They have amassed 141 gold medals, only one of two nations (Great Britain 102) to have collected more than 100. France though have tallied 373 medals overall in the history of the Championships, compared to the 240 from Great Britain. The Netherlands actually have more overall medals (251) than Great Britain, but only 83 of them have been gold.
Favourites
Along with Great Britain, there are some staples which you know will be up there in the medal table along with them. Those will be Australia, Germany and France. Russia are usually knocking on the door as well but they are harder to judge. Of all the main pack of teams, it was France who really came on strong last year to collect five medals for themselves, three of them gold. So it will be interesting to see if they can get themselves back towards the top again.
Great Britain should be better than the two golds that they got last year, simply because of the Kenny’s riding for them, so that will boost their chances of finishing top and are going to be value in 2018 Cycling World Championship betting to do so. Australia are arguably one of the more consistent teams as they have a good producing line of riders, while Germany should also be good for a couple of golds.
2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championship Odds*
TBA
Predictions
Expect a title battle at the top of the medal table now with Great Britain longer stronger this year than they were last. They gained some valuable experience from last year nonetheless even if the medals weren’t quite there. Back Great Britain to finish top of the table with Australia and France being the main contenders overall.
