Dylan Bibic delivers Canada’s best performance on Day 2 of Milton Nations Cup

There were no medals for Canada on Day 2 of the UCI Track Nations Cup in Milton, ON on Saturday, but Dylan Bibic placed fourth in the omnium, Nick Wammes took fifth in the keirin and Lauriane Genest earned sixth in the sprint. Milton is the last opportunity for trackies to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The second day began with the women’s individual sprint qualifying. Four Canadians–Kelsey Mitchell, Lauriane Genest, Sarah Orban and Jackie Boyle–were in the hunt. All four made it through; Genest’s second fastest time and Mitchell’s fourth meant they went straight to the 1/8 finals. Orban faced German Clara Schneider in the 1/16 finals, while Boyle drew Olena Starikova of the Ukraine. Neither advanced.

Winner of Friday’s elimination race, Dylan Bibic was among the 33 fellows in the men’s omnium qualifying. In a points race Bibic compiled Heat 1’s second highest tally.

Nick Wammes, James Hedgcock and Ryan Dodyk were the Canadians following the derny in the men’s keirin first round. Wammes was top dog in Heat 1 to advance, but Dodyk, runner-up in Heat 3, and Hedgcock, fifth in Heat 2, would have to go through repechage if they wanted to reach the second round. Dodyk was the fastest man in the repechage Heat 3 but Heat 6 was as far as Hedgcock would go.

The men’s keirin second round found Wammes in Heat 1 and Dodyk in Heat 2. Wammes led going into the last lap and hung tough to win. Dodyk placed fifth.

Dodyk raced his way to 10th in the 7-12 race. In his bid for gold, Wammes started on the fence and thus the back of the string. Wammes tried to come around the outside but the Dutch were too much. He finished fifth.

In the women’s sprint 1/8 final, Genest matched up with Schneider, while Mitchell drew Yuli Paola Verdugo Osuna of Mexico. Genest bested the German by almost a half second, but the Mexican dispatched Mitchell.

Genest faced Kiwi Ellesse Andrews in the women’s sprint quarterfinals. The Canadian couldn’t get by Andrews and succumbed to the New Zealander in two straight.

Lily Plante and Ariane Bonhomme got in on the hand-slinging fun of the women’s madison qualifying. The duo won an early sprint and two more points kept it in a good position. The rise of Ubekistan and Japan threatened Canada’s advancement, but the Canucks got through to the final. The terrifically long final played out over 120 laps. Canada was -20 after four sprints, and the duo abandoned.

After the recess, it was time for the men’s omnium proper. Action jumped off with the scratch race, where you simply want to be first over the line after 40 laps/10 kilometres. A Colombian lapped the field. In the final sprint Bibic was second over the line. In the tempo race an American took his leave of the others and started sopping up the points. A confusing, fractured field saw Bibic pick up a solitary point and fall to fourth overall at the midway point.

Having won the elimination race on Friday, Bibic was hoping to rise in the overall standings in the third race. A Romainian was the first to get the hook. A crashing Algerian neutralized the race for a stretch. The crowd started to get excited when Bibic avoided getting yanked to make it into the final five, but he didn’t make the last three. Bibic was still fourth.

It would come down to the points race over 100 laps, with a sprint lap every 10 laps. Bibic nabbed a point on the first sprint. A breakaway of riders out of medal contention deflated drama at the top of the table. After the fugitives were brought back, Bibic won the fifth sprint and pulled bronze closer, but he missed out in the next sprint. The Canadian secured another point in the penultimate sprint.

The final round of the Nations Cup concludes on Sunday.