Jasmin Glaesser looks back at the track cycling world championships and the 2014-15 season

After the events on Sunday in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, at the track cycling world championships, the UCI track season has come to a close. After Jasmin Glaesser rode in the individual pursuit, in which she was sixth in the qualifier, and appeared on the world championship podium for the fourth year in a row for team pursuit, she looked back on the worlds and the World Cup season that was.

How do you feel about the individual pursuit? Our online writer characterized the qualification requirements for IP as a bit cruel. Do you agree?

I think the pursuit is one of the classic track events, which is why it’s so hotly contested despite no longer being an Olympic discipline. While it’s certainly challenging to qualify for the finals, it makes for exciting racing. You typically get to see a rider’s best performance trying to make the final. Personally, I would prefer a style more similar to that of the team pursuit, in which you have three rounds and eight riders move through from qualification, but I have a lot of respect for the race as it is. I certainly think the strongest pursuiters end up on top of the pile.

On the team pursuit side, Thursday marked the squad’s fourth appearance on in a row. What does that distinction mean for the team?

I think more impressive than the number of times we have won a medal is the fact that every year it has been with a different lineup of riders. In my mind, this speaks to the depth of our program in being able to continually identify and develop new talent. The track program has been really fortunate in the support it has gotten from Cycling Canada. I think by continually producing world class athletes we are showing the value of this investment not just in terms of medal-winning performances now, but also down the road.

Looking back on the season, how would you say it went?

While on paper, this may not have been our most successful season as a team to date, I think in many ways we have made a lot of gains both individually and collectively. We had to overcome some difficulties initially with temporarily replacing two riders out of the program, Laura [Brown]and Gillian [Carleton], but we were able to pick up the loose strings and integrate Kirsti [Lay] into the lineup. After falling short of our expectations at the first World Cup, we drastically changed our training. While I think we showcased some of that by setting a new Canadian record here in Paris, it is still the beginning stages of a larger process. At the end of the day, we have to be pretty disappointed in not being up to par with the top two teams here, but looking ahead there is more drive and determination than ever to close the gap to our competition.

I’ve watched the ladies train all season and am continually impressed by their maturity as riders and their commitment to managing their strengths as well as the technical aspects of the event.

What are your thoughts on the B Squad that went to Cali?

I think that the performance of the development team that competed in Cali really didn’t do justice to what they were capable of. None of them had competed in an international team pursuit before, so I think there was just a little bit of inexperience holding them back. I’ve watched the ladies train all season and am continually impressed by their maturity as riders and their commitment to managing their strengths as well as the technical aspects of the event. Not to mention that having the development team has already served as a springboard for one of the riders, Annie Forman-Mackey, to make take the leap and join the worlds squad in Paris [as an alternate]. Both Great Britain and Australia place an emphasis on development and have fielded B Teams for several years, so I am very proud that Canada is able to come to the table and show the depth of our program as well.

You’ll be riding with Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies this year. Are you looking forward to that? Do you have a sense of what’s in store for you there? I’ve heard you’ll be part of their TTT squad at worlds in Richmond, Va.

I am really excited to be representing Optum Pro Cycling this year. The last two seasons I really started losing a little bit of enthusiasm on the road, so I think this change is what I needed to regain that motivation. One of the main reasons I was excited to join the team was their commitment to being a medal contender at the TTT world championships. Coming off the track, this is certainly an event that appeals to me! I unfortunately missed the team’s training camp earlier this month with my preparations for track worlds, but I am looking forward to joining the team soon and hopefully earning a spot in their TTT lineup!