Dylan Bibic dominates scratch race in Berlin round of track Champions League

For the second consecutive round of the 2023 UCI Track Champions League, Dylan Bibic was a race winner. After claiming the elimination last week in Mallorca, Spain, Bibic took the scratch race in the Berlin Velodrom on Saturday. Sarah van Dam and Maggie Coles-Lyster were strong in the scratch and elimination races, both Canadians coming runner up.

The first Canadians to hit the boards were Kelsey Mitchell and Lauriane Genest in the women’s individual sprint. Mitchell placed fifth in Mallorca and Genest came 12th in Spain.

Genest was matched with Chinese rider Lijuan Wang and Mexican Daniela Gaxiola in the first round. Genest was in Position 3 on Lap 1 before grabbing the front lead early. It looked like she was going to walk away with it, but Wang came hard on the outside and triumphed. Mitchell had Brit Katy Marchant and Lithuanian Migle Lendel for competition. Again, the Canadian started on the rail and was third early. As with Genest, Marchant beat the Canadian by coming around the outside.

Bibic’s victory in men’s scratch followed the Genest and Mitchell’s difficult round. Eiya Hashimoto of Japan led Bibic in the men’s endurance category by 6 points after week 1. Eighteen chaps took to the boards for 20 laps. Bibic broke away with an Austrian with 10 laps to go. Bibic then went solo, bossing the final lap and a half with plenty of time to celebrate. Bibic rose to the top of the endurance board, and Mathias Guillemette scored seven points with ninth place. In Mallorca, Spain, Guillemette was also ninth and Bibic was eleventh.

More Canadian success marked the women’s scratch race. Maggie Coles-Lyster placed third last week. Brit Kate Archibald was the rider to beat over 20 laps. A Dutch rider escaped with van Dam with a dozen circuits remaining. The Mallorca winner, American Lily Williams, bridged over and the Dutch rider was dropped. Van Dam and Williams carried on as Archibald toiled to chase it down. Williams repeated as champion and Coles-Lyster grabbed fifth.

In the men’s elimination race, Guillemette was the second fellow yanked out of the field of 17. There was no enormous crash as in Spain. Bibic raced with great skill but he lasted until the final five and then got pulled. Hashimoto was second, once more topping Bibic in the overall endurance tallies.

Genest and Mitchell returned to follow the derny in the women’s keirin. Genest met Gaxiola again in Heat 1, where the Canadian was third of six riders. Mitchell’s Heat 2 contained only five speedsters, and she led into the final lap but could not advance, another Canadian third.

The final competition including Canucks was the women’s elimination race. A Brit was the first to see the door. Then it looked like Coles-Lyster was the second to be eliminated. Surprised, she asked loudly, “Was that me?” and then raced to front of the pack. In fact, a Dutch rider was the one to go. Van Dam avoided the hook until seven riders were left. It would narrow down to Archibald and the tenacious Canadian vying for the win, but the Brit bolted away with a lap remaining to end Coles-Lyster’s strange ride.

Overall in the women’s endurance category after two rounds of the Champions League, Coles-Lyster is fourth and van Dam sixth.

The next round is next Saturday in Paris.