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Weekend racing roundup

Canadians dominate at UCI Track champions league, Sagan at Giro crit, Euro ‘cross champs

It may be November but there was plenty of bike racing this weekend. There was plenty of racing on the boards, on the dirt, and on the pavement.

UCI Track Champions League

Canada was on fire at Saturday’s inaugural round of the new UCI Track Cycling Champions League in Mallorca, Spain, winning two races: the women’s scratch via Maggie Coles-Lyster and the women’s keirin via Kelsey Mitchell. With third in the women’s individual sprint, Mitchell is in second place overall in the sprint classification, only two points behind Emma Hinze.

Saturday’s action started with the first round of the men’s sprint, a three-up race instead of the regular two-up. Barrette and Derache couldn’t come around the Dutchman. Lavreysen won the competition and Barrette was 17th overall.

In the women’s sprint semi-final, Genest drew a duo of competitors that included world sprint champ Emma Hinze. Hinze would win the competition, Mitchell was third and Genest fourth.

Canadians Coles-Lyster and Mitchell victorious at inaugural round of the UCI Track Champions League

After 17th in the sprint, Barrette was poised to have his best result in Mallorca in the men’s keirin final. However, German Stefan Botticher was the fastest and Barrette came fifth.

European cyclocross championships

On Sunday in Col du Vam, The Netherlands, hosted the UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships. It was the first time that the ‘cross champs took place on the man-made bike venue in the northern region of Holland.

In the women’s race, world champ Lucinda Brand put any questions of waning form to rest when she crushed her opponents. The Dutch rider attacked early and put a minute into Hungarian sensation, Kata Blanka Vas, followed by Yara Kastelijn of the Netherlands.

Lars van der Haar showed his form is coming back, after winning the event he had won some six years earlier.

The Dutchman put half a minute into the Belgians Quinten Hermans and Michael Vanthourenhout, and certainly showed he may be a factor for the remaining UCI World Cup races.

Van der Poel, van Aert and Pidcock will be back on the ‘cross circuit soon

Giro d’Italia Criterium

Peter Sagan outsprinted Egan Bernal to win the first ever Giro d’Italia critérium, which took place central Dubai. Sagan, wearing his points jersey from the Giro, easily managed to beat the Colombian, resplendent in pink. The race was mostly for the fans, with the small pack riding tempo for the event, and only lighting it up at the end. Still, similar to the many post-Tour de France “races” that take place in August, the spectators certainly enjoyed the show.

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