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Brad pictured at Good Friday Track in 2006 |
Four Olympic champions attended the pre-race press conference on Thursday 22nd
February.
The conference was attended by Britain’s Chris Hoy and Bradley
Wiggins with Australian sprinters Anna Meares and Ryan Bayley making up the
quartet of champions crowned in Athens.
Double Olympic medallist Ryan Bayley is aiming for a good ride in Manchester
to secure selection of an Austalian team spot in the world championships. “I
am racing in the sprint at Manchester and hoping to qualify myself a sprint
spot in the team. I am pretty sure that we have got enough spots but I would
rather do it on my own merits. I will be riding the sprint and the team sprint
and then the JKA Keirin on Sunday. All of the best sprinters in the world are
here for that and I am looking forward to it. It’s always a hard race.”
Chris Hoy has got a full weekend of races. “It’s quite a big weekend
for me in terms of the volume of racing with the kilo on Friday, the sprint
on Saturday and the team sprint and Japanese Keirin on Sunday. The results are
important but it is also a sort of dress rehearsal for the world championships.”
Anna Meares has a change of partner in the women’s team sprint and won’t
be riding with her sister Kerrie. “Kerrie is at home in Adelaide,”
said Anna: “I will be riding the team sprint with Christine Bayley. Kerrie
hasn’t done a qualifying time to ride for the Australian team at the world
championships yet and she has until Sunday to do it and then it will be between
Kerrie and Christine who rides at the worlds in the team sprint.”
The current 500m time trial record holder had considered a new record attempt
on the super fast Manchester track. “I am tempted,” she continued:
“But I just feel that there is no need for me to ride another 500 until
the world champs. I am chasing the rainbow jersey this year for that event particularly.
I just don’t think it is necessary to really push myself after some tough
competitions and a thirty-hour flight because I can write myself off after two
laps. I don’t want to do that with four weeks to go to the world championships.”
Britain’s Bradley Wiggins was in good spirits at the press conference
at the Manchester Velodrome today 22nd February ahead of the final UCI Track
World Cup event starting on Friday. The conference was also attended by Britain’s
Chris Hoy and Australian sprinters Anna Meares and Ryan Bayley making up a quartet
of current Olympic champions.
Wiggins had an accident while training on a treadmill last week which gave
the Londoner quite a knock, a black eye and seven stitches. “I was training
last Thursday and the towel got caught in the front wheel and it catapulted
backwards at quite a speed,” said Wiggins: “The was a danger that
I might not be able to ride this weekend as I had quite a nasty gash at the
time but things seemed to heal quite quickly over the weekend. It was just one
of those things. I thought I would go on the treadmill instead of going out
on the road because it is quite dangerous on the road and I ended up crashing
on the treadmill. It would have been a shame to miss the world cup in Manchester.”
Wiggins arrived early in Manchester ahead of his ride in the men’s individual
pursuit on Friday’s race programme when he will compete against his arch
rival for top honours in Australian Bradley McGee. He also rides in the men’s
4,000m team pursuit on Saturday with the British team reportedly riding at under
the four-minute schedule during their 3,000m training ride.
Tickets
Tickets are available on the door for all three days of race action at the Manchester
Velodrome in Sportcity - www.worldtrackcycling.com
Bex Hopkins
