Tue, Apr 01, 2008 page18

• Can Britain repeat cycling success in Beijing?

  • AP
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  The British are so stoic about their sporting failures that the concept of success can be a little hard for them to grasp.

  Which is maybe why even taking half the gold medals at the track cycling world championships isn't yet being translated into taking half the medals at the Olympic Games, either by the British media or by the British team.

  "We are competitive across the board. I think we'll get three to four golds," said Shane Sutton, Britain's track cycling team manager.

  There are 10 events on the Olympic track program.

  Veteran cycling commentator Phil Liggett was more confident.

  "Those guys will win all the medals in Beijing," he said.

  Bradley Wiggins took three golds in Manchester, Victoria Pendleton, Chris Hoy and Rebecca Romero had two each. The men's and women's pursuit teams both broke world records. Britain took gold in nine of the 18 disciplines contested and -- maybe crucially -- in eight of the 10 Olympic events.

  The Netherlands -- officially the strongest team in world track cycling going into the event -- improved on its one gold medal from a year ago, taking one on Saturday and two on the final day. They will be hoping to improve further before the Olympics, with all eyes on Marianne Vos, the points race champion in Manchester, who plans to compete both on the track and the road at Beijing.

  Jennie Reed of the US came round Victoria Pendleton on the final bend of the last event to secure gold in the women's keirin. She will be in Beijing, as will Sarah Hammer, who lost her individual pursuit crown here but is certain she can win in China.

  Britain probably can't hope to entirely emulate all its success of Manchester at Beijing, where it will be without the home-crowd support. Still, it's not exactly a one-off -- after British riders took seven gold medals a year ago in Spain.

  "People are saying it's all happened at the wrong time, but this is this the last race of the track season," Liggett said. "Now they only have to concentrate on winning a medal in Beijing."

  One or two riders who could be competitive in Beijing were missing last week. Anna Meares of Australia didn't recover in time from a crash she suffered in January, but looks likely to be fit in time for the women's sprint events.

  Also hoping for better luck at Beijing is eight-time world champion Natallia Tsylinskaya of Belarus, who crashed in the heats of the women's sprint here and broke her collarbone.

  One British medal hope is also missing with a broken collarbone -- Chris Newton, who was injured in a training fall earlier this month after he had taken the World Cup points race crown.

  Former world champion Rob Hayles, who had been due to compete in the individual pursuit, was banned for two weeks by the International Cycling Union after an abnormal blood test on the first day of the competition.

  Australia is certainly one team that will be seeking better results in Beijing. Its four golds from Athens evaporated here, where they took only one silver and three bronzes. As well as Meares, the Australians will be counting on sprinter Ryan Bayley and pursuit rider Katie Mactier to raise their game for Beijing.

  Belarus was the only team other than Britain and the Netherlands to take more than one gold in Manchester, and that despite the absence of Tsylinskaya. One revelation in Manchester has been Aliaksandr Lisouski, who took gold in the men's scratch race and then won a bronze in the men's omnium, an event that requires both endurance riding and sprinting.

  One gold in Beijing already looks to be almost wrapped up -- in a tricolor flag. The French men's sprint team has been virtually unbeatable in recent years, and a gold medal and world record in Manchester suggests that they will be the team to beat in Beijing.
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