Her victory and bronze medals to Ashlee Ankudinoff in the women’s 3000 metre individual pursuit and to Cameron Meyer and Leigh Howard in the Madison pushed the Cyclones team to the top of the medal table with a total of 15 medals from 19 events made up of six gold, six silver and three bronze medals.

Great Britain had three less medals to finish second on the table also with six gold but with four silver and three bronze. Germany was the only other country to score more than one gold claiming two as well as two silver and one bronze medal. Five nations shared the remaining five gold medals on offer.

Women’s 500 metre time trial

Anna Meares lined up in the 500 metre time trial as the seventh of 23 starters. She hurtled out of the starting gate urged on by a mighty roar from the home crowd to clock 18.716 seconds for the first lap.

As the noise level rose so did Meares pace as she homed in on her mission to rewrite her name in the record books. The first woman to ride a sub 34 second 500 metres stopped the clock tonight in 33.010, agonisingly close to cracking the sub-33 second barrier and almost three tenths of a second faster than the mark set by Lithuanian Simona Krupeckaite to win the title in Poland in 2009.

“Oh man! Where can I find one-hundredth of a second? Seriously,” laughed Meares. “I can’t be too disappointed with that. I saw a 33.0 and someone asked me earlier today if I was going to run 32 and I said, ‘Nah, no chance.’

“One one-hundredth of a second though… seriously!”

The win is her second of the week and comes after her success in Saturday’s keirin. She also claimed bronze in the sprint and teamed with Kaarle McCulloch to place second in the team sprint.

“This track has been so good to me in the past and I haven’t ridden a time trial in 18months,” Meares said after claiming her fourth medal from four events. “I knew tonight was going to be special, I did forget how much (it hurt)… the old legs were hurting afterwards.

“My goodness I couldn’t believe how loud this crowd was for me tonight.”

Her previous world time trial crowns were won in 2004, 2007 and 2010 and she equals the record of of ten world titles in women’s sprint events held by retired French track legend Felicia Ballanger who coincidentally was at this week’s event to witness Meares ride.

“Its something special [to win] my 10th world title in the event where it all began for me eight years ago,” said Meares who dedicated the win to her first coach, Ken ‘Reg’ Tucker.

“Reg Tucker was the first coach who ever saw a spark of talent in me. I wasn’t always good at this sport when I first started at 11 years of age. I was generally a competitor making up the numbers but he saw something in me; he called me the ‘Ugly Duckling’ but he’s never doubted me in any way.

“About ten months ago Reggie didn’t even realise the worlds were going to be here this year so I rang him up and said, ‘I’ve got a plane ticket and some seats for you. You’re coming.’,” said Meares. “I’m glad that he did come because it’s something special.”

Tucker said the performance had left him nearly speechless, a state he rarely felt.

“I always did have faith in her but she has exceeded all my expectations and the ride was just wonderful,” Tucker said after seeing his charge excel over five days of racing.

“My form has just been phenomenal this week and I’m really pleased with how I’ve carried it through the five days of competition,” Meares explained. “Tonight it was special for me to ride the 500 but it was also very strategic as well: it’s day five of competition, there are five days of racing in London. And I’ve got to back up every single day after the first day of racing; I did that tonight and I’m really pleased.

“I love this event. For me it’s just such enjoyment. There’s no one else to get in my way, for starters. And it’s pure speed. And it’s pure control,” she explained adding that she wanted a technically perfect race from the gate to the line but isn’t sure if she pulled it off. “I don’t know. It hurt. I remember that much. I felt like I was at walking speed coming home in the last quarter lap. But, no, I haven’t gritted my teeth that hard in a race for as long as I can remember and I was fighting for everything I could get out of my body today.”

Meares compatriot McCulloch knocked two tenths of a second off her previous best finish in 34.097 seconds and just outside the medals in fourth. Germany’s Miriam Welte was second in 33.626 and Briton Jessica Varnish finished third in a time of 33.999.

Women’s Individual Pursuit

Sydney’s Ashlee Ankudinoff and Tasmanian Amy Cure both achieved person best performances in the 3000 metre women’s individual pursuit where the pair qualified for an all Australian battle for the bronze medal.

Cure’s 3:28.474 was the third fastest qualifying ride and as seven seconds under her previous best time while Anodic knocked four second of her previous mark with the fourth best time of 3:28.869.

In their head to head race for third place Ankudinoff, 21, hit the lead early and held a gap of around one second over Cure, 19, until the final four laps when the teenager fought back with her trademark late charge but it proved to be too late with Ankudinoff hanging on to win the medal in a time of 3:33.593, five hundredths of a second quicker than Cure (3:33.642).

Ankudinoff said she was ‘pretty stoked’ to claim a medal after missing out on her goal of a start in the team pursuit.

“I was the 2010 world champion (team pursuit) and then I was out with injury in 2011, so I fought back so hard in the start of the season for 2012. I just came out here put no pressure on myself. I’m happy to come away with a 3.28 to be honest.”

The gold medal in the pursuit heads across the ditch to New Zealand after a solid ride by Alison Shanks (3:30.199) to defeat Briton Wendt Houvenhaghel in the final (3:32.340).

Madison

Australians Cameron Meyer and Leigh Howard claimed the bronze medal in the 50 kilometre, 200 lap Madison that wrapped up the Championships.

The pair knew going into the race that they would be marked riders after winning the event at the past two world championships and on the back of Meyer last night winning his third world points race crown.

“I had it yesterday,” said Meyer of being marked through out the points race. “I came away with a win, but I spent 150 laps frustrated and today I spent 200 laps frustrated.

“It’s disappointing that some countries go out there with a mindset that ‘oh, we’re going to follow one team’,” said Meyer. “I know that’s bike racing, but I’m on the bad end of it, unfortunately, and so is Leigh (Howard).”

The gold medal was won by Belgian pair Kenny De Ketele and Gijs Van Hoecke. The last time Belgium won the title was in 1998 in Bordeaux when Etienne De Wilde and Australian born Matthew Gilmore scored gold. Gilmore is now on the Cyclones’ team as a coach for the Madison event.

The Belgian pair amassed a total of 24 points to finish six ahead of Great Britain’s Ben Swift and Geraint Thomas on 18 with the Australian duo third on 11 points.

Meyer paid “full credit” to the Belgians and to the British pairs.

“They had more points then us on the day and we’re still very happy to be on the podium in front of a home crowd,” Meyer said.

Men’s Keirin

Australia’s world champion team sprint trio lined up in the men’s keirin where Scott Sunderland was the best placed winning the consolation final to finish seventh overall. He won his first round heat but in the second round finished fourth missing the medal final.

Teenager Matthew Glaetzer was nursing burns and will take home a large splinter as a souvenir of his keirin campaign that saw him crash and slide in spectacular style in the first round repechage heat. Defending champion Shane Perkins also missed out on qualifying into the second round.

Sir Chris Hoy won the crown, the fourth keirin title of his career, which moved him to the top of the most wins table ahead of Frederic Magne of France and Germany’s Michael Hubner who have three titles each.

Germany’s Maximilian Levy was third and Hoy’s team mate jason Kenny was awarded the bronze medal after New Zealand’s Simon van Velthooven was relegated for not holding his line in the final sprint.

Hoy’s win was his  eleventh world championship victory.

2012 UCI Track World Championships – Cyclones Australian team list and medal summary

Gold
Men’s Team Sprint* – Shane Perkins, Scott Sunderland, Matthew Glaetzer
Men’s Omnium* – Glenn O’Shea
Women’s Keirin* – Anna Meares
Men’s Individual Pursuit – Michael Hepburn
Men’s Points Race – Cameron Meyer
Women’s 500 metre time trial – Anna Meares

Silver
Women’s Team Sprint* – Anna Meares, Kaarle McCulloch
Men’s Team Pursuit* – Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Glenn O’Shea, Rohan Dennis
Women’s Team Pursuit* – Josephine Tomic, Melissa Hoskins, Annette Edmondson
Women’s Omnium* – Annette Edmondson
Women’s Scratch Race – Melissa Hoskins
Men’s Individual Pursuit – Jack Bobridge

Bronze
Women’s Sprint* – Anna Meares
Women’s 3000m individual pursuit – Ashlee Ankudinoff
Men’s Madison – Leigh Howard and Cameron Meyer
* Events on the Olympic Games program

Anna Meares backed up from yesterday’s disappointment of third place in the sprint to successfully defend her keirin crown bringing the capacity crowd to their feet as she launched a burst of speed in the final 200 metres to come from the back of the six rider field and claim the win.

The fans barely had time to draw breath before they were on their feet again cheering an all Australian individual pursuit final that saw Michael Hepburn overcome world record holder and 2011 champion Jack Bobridge to claim the rainbow jersey.

Capping off the night West Australian Cameron Meyer reclaimed the points race title with a successful last gasp attack in the dying minutes of the race.

Earlier world titles debutant Annette Edmondson collected her second silver medal of the week finishing three points off gold in the women’s omnium.

Women’s Keirin

Anna Meares, 28, looked in control of the keirin from the start as she worked her way through the first and second rounds to qualify through to the medal final. Once there she took advantage of her current blistering top end speed that saw her break the flying 200 metre world record on Friday. She sat back in the field watching and waiting until the bell lap when she pounced, flying around the outside of her rivals four deep to sail across the line ahead of Russian Evgenia Gnidenko and Germany’s Kristin a Vogel.

The victory comes almost a decade after she claimed her first senior world championships medal, a silver in the keirin at the 2003 titles in Germany.

“To win this world title here, in front of my home crowd, is just fantastic,” said Meares of claiming her ninth world title on the same velodrome where she claimed her first rainbow jersey in 2004 in the 500 metre time trial. “I was really just hoping for one (title) in front of my home crowd and perhaps that’s a little bit greedy given how difficult it is to win one world title.

“But I really fought hard for that one and I’m so proud that I was able able to cross the line first.”

The keirin is an unpredictable race that pits six sprinters against each other over eight laps with the riders, in the case of the women, brought up 45km/h by a motorised bike (derny) over the first 1375 metres before they are left to battle for the line in a helter-skelter two and a half lap final dash.

But whilst Meares appeared to have dominated she rejected suggestions it was an easy win for her admitting she struggled to come to terms with Friday’s sprint defeat.

“My husband sat with me until late last night, just hugged me, made me feel better and made me realise it’s just a bike race in the end,” she explained. “I still felt disappointed when I woke up this morning, but I thought ‘today is a new day, the keirin’s a new chance, I know I’ve got good form, I know I’ve got good strength, I know I’ve got good speed, I’ve just got to back myself in’.

“I wasn’t going to be happy with coming in here and feeling sorry for myself and not performing today.

“It doesn’t make up for last night, it makes today special,” she said. “I’m really proud of the way I was able to pick myself up.”

She also managed to negotiate the slippery walk in bike cleats up the wooden track to clamber onto the fence to hug her husband, friends and first coach Ken “Reggie” Tucker who travelled from Rockhampton to Melbourne to cheer her on.

“Reg said he was as proud of me as if I was his own daughter and he has all boys so that meant a lot to me,” said Meares.

Team mate Kaarle McCulloch won through the keirin first round but in the second was outmaneuvered and missed a berth in the medal final. In the ride off for seventh to 12th place she was third across the line to finish ninth overall.

Men’s 4000 Metre Individual Pursuit

Australia’s next gold came in a race the Cyclones couldn’t lose as best mates, room mates and team mates, Michael ‘Heppy’ Hepburn and Jack Bobridge lined up in the gold medal ride to decide the 2012 individual pursuit world champion.

“I’m really lost for words at the moment,” said Hepburn after his win. “This moment, I’ve pictured a thousand times in my head but you never really understand what it is like to win in front of a home crowd.

“It was a great battle with Jack, it was unfortunate that I had to line up against one of my best mates and my room-mate (but) that was the way it was and fortunately I got across the line.”

Earlier in the day Hepburn, 20, had topped the qualifying round with the third fastest time ever ridden of 4:13.399 to set him up for a shot at the title against world record and title holder, Jack Bobridge, 22, who clocked 4:14.783 in the same heat.

The camaraderie between the pair was evident for most of the day until minutes before the race when they headed to separate sides of the track to wait. Bobridge launched out of the gate with his customary charge trying to establish a buffer against Hepburn’s renowned final kilometre fightback. At the first kilometre mark Bobridge was 1.2 seconds up on Hepburn and at each mark through to 3000 metres Bobridge maintained the margin. But once the riders hit the final four laps Hepburn ignited the after-burners and went after the gold. With every half lap the margin decreased until at two laps to go Hepburn edged his way into a tenth of a second lead.

Bobridge’s tank was empty and Hepburn crossed the finish line to win in a time of 4:15.839, half a second ahead of Bobridge (4:16.313).

But Hepburn said he wasn’t sure at the finish if he had done enough to win.

“I couldn’t quite believe when I went across the line,” he said. “About a kilometre to go, I honestly thought I was not going to make it as Jack was too far ahead. When I went to kick, I did not have as much as I wanted to, but in the end I did have enough.”

If Bobridge was disappointed to relinquish the rainbow stripes he wasn’t showing it rather he was brimming with pride over his friend’s achievement.

“Seeing such a great mate taking it off my back you know, being with ‘Heppy’, he’s like a brother to me so it’s as good as me winning it myself in front of a home crowd,” Bobridge explained. “I left everything out there today but I got beaten by the better guy on the day. It was well deserved.

Their friendship didn’t stop them from playing mental games leading into the event.

“The chitter chatter started before the qualifying and it continued right up until the final,” laughed Bobridge about their ‘trash talking’ duel. “But unfortunately he gets the bragging rights for the next year, so I’ll have to put up with him giving me stick for the next year.

“We go three-all now. We’re even with gold medals in senior titles, two team pursuits and one gold medal each so now it’s a drag race to see who can get the next one,” said Bobridge.

Australia’s third starter in the event, Rohan Dennis, had set the third best time in qualifying, clocking 4:16.051, to set up a bronze medal showdown with New Zealand’s Westley Gough (4:17.001) and a chance of a clean-sweep of the podium for the home team. Gough started stronger and led at the quarter distance mark before Dennis hit his straps and the lead after eight laps. With one kilometre to go Dennis seemed on track to win but as Gough fought back Dennis’ lost his grip on the bronze medal to finish 1.6 seconds after Gough for fourth place.

Men’s Points Race

Australia’s third win of the night had the entire stadium on their feet as the two time world champion Cameron Meyer fought to regain the title he relinquished last year.

It was Meyer against the rest of the world with his rivals marking his every move for almost the entire race. He managed to snaffle a few minor placings in six of the 16 sprints contested during the 40 kilometre, 160 lap event but Britain’s Ben Swift, Belgian Kenny De Ketele and Spain’s Unai Elorriaga Zubiaur sprinted their way to the top three placings and countered Meyer’s repeated attempts to break clear in a bid to grab the 20 points on offer for lapping the field.

“Oh, I definitely gave myself a heart attack out there, it was one of the most nervous bike races I’ve ever done I knew it was going to go something like that before the start,” he explained. “I knew I’d probably go in as one of the favourites and I’d get followed a lot and it was quite frustrating out there at times. But I never gave in.

“I had to do a lot of the work and whenever I went I’d always have a few followers with me, but I know in a points race the ‘lacky’ (elastic) band will always snap at some point and I just had to back myself that I had the strongest legs and that I could snap that ‘lacky’ band at the end.”

As it turned out ‘at the end’ was a spot-on prediction with Meyer’s eleventh hour attack launched with 20 laps to go. Kiwi cyclist Aaron Gate jumped aboard with a ‘Mexican wave’ of sound roaring around the track beside the pair as they worked together to gain the lap.

“He (Gate) helped me a lot out there and I used him just to recover enough and you could see that with five laps to go he’s just given me enough recovery to put in two big laps and put in that bridge to the peloton and take the lap,” said Meyer.

“I snapped it (the elastic) right towards the end with a few laps to go,” he said grinning. “I just like to make it good for the crowd.

But Meyer wasn’t sure whether his dramatic lap gain was enough to give him the win.

“I didn’t know where I’d finished when I came over the line I had to wait until it came up on the board,” he said of the wait to see his points total of 33 appear at the top of the leader board. ” It’s a one point win, but one is enough.

“There’s just no way to describe the feelings that I have right now.”

Meyer has contested six points races at world championship level and described tonight’s as ‘probably the most special’.

“I was never going to give in on my home turf. It’s one of the pinnacles of my bike career so far,” said the 24 year old who along with Leigh Howard will tomorrow ride in defence of the Madison title they have won for the past two years. “I’m going to be just as motivated to win tomorrow, it’s the third one and I’m sure Leigh’s (Howard) very excited about that race and I’d love to win another race in front of the home crowd.”

The silver medal went to Swift (32 points) while Belgium’s De Ketele hung on for third place (28 points)

Women’s Omnium

In the women’s omnium Annette Edmondson was pipped for gold by Britain’s Laura Trott.

20 year old Edmondson had started the day tied with Trott on eleven points after three of the six races that make up the medal event. Trott edged one point ahead after the pursuit round and finished one place ahead of Edmondson again in the scratch race. The pair went head to head in the 500 metre time trial decider where Trott again pipped Edmondson by one place to finish with a final points tally of 28, three better than the Australian. American Sarah Hammer was five points further back to claim the bronze medal.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want those rainbows,” said Edmondson after racing in only her second international class omnium event. “(But) to come away from my first World Championships with two silver medals (other was team pursuit) is really, really encouraging for me especially given it’s an Olympic year.”

She also placed second in her World Cup omnium debut in London in February and hopes the next time she races in London will be for Olympic gold.

“That’s definitely the target. I’ve done a lot of PB’s (personal bests) today and yesterday in my timed events so I know that I’m on the right track,” said Edmondson whose only slip came in the elimination race where she was four places lower than Trott. “I’ve got a bit of experience to gain in the bunch races. I made a bit of a mistake in the elimination but I think it’s all promising and with a bit more work I think a gold at the Olympics is realistic.”

Men’s Sprint

The final event of the night was the men’s sprint which was won by Frenchman Gregory Bauge. He was the fastest qualifier here and began today’s campaign for gold by defeating Australian team sprint gold medal winner Shane Perkins in their semi-final bout.

He beat Perkins in two straight heats while in the second semi final Britons Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny went head to head in what many suggested was an Olympic selection trial to determine who would nab the sprint start for TeamGB in London in August.

Kenny won the first heat from the front holding off Hoy’s charge and in the second came around the Scotsman to pip him on the line.

That put Perkins, 25, in a bronze medal match up with 36 year old Hoy whose experience and pace proved too much for the hometown favourite who went down in two straight heats to finish the sprint in fourth place.

In the gold medal showdown Bauge took the first heat and the early lead before Kenny fought back in the second to level the score. However officials reviewed the race and ruled Kenny had breached the rules by riding out of the sprint lane in the final 200 metres. They relegated him to second which gave Bauge the heat and the gold medal.

It’s the third sprint crown for the French sprinter who also won in 2009 and 2010. He had also been crowned champion last year but was later stripped of the individual sprint and the team sprint crown he won with France due to a backdated suspension for failure to comply with whereabouts rules for doping controls and for missing a test.

Coming up

Four gold medals are up for grabs on Sunday’s final day of racing. Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch will contest the 500 metre time trial with Meares hoping to reclaim the crown she first wore in 2004 which was also the year she won Olympic gold in the same event. Ashlee Ankudinoff and Amy Cure will contest the women’s 3000m individual pursuit. Cameron Meyer and Leigh Howard are hoping to add a third straight Madison title to their collection and sprinters Shane Perkins, Matthew Glaetzer and Scott Sunderland will line up in the men’s keirin.

2012 UCI Track World Championships – Cyclones Australian team list and medal summary

Gold

Men’s Team Sprint* – Shane Perkins, Scott Sunderland, Matthew Glaetzer
Men’s Omnium* – Glenn O’Shea
Women’s Keirin* – Anna Meares
Men’s Individual Pursuit – Michael Hepburn
Men’s Points Race – Cameron Meyer
Silver

Women’s Team Sprint* – Anna Meares, Kaarle McCulloch
Men’s Team Pursuit* – Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Glenn O’Shea, Rohan Dennis
Women’s Team Pursuit* – Josephine Tomic, Melissa Hoskins, Annette Edmondson
Women’s Omnium* – Annette Edmondson
Women’s Scratch Race – Melissa Hoskins
Men’s Individual Pursuit – Jack Bobridge
Bronze

Women’s Sprint* – Anna Meares
* Events on the Olympic Games program

If the trio of Victorian Shane Perkins, 25, West Australian Scott Sunderland, 24, and South Australian Matthew Glaetzer, 19, had been outside on Olympic Boulevard their 62.4 kilometre per hour average pace would have earned them a speeding fine but on the track it produced a time of 43.266 seconds and earned a gold medal over Gregory Bauge, Kevin Sireau and Michael D’Almeida of France who were a miniscule thousandth of a second slower in 43.267.

“Absolutely unbelievable!” said Sunderland who rode second wheel in the three man, three lap race over 750 metres. “Words can’t really describe how good it feels. We came in here with three really strong riders and to do what we did tonight is what we dream of and what we train hard for…. and in front of a home crowd is the icing on the cake.”

The team had qualified third fastest behind top seeds France (43.247) and Germany (43.349) to set up a showdown with fourth fastest Great Britain (43.533) for bronze. However both the Brits and the Germans (along with the USA and Greece) were disqualified for a breach of the event rules and that moved the Australians into the gold medal final.

“We came here wanting to do a personal-best time, we did that in the qualifying (43.512),” said Perkins. “Then obviously we heard we were in the gold ride-off, our energy and excitement went up another level.

“We knew we had the ability, we knew we had to bring our times down and we did that.”

Perkins led the team out of the gate with French starter Bauge marginally quicker over the first lap before Sunderland nailed his lap outpacing Michael D’Almeida to move the home team into the lead. He then swung up to make way for the team’s teenage anchor-man Glaetzer who, up against 200 metre world record holder Kevin Sireau, clocked the fastest third lap of any rider this year to seal the win. The time eclipsed the Australian record set by the trio in November at the Kazakhstan round of the World Cup (43.589) and betters the all-comers record set by Britain’s Jason Kenny, Matthew Crampton and Chris Hoy (43.829) at the Melbournne Commonwealth Games.

“We knew we had some improvements to make from qualifying and (it is) handy to know that you can lift in the final,” said Sunderland. “We did that and made it as smooth as possible. Everyone doing their job in the team was what we needed to happen and in the end we set an Australian record and claimed a world title.

“That’s what you do the big training for, the thousandth of a second and everyone did their part and in the end we’re world champions,” said Sunderland of the slim winning margin.

Glaetzer, who was the 2010 junior world champion in the sprint and keirin, was thrilled to finish off the team effort.

“It’s all about the team, there’s no individual rides in there,” said Glaetzer. “For Shane to do a blinder of a lap and Scotty to pull me through as strong and as fast as he did, it’s just a perfect set up for me. I had the easy job to sit on and then just bury myself and hang on to the end and the crowd got behind us, I mean it’s a huge lift to hear that ambient roar in the background as you’re coming up to the finish line. It’s just an incredible feeling.”

Glaetzer says the home crowd roar certainly spurred him on.

“The Aussies go ballistic no matter what position you’re in (but) at the end the last half lap, they just erupted and I knew that we were in for a shot and just buried myself even harder. The crowd is amazing.

“This is what we dedicate our lives for and for it to pay off at the highest level and get the highest result is just phenomenal.”

Australia last won the men’s team sprint world title in 1996 and were retrospectively awarded bronze in last year’s event after France was relegated for a doping violation.

“We know we have to go faster leading up to the Olympics … to come away with a win after it being a work in progress is absolutely fantastic,” said Perkins.

Cycling Australia Sprint Head Coach, Gary West, was overjoyed with the result.

“I just can’t really put in in words at the moment what we’re experiencing,” said West who during the day moved from rider to rider dispensing motivation, advice and encouragement as they prepared for competition. “We spoke all day today about team, about being a team, about playing our part and playing our role. I threw a couple of challenges out, one to be the best they could be in their respective positions, and two to ride faster than any Australian team and on both occasions they did it and I’m just so pleased with the guys.

“In true Aussie fashion they got a sniff, got an opportunity and nailed it,” said West of their elevation to the gold medal ride. “Maybe it was meant to be, I don’t know, but I do know these kids work incredibly hard. We have an incredible support team around us from mechanics, to soigneurs, to managers, to other coaches and sports scientists, they do a wonderful job and it came together tonight.”

Earlier the women’s team sprint gold was won by Germany’s Miriam Welte and Kristina Vogel who defeated Australia’s three time and defending world champions Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch. Both teams set a blistering pace.

The German duo had qualified fastest over the two laps (500m) in 32.630, clipping a little over a tenth of a second off the world record set by Great Britain’s Victoria Pendleton and Jessica Varnish in London in February. The Australian pair also lowered that mark with the second fastest qualifying time of 32.752.

But the ink in the record books had no time to dry as both teams upped their pace in the final where the German duo shaved almost a tenth of a second off the record to win gold in 32.549. Meares and McCulloch came agonisingly close to a fourth straight title with their time of 32.597 but had to settle for silver. In the bronze medal ride China’s Jinjie Gong and Shuang Guo defeated Pendleton and Varnish.

“That’s just bike racing for you,” said McCulloch. “We lost probably by a tyre (width) tonight, but that’s racing. I’m so happy to come here and ride under the current world record, but to come second to the Germans in a world record, we can’t ask for anything more.

“It’s nice to come here after the London World Cup where we didn’t have anybody on our side,” said McCulloch of racing in front of a home crowd. “Tonight I got that extra, just from the crowd and all my families in the back straight, and down in the home straight. And what a fantastic opportunity for us, I’m just so grateful.”

“We rode outside of our skins tonight and we performed as a team and really got beaten by the better team tonight and we’re really proud of the Germans girls,” said Meares. “They have been working very hard and you can see their progression over the years as well, which is good to see.”

“We got beaten by a better team, by the Germans who surprised us a little tonight, but I’m just super proud of the girls,” said West. “The same challenge went out to them, to be the best they could be and ride faster than they ever had. On both occasions they rode faster and on both occasions they would have broken the previous world record but each time they were nailed by a better outfit on the night.”

Both McCulloch and Meares will line up tomorrow in the individual sprint in which Meares is the defending world champion while the men have a day off competition.

In the much anticipated men’s 4000 metre team pursuit battle it took a world record ride by Great Britain to dethrone the Australians who were trying for a hat trick of titles. The British quartet of Ed Clancy, Peter Kennaugh, Geraint Thomas and Steven Burke, who replaced qualifying round starter Andrew Tennant, stopped the clock in 3.53.295 to hold off a late charge by the Australian foursome of Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Rohan Dennis and world championship debutant Glenn O’Shea. The Australian time of 3.53.401 was just a tenth of a second slower.

The winning time lowered the mark of 3:53.314 set by the Brits to win the Olympic Games gold medal in Beijing and both teams predict it will take another world record ride to secure Olympic Games gold in August. New Zealand posted a time of 3:57.592secs to beat Russia (3:59.237secs) and claim the bronze medal.

“Obviously it’s pretty disappointing, we went over there (London World Cup), we got one up on their home soil, and they’ve come here and kicked us back in the guts and beat us here,” said Bobridge.

“We would of liked it the other way around maybe but we didn’t get beaten by a bad time at all, we rode our personal best and they rode the world record,” said Bobridge. “We got beaten by the better team on the day (and) that’s just the way it is. You can’t complain when you get beaten by someone who breaks a world record.

“They looked awesome in qualifying, they rode an awesome final and we just couldn’t beat them today,” said Bobridge when asked if there was something the Australians could have done better. “We’ve been able to beat them the last two years and they’ve come out today and kicked us in the guts and we have to take that and use it as energy and really strive to come back and give them a kick in the guts in London.

“It will be best of three, like I said we got one on them and they got one here, the next win will be Olympic champions so hopefully we can turn the cards around come the Olympics.”

Hepburn agrees with his team mates assessment of the night.

“There wasn’t a whole lot we could have done and hat’s off to the British team, they’ve picked up a lot in the past month and they deserve the victory,” Hepburn said. “They’ve got a lot quicker but at the same time there are some positives we can take out of this. Our number one goal is for the Olympics and irrespective of the time that’s still the fastest time we’ve done together, so there are some positives.

“It’s always hard losing and this crowd’s been great to us but the British boys were better than us tonight,” he said. “What we’re going to do now is lift again. We’ve really got to step up now, we knew it was going to be fast, we knew it was going to take a world record to win and we just got beaten in those last few laps.”

In the other final contested on day one South Australian Alex Edmondson was 16th in the 15 kilometre (60 lap) men’s scratch race won by Britain’s Ben Swift ahead of South African Nolan Hoffman with Dutch rider Wim Stroetinga third.

Since retiring, Chris Boardman has taken on elite coaching duties for British Cycling and been involved in equipment design and development. He also engaged by media, including the BBC as a cycling commentator and analyst and without skipping a beat, founded and launched Chris Boardman Bikes which have taken off in the UK and are now available worldwide.

On the Eve of the Track Championships at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne, Chris Boardman took time  for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA) and share his views on the event in the lead up to the London Olympics as well as UCI regulations and an insight into Boardman Bikes.

BNA: There are a lot of reasons you could be in Melbourne for the 2012 World Track Championships, your success on the track, your coaching skills, your experience and involvement as a cycling analyst and commentator or plain old patriotism, is it all of the above or do you have a more defined role during this event?

Chris Boardman: When travelling half way around the world, most people try to make the most of it and I’m no different. Whilst the catalyst for the trip is to commentate at the World Track Championships for the BBC, Pete Jacobs and I saw it as an excellent opportunity to catch up and talk about upcoming tri bike development. As Pete is not just a sponsored athlete but also part of our test team, we consult him before we make anything, feeding his thoughts into the new designs and he gets to trial the first prototypes out of the mould too. Face to face is always the best way to do this so it’s great to have the opportunity.

As I also have another hat, leading the team who supplies the equipment to the GB squad, it’s a great opportunity to see what the other nations are developing for the Olympics too

BNA: In the World Track Championships, are you anticipating a battle of the giants or can we also expect some upsets with younger and lesser-known athletes reaching for victory as they aim for the Olympics?

Chris Boardman: I expect the World Champs to be a mini Olympics with all the main contenders there. This is the last big competition pre Games so it will be ferocious. I also expect it to be very closely fought.

Chris Boardman: Reviewing the results of the World Cup Classics, it is hard to say that the English team will dominate the World Champs and the London Olympics – or do you see this differently?

Chris Boardman: I don’t think any team will dominate in 2012, France and Germany are incredibly powerful in the sprint events now and Russia has surged forward in the team pursuit, so it is going to make for some very close racing. I expect GB to medal competitively in virtually every event at The Games but I don’t think they will dominate any. It’s a great time to be a spectator.

BNA: What is your role in British cycling leading into the 2012 London Olympics?

Chris Boardman: I have much less of a role with the British team post Beijing due to other commitments in my life such as Boardman Bikes which is now so successful, it requires much more than just product design. With BC I oversee the design and development of all the equipment they will use at the Olympics which is still a sizeable task

BNA: As a pioneer of bicycle technology, UCI rules have had a significant role. Safety considerations aside, do you feel that the regulations hinder progress and advancement in bicycle design or creates a more fairer playing field?

Chris Boardman:  The UCI are trying very hard now to remove ambiguity from the rules and enforce them fairly. We may not always agree on where they draw the lines but I respect what they are striving to achieve. Oddly, a lot of the technical stuff I was credited with introducing I didn’t agree with but I knew it helped my performance and that the rules allowed it, so I was going to do it.

Despite using it to good effect, I was actually happy when Graeme O’Bree’s superman position was banned as I felt we were moving away from cycling towards human powered vehicle racing but it was legal and an advantage so I was going to use it.

O’Bree is an amazing character and I have often been wrongly credited with innovations that he should take full credit for. I think he also shares my philosophy on rules; you tell me what they are and I will butt up against them. Graeme did it far better than me no question, he is an amazing guy.

BNA: In top level competition where a rider and bike perfectly fit – can the bike still make the difference or is there a point at which the bike can’t get better and it is down to rider strength, skill and tactics.

Chris Boardman: Where innovation and performance improvement is concerned, I learned a valuable lesson from an associate at McLaren Fi. We were looking at a line of cars produced over the last 10yrs and I asked him “how much more do you think there is to come?” He pointed at a car they had produced 6 years previously and said “see that, I remember when it rolled off the production line and thinking that’s it, I can’t see where else we can go. The next year, the car was 4% better, the year after a 5% improvement. After that, I learned to have faith.” Now, even when I can’t see where the next innovation in bike design will come from, I have faith there will always be a way to do it better.

BNA: Whilst you are heavily involved in cycling, are you still cycling yourself?

Chris Boardman: I ride bikes more now than I ever have since I stopped as a pro. I get out on average 4 days a week, often more. It is the best way to assess my own product and riding bikes is where we (the Boardman Team) do most of our brain storming; it’s the perfect environment to have design ideas spring up and to kick them around. Fitness wise, I’m in pretty good shape and am thinking of riding the Trans Rockies MTB stage race next year!

BNA: Let’s move onto Boardman Bikes, considering your previous experience continually improving the bicycle – how much have your learnt and evolved since beginning boardman bicycles.

Chris Boardman: Through my work with British Cycling I got to know a lot about carbon fibre, exotic materials, production techniques and of course, aerodynamics. Although all of that work is strictly classified, from that experience I have learned what tools to use, what people to work with and where to look for the biggest paybacks. We are now applying all of this and there is tons more to come for 2013…..I can’t say any more or I’d have to kill you.

BNA: Despite your knowledge and success on the track, in the Boardman range there is only one track bike, is this because the track cycling market is too small?

Chris Boardman: Pretty much. There are so many projects to work on, so many possibilities that with this role (Boardman rather than BC) it’s a business and resource is allocated on what the majority of customers want. We will be doing more sophisticated track bikes in the not too distant future but as I hate doing anything ‘a bit’ we will only do it when we know we can do it properly. That moment is not far away now.

BNA: We recently reviewed the Boardman SLR 9.0 and found that for a such a young brand it was remarkably well rounded without flaws or teething troubles that newer brands may face. Where does the journey go – gradual frame modifications or new series.

Chris Boardman: We have a gimmick (it’s a personal philosophy really) we don’t do gimmicks, just performance. I know that sounds cheesy but it’s what we live by.

Our design process starts with breaking down and making a list of what a bike needs to be or have for it’s chosen application. We then prioritise those points and every design decision is measured against the question ‘Which of these points does that idea address?” it keeps us on target and honest. We don’t do anything that doesn’t have a performance reason so you wont see curvy tubes on a frame if it’s not needed; the lightest, stiffest, strongest way between two points is usually straight line…so that’s what we do.

Even internally there is thinking: you have to change cables on a bike from time to time and how much of a pain is it to have to fish around inside for the end of a cable. So we do things like put a carbon tube in there, meaning changing cables is a breeze and with carbon tubes, there is a negligible weight penalty. Likewise for handling, I know what geometry works for stable and confident descending, or negotiating rough terrain, so why would I want to play around with it? I don’t, we use the same geometry as I used as a pro bike rider and everyone is surprised when the bikes handle well! I like bikes to be practical and user friendly as well as cutting edge aero or feather light.

BNA: Can you discuss the reception of your brand in the UK and overseas, do you feel that you have a solid international foundation or is more work needed to build the brand presence and build the fan base?

Chris Boardman: We launched the brand and our first range in Summer 2007, very quickly we were officially the fastest growing British bike brand ever which was quite cool. I really delight in winning most of the bike reviews we take part in, in fact I’m struggling to think of a bike in the range that hasn’t won some kind of accolade…..which is also cool! Independent reviews are the acid test and whenever anyone asks me for an opinion, I point them at those.

Last year, after a lot of people asked us, we decided it was time to start taking the range international which we are now well into the process of doing (our website will tell people how to get hold of bikes in their part of the world but I believe we are already available in 86 countries).

Building awareness of the range internationally is going very well, it takes time and we are happy with that, we would rather have some quality relationships with the likes of Pete Jacobs and the Brownlee brothers Al and Jonny than start with a Pro Tour team. The costs of doing the latter is huge, costs that would have to be passed on to the customer, so right now we can deliver genuine performance product at incredible prices. We would love to be involved in races like the Tour de France but only when the time is right for us.

In 2012 we have some genuine Gold Medal contenders for London on our team (Annie Last in MTB and the Brownlee brothers who are currently ranked No1 and No2 in Olympic tri distance) Pete Jacobs is also hoping to improve on last years 2nd place in this years Hawaii Iron Man competition. Next year we will have more stories to tell!

Australian Triathlete Pete Jacobs is sponsored by Boardman Bikes

1 April 2012 Strategy Session with Pete Jacobs in Melbourne, Australia.

BNA: This is not a trick question, there are 24 hours in a day, how many hours are actually needed to get everything done?

Chris Boardman: About 27

BNA: And finally for our readers who plug away on their bunch rides or daily commute, what words of wisdom can you share for a cyclist who may not be eyeing a gold medal.

Chris Boardman: That would be me these days! It’s hard to give out a generic piece of advice that suits everyone as the beauty of bike riding is you can do it for so many different reasons; from fitness and commuting to exploring and leisure or family time. Its one of the very few activities that you can do from age 8 to 80 too. For me, as this amazing device is, at it’s heart, just a wonderful form of transport, I’d like to see all of use it more for the simple act of getting around instead of the car.

Thank you kindly for your time, we wish you ongoing success with your bike brand and cycling endeavours.

Boardman bikes can be viewed on the website: www.boardmanbikes.com and in Australia are available through their international distributer Wiggle.

Photos (1, 4) © BPM-Sport.com, Photos 2, 3 © Boardman Bikes

“Preparations have been going well and everyone has been working hard to be in top form for the championships,” said Cycling Australia National Performance Director, Kevin Tabotta. “This is a rare opportunity for the team to race at the very highest level in front of a home crowd with family and friends in the stands to support them.

“To claim the rainbow jersey of world champion is a very special honour but the most important thing is for each and every member of the team to deliver their very best and I’m confident that will be the case in Melbourne.”

Melbourne is also the major track event on the calendar between now and June when nominations for Olympic Games selection are lodged with the Australian Olympic Committee.

Reigning sprint and keirin world champion Anna Meares will be lining up in her tenth elite world titles on the same track where she won the 500 metre time trial in 2004 to claim her first rainbow jersey in senior competition. Kaarle McCulloch, with whom Meares has won the past three team sprint world titles, will join her to race the women’s sprint events.

In the men’s ranks 2011 keirin world champion, Shane Perkins will line up with Scott Sunderland and Matthew Glaetzer, in the team sprint. The trio set an Australian record in Kazakhstan in November at the opening round of the World Cup and at last month’s London round, 19 year old Glaetzer rode the fastest last lap of the competition. The trio will also cover the keirin and sprint while Australian champion James Glasspool will race the kilometre time trial in his first senior world championships team.

Ashlee Ankudinoff is back in the team after injury derailed her bid for selection in 2011. She joins fellow 2010 pursuit world champion Josephine Tomic who along with Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson posted an Australian record on their way to the team pursuit bronze medal last month in London. Melissa Hoskins, who won the scratch race in London, completes the women’s endurance line up.

Cameron Meyer and Leigh Howard are set to defend their Madison crown and Meyer is also hoping to reclaim the points race title he relinquished last year. The remaining six named today, Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Michael Hepburn, Alexander Edmondson, Glenn O’Shea and Mitchell Mulhern, are vying for one of the remaining five places in the team.

Bobridge won gold in the individual pursuit at last year’s world championships in the Netherlands and, along with Dennis, Hepburn and Luke Durbridge, won the team pursuit crown. Last month in London, Bobridge, Dennis, Hepburn and Edmondson combined to set the third fastest time in history to defeat Great Britain in the team pursuit but O’Shea and Mulhern have also performed strongly this season at other world cup events and remain in contention for a team pursuit berth. A final decision will be made by the end of the month.

2012 UCI Track World Championships – Cyclones Australian Team

Sprint Group
The eight sprint events are team sprint, sprint, keirin and time trial for both men and women.

Kaarle MCCULLOCH (Gymea Bay, NSW 20.01.1988) 2011 team sprint world champion
Anna MEARES (West Richmond, SA [formerly QLD] 21.09.1983) 2011 team sprint, sprint and keirin world champion
Matthew GLAETZER (Paradise, SA, 24.08.1992)
James GLASSPOOL (Fairview Park, SA 08.06.1991)
Shane PERKINS (Clayton South, VIC 30.12.1986) 2011 keirin world champion
Scott SUNDERLAND (Waneroo, WA 16.03.1988)

Endurance Group
The eleven endurance events are men’s and women’s team pursuit, individual pursuit, scratch race, points race and omnium plus the Madison for men.

Ashlee ANKUDINOFF (Menai, NSW, 20.08.1990)
Amy CURE (Penguin, TAS 31.12.1992)
Annette EDMONDSON (Stirling, SA, 12.12.1991)
Melissa HOSKINS (Lesmurdie, WA, 24.02.1991)
Josephine TOMIC (Perth, WA, 09.06.1989)
Jack BOBRIDGE (Evanston Park, SA, 13.07.1989) * 2011 individual and team pursuit world champion
Rohan DENNIS (Vale Park, SA 28.05.1990) * 2011 team pursuit world champion
Alexander EDMONDSON (Stirling, SA 22.12.1993) *
Michael HEPBURN (Brookfield, QLD 17.08.1991) * 2011 team pursuit world champion
Leigh HOWARD (Waurn Ponds, VIC, 18.10.1989) 2011 Madison world champion
Cameron MEYER (Helena Valley, WA 11.01.1988) 2011 Madison world champion
Mitchell MULHERN (Carseldine, QLD 22.01.1991) *
Glenn O’SHEA (Ridleyton, SA [formerly VIC] 14.06.1989)

This is the lead-up event to the 2012 London Olympics with track cycling starting on August 2. For contestants in Melbourne it is also the last opportunity for points qualification to be able to compete in London. For Australian cycling fans, it is the opportunity to watch the best men and women in the world on home soil over five days as they fight for the rainbow jersey.

Tickets prices start from $35 (Adult) though you need to get in quick as many sessions are sold out or getting close to selling out. The racing runs from April 4 to 8 at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne. Ticket prices and availability are here: www.2012trackworlds.com.au/tickets-and-travel/session-prices/

The Australian Cyclones team is expected to be announced tomorro. Favorite Anna Meares will likely be selected for multiple events and to defend her three gold medals from Apeldoorn, Holland – and faces strong competition from UK favourite Victoria Pendleton.

One of the activities leading up to the World Championships in Melbourne is the Melbourne Bikefest Chasing Rainbows Poster Design competition. You can view the entries here.

The 50 finalists have the artwork on display from today until Saturday 5pm at FYXO Hub in South Yarra – the five finalists will be announced on Friday March 16.