World Track Wrap

Twice As Nice...
It has been said that its easier to get to the top than to stay there. Regardless, Sarah Hammer, now knows the feeling from both sides of the fence as she was able to repeat in the 3km Individual Pursuit.

For those who don't have a velodrome nearby or have never ventured onto the pine, the pursuit is considered one of track cycling's endurance events. But that can even be a misnomer as the speeds can be very fast. The event I liken it most to is the 800m in track, where you need the speed of a sprinter, but the endurance of a 1-2 miler.

The individual pursuit is held in the men's (4km) and women's (3km) category. The team pursuit is held only in the men's category, at the same distance. A rider, or team of four, starts at opposite ends of the track and attempts to cover the distance as quickly as possible. If there's a huge disparity between the competitors the race looks almost like greyhounds chasing a mechanical rabbit around the dog track. If an individual or team catches and passes the other before the covered distance, the race is over.

Other Champions include:
Men's:
Chris Hoy (GBR) - Kilo & Keirin; Theo Bos (NED) - Sprints; Alois Kankovsky (CZE) - Omnium; Bradley Wiggins (GBR)- Indiviual Pursuit; Kam Po Wong (CHN) - Scratch; Joan Llaneras (ESP) - Points; Mickaël Bourgain and Arnaud Tournant (FRA) - Team Sprints; Bruno Risi and Franco Marvulli (SWI) - Madison; Great Britain - Team Pursuit.

Women's:
Victoria Pendelton (GBR) - Sprints & Keirin; Yumari Gonzalez Valdivieso (CUB) - Scratch; Katherine Bates (AUS) - Points; Victoria Pendelton and Shanaze Reade (GBR) - Team Sprints.