The Track Cycling World Cup is back to Glasgow…

The World Cup season starts with a first stage in Scotland at the Sir Chris Hoy Glasgow Velodrome. Quentin begins with the individual speed competition.

For the qualifying rounds of the 200 m flying start, he finishes 8^th and rapidly makes his way up to the ¼ final where he is opposed to the Russian Pavel Yakushesvki, European Champion. Quentin is eliminated in 2 rounds and gets a similar result to the European Championship. Quentin finishes the individual speed race in the 8^th position after ranking races.

Quentin is back on the track cycling after a day off. Benjamin Edelin and Sébastien Vigier team up with him for the speed team competition. It’s a new team as Kevin Sireau who competed during the European Championship is replaced by Benjamin Edelin.

The first qualifying round runs smoothly for the French team. They get the 4^th best time. During the 2^nd round, the French team is opposed to the Russian team. If the French team wants to compete in the final, it must win against the Russian, but they also need to achieve one of the two best times amongst the winners. A great race and a time of 43’9 allow the French team to go to the final round against the British team. The British team wins the gold medal in 43”479 with the support from its public audience. The French team finishes 2^nd and gets the silver medal in this 1^st round of the World Cup with a time of 44”414.

“This close and homogenous team has already shown a lot of positive things and this first podium gives us the incentive to go even faster next week in Apeldoorn! “ Quentin said at the end of a day of competition.

Next to Apeldoorn

The next day all French team members fly to Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. The World Championship took place in Apeldoorn in 2011. This time the cyclists have the pleasure to race on a totally renewed wood floor. Once again Quentin is in the speed team with Sébastien Vigier and Bejamin Edelin and in the Keirin.

What follows is similar to what happened in Glasgow the week before. 3^rd best qualifying time 44”241, then they win over the Spaniards and get the 2^nd best time for the 1^st round in 44”189, and finally they meet again the British in the final. The British team finishes first with a time of 43”860 and the French team with a time of 45”092. The French team confirms its 2^nd ranking position in the overall World Cup ranking.

On the following day (no time to rest!), Quentin is back in the Keirin competition. It’s a race he hasn’t done since the French Championship in last September. Good start for Quentin who finishes 1^st in the 1^st round. During the semi-final, he finishes 5^th and is very disappointed not to access the final (only the 1^st three are qualified). Quentin competes in the small final for the 7 to 12 rankings. Led by the British Joe Truman, Quentin succeeds in overtaking him in the last stretch. He finishes 7^th overall in the Keirin competition.

“I’m disappointed. I felt really good and had a lot of hope for this competition. I was too much in a wait and see attitude but it doesn’t work this way… But I am happy I won the small final. In the end I won two rounds today (laugh!)… It’s important to win when you can even if it’s not the final for the 1^st position.”

So far so good. There is a lot of positive things to keep, especially in the speed team. Nevertheless there is still a lot of work to do and Quentin is already focused on the next competition.

See you on the track in 2017!