There are rumours in track cycling circles that sprinters have been laying down some spectacular times during practice sessions at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome, ahead of this week’s Olympic events.
Global Keirin has heard suggestions of several men getting close to the 9.100 flying 200 metre world record, set by Nicholas Paul at 2019’s Pan American Championships in Bolivia.
The women’s record – 10.154, set by Kelsey Mitchell at the same event – could also be under threat.
So, could we see the first man to set a 9.0, or maybe even a sub-9? Will a woman break 10 seconds for the first time?
Better prepared
There’s no doubt that riders go into the Olympics better prepared than for any other event. Many will have been planning specifically for these races for the past four years, or even longer.
Bicycles, clothing and other equipment will have been designed with this week specifically in mind. Nations have been proudly presenting their new gear: the Japanese Toray bike, with its wide front forks and left-side drivetrain has caught many people’s attention.
But there shouldn’t be any entirely new equipment on show in Paris. UCI rule 11.1.010 states:
any equipment used at the Olympic Games must have been commercially available … at the latest on January 1st of the year of the Olympic Games. In addition, the equipment must have been previously used in the year preceding the Olympic Games in an event included in the list as defined in the UCI Track Equipment Registration Procedure.
Wider track
Cycling Weekly reminds us that the Paris track is a metre wider than most similar arenas. So when sprinters begin their charge for a flying 200 effort, plunging from the perimeter wall to the bottom of the track, they have more of a ‘downhill’ in which to build up speed.
But the track geometry wasn’t enough to produce new records when Paris hosted the UCI World Championships in 2022. Harrie Lavreysen did 9.224 to top the men’s ranking; Lea Sophie Friedrich was fastest among the women, with 10.357.
The capacity for historic times is also dependent on factors outside the teams’ control, including the weather – yes, even indoors. With high temperatures and low air pressure, last week’s super-fast practice sessions were said to be ‘some of the fastest conditions pretty much ever at a sea-level track.’ The forecast isn’t quite so favourable for this week’s race-days.
Lewis Stewart and Jonny Mitchell from the Piste Take podcast both believe the women’s record will be broken, although they think it will remain above 10 seconds. Neither one believes the men’s record will go.
The men go on Wednesday at 12.45, heure de Paris. The women go on Friday, at 14.00.