Matthew Richardson visibly gave it absolutely everything, barely able to stand at the end of a first evening of UCI Track Champions League action which saw him distance Harrie Lavreysen to win the sprint – and snatch victory in the keirin final.

The season’s opening night in Paris was billed as a rekindling of the sport’s greatest rivalry of recent years: Richardson had been required to miss the UCI world championships in Ballerup following his decision to switch nationality from Australian to British.

The two men met, inevitably, in the final of the match sprint; and jaws dropped as Richardson attacked at the bell and left Lavreysen in his wake.

His win shortly afterwards in the keirin was no less impressive. Lavreysen, drawn at the back, slotted into a gap in front of the British rider with two laps to go. Then, as the Dutchman attacked at the bell, Richardson only had to stay on his wheel, and await the right moment to attack.

The moment came as they entered corner three, with Richardson coming around the top. He had (just) enough time to punch the air in celebration as his momentum took him into the lead just when it mattered.

‘I’ve never beaten Harrie in sprint and keirin in the same night, so to do it is pretty cool,’ he said afterwards. ‘I’ve had the pleasure of just training for this, which has been really nice. But I had to do it out there, it’s not just a given that I’d be on good form.’

Richardson’s partner Emma Finucane took the win in the women’s sprint, leaving it late to pass Colombia’s Martha Bayona in the final.

But when Russian rider Alina Lysenko – riding as an Independent Neutral Athlete – attacked from the back of the line with two laps remaining in the women’s keirin final, nobody could stay with her. Finucane led the rest home, with Steffie van der Peet third and Bayona fourth.

‘I was going full gas,’ said a clearly surprised Finucane, ‘and then she just comes, and I was like – fair. I’ve been looking at the times all day, and they’ve been pretty quick for female sprinters, in the keirin especially. So yeah, fair play.’

Defending women’s champion Ellesse Andrews was third in her semi-final behind Bayona and Lysenko, and failed to make the keirin final. She ends the opening night in 6th place, with work to do in Apeldoorn next Friday and Saturday.

This was the first time Richardson had raced in British colours; and it may be his last for some time, since – sitting top in the standings – he will wear the (apparently) turquoise skinsuit of series leader next week.