Dutch Riders Grab More Golds
SANTIAGO, Oct 25 (Reuters). Hetty van de Wouw and Lorena Wiebes each took home their second world title. This happened at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Friday. The Netherlands had a strong day in the city of Chile.
Van de Wouw won the women’s sprint. She beat Mina Sato from Japan in two races. She is just the second woman from the Netherlands to win this race. Ingrid Haringa did it back in 1991.
The rider is 24 years old. She added this to the team sprint gold from Wednesday. She won that with Steffie van der Peet and Kimberly Kalee. “I still can’t wrap my head around it. It feels great,” Van de Wouw said.
She felt good going in. “I knew I was strong from the day before. I beat Ellesse Andrews in the quarterfinals. She is the Olympic champ. That gave me a boost. But to be world champ is wild.”
Wiebes took the women’s omnium. She pulled ahead in the last sprint. Marion Borras from France had taken the lead for a bit. She lapped the group. But Wiebes got her third world title in two weeks. She won the scratch race before. And the Gravel World Championships.
“A lot can go wrong in an omnium. You want this win. But I did not see it coming for sure,” Wiebes said.
She stayed strong in the elimination part. That built her hope. “Three titles in two weeks tops off a super year.”
The meet goes on this weekend. The kilometre time trial comes. Keirin too. Van de Wouw races again.
Josh Charlton from Britain got his first world title. He won the Individual Pursuit. He beat Rasmus Pedersen from Denmark in the final. Anders Johnson from America took third.
Another Brit, Josh Tarling, won the men’s points race. He finished before Peter Moore from America. Clement Petit from France came third.
Women’s Sprint Race Details
Van de Wouw lined up fast. Wheels spun quick. First heat she jumped ahead. Sato chased hard. But Dutch legs pushed to the line first.
Second heat same. Van de Wouw took inside lane. Draft smart. Burst last 200 meters. Sato close but no catch. Gold hers.
Crowd clapped loud. Flags orange waved. Teammates hugged tight. Medals shiny under lights.
She beat big names before. Andrews in quarters. Tough match. Three heats maybe. Van de Wouw won two. Confidence grew.
Van de Wouw’s Team Sprint Win
Wednesday gold with friends. Three riders. Van der Peet start. Kalee middle. Van de Wouw anchor.
Laps fly. Changes smooth. Hands slap backs. Speed builds. Line crossed first.
Podium smiles. Anthems play. Flowers bunch big. Photos snap.
Team work key. Practice hours. Timing perfect. Bike fits custom. Gears click right.
Young Champ Feel
24 years. Legs fresh. Train hard. Gym lifts. Track laps. Coach yells go.
Beat Olympic winner. Shock self. “Okay good.” Then final win. Jump scream.
Family watches home. TV on. Cheers echo. Texts flood phone.
Wiebes Omnium Battle
Omnium mix races. Scratch first. Points next. Elimination. Tempo. Final sprint.
Wiebes strong all. Borras lap field. Gain points big. Lead short.
But Wiebes fight back. Elimination last long. Pick off riders. Stay in.
Final sprint. Legs burn. Push hard. Cross line top. Points add win.
Three golds. Scratch. Gravel. Omnium. Bike swaps. Tires change. Energy high.
