UCI Track Champions League: On-fire debutant Alina Lysenko makes history with fifth consecutive triumph in Apeldoorn

On-fire debutant Alina Lysenko made history at the UCI Track Champions League in Apeldoorn on Saturday.

At the end of this weekend’s racing, Katie Archibald (Great Britain), Dylan Bibic (Canada), Harrie Lavreysen (the Netherlands) and Alina Lysenko defended their leads, meaning they will wear the iconic blue jerseys next week in London.

Nearly 6,500 spectators packed into the Omnisport Apeldoorn across this weekend’s double-header, and those in the crowd witnessed Lysenko make UCI Track Champions League history.

The newcomer won both the sprint and keirin races for the second night in a row, and in doing so became the first rider in the history of the event to win five consecutive events.

Lavreysen and Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) won four in a row at the beginning of last season, but the youngster broke their shared record and now carries a 29-point lead in the women’s sprint league into the final two rounds.

Archibald continued to reign supreme at the top of the women’s endurance standings. A 12th place in the scratch race was a less than ideal start, but she came roaring back with a stunning win in the Elimination, a discipline she has dominated in the UCI Track Champions League. Petra Sevcikova (Czech Republic) was another to shine on night two in Apeldoorn, taking victory in the Scratch race for her first-ever UCI Track Champions League win.

Bibic retained his lead in the Men’s Endurance league despite winning neither of Saturday's races but sits just nine points ahead of another favourite for the overall title, Tobias Aagard Hansen (Denmark). Aagard’s victory over Bibic in the Men’s Elimination race means the rivals have two wins apiece, setting up an intriguing battle next week for the title.

Earlier on, UCI Track Champions League debutant Peter Moore (USA) secured a brilliant win in the Men’s Scratch race, his first of the series.

In the men’s sprint league, Richardson (Great Britain) and Lavreysen shared the spoils, with the Dutchman winning the sprint on home turf but blown out of the water by his British rival in the Keirin. Just five points separate the pair heading into London’s double-header, setting up a thrilling conclusion to the battle for the men’s sprint title.

Sadly, Grant Koontz (USA) did not start round three after sustaining a wrist injury in the crash in the men’s elimination on Friday night. His withdrawal meant that 16 riders participated in the men’s endurance league on the second night in Apeldoorn.

The fireworks were slow to start in the women’s scratch, and it was clear that fatigue from last night’s exertions would be a big factor in how the race played out. The pace steadily ramped up but with no-one committing to a real attack and the riders gearing up for a bunch sprint. Anna Morris (Great Britain) led the field going into the final lap, but it was Sevcikova who came around on the final bend and lunged for the line to seal a brilliant first-ever UCI Track Champions League victory. Lara Gillespie (Ireland) was second, nudging ahead of a fast-accelerating Sarah van Dam (Canada) in third.

The men’s scratch race was the complete opposite, with 2022 overall Endurance winner Claudio Imhof (Switzerland) taking advantage of some hesitation in the bunch to launch a move a few laps in. With 3km remaining he was caught, and it was youngster Oscar Nilsson-Julien (France) who was next to attack, taking Moore and Will Tidball (Great Britain) with him. The pressure was on blue jersey Dylan Bibic to chase them down, but the trio hung on, and Moore put in an incredible lap-and-a-half turn on the front, holding on for a well-deserved win. Nilsson-Julien was second and former UCI Scratch World Champion Tidball completed the podium.

Alina Lysenko’s reign as Sprint league leader got off to a flying start as she easily overpowered Martha Bayona (Colombia) in the women’s sprint final. Lysenko had seen off Olympic champion Andrews in her heat and looked completely at ease in the blue jersey, winning her fourth of five races so far this season. It was a slow start as Bayona – drawn in first position on the track – tried to force Lysenko’s hand, but the youngster refused the bait and relied on her incredible acceleration in the final lap to win the day.

The Men’s Sprint final was another highly anticipated contest between blue jersey Lavreysen and his main rival, Richardson. The race began slowly as the riders looked to push each other to make a move, and the crowd ramped up the pressure on Richardson. Lavreysen led out the sprint with Richardson close on his wheel, but the local favourite pulled away in the home straight to the crowd’s delight.

Archibald produced another masterclass in the women’s elimination, winning a re-match with Yareli Acevedo (Mexico) after the two contested the win in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Paris, France) last week. The good news continued for Archibald as she cemented her grip on the women’s endurance lead, with rival Anita Stenberg (Norway) finishing down in ninth place. Sevcikova’s third place in the Elimination combined with her win in the Scratch race saw her jump up the standings to third, knocking down Stenberg, while Van Dam remained second overall.

The men’s elimination race was livened up by some unusual tactics as Filip Prokopyszyn (Poland) made a long-range solo attack, eventually finishing fifth after an incredible effort. The race win came down to another battle between league leader Bibic and the UCI World Champion in this discipline, Hansen. The pace was ferocious in the final lap, and it was the Dane who overpowered his rival on the line, with Blake Agnoletto (Australia) third for the second night in a row.

The men’s sprint final was another highly anticipated contest between blue jersey Lavreysen and his main rival, Richardson. The race began slowly as the riders looked to push each other to make a move, and the crowd ramped up the pressure on Richardson. Lavreysen led out the sprint with Richardson close on his wheel, but the local favourite pulled away in the home straight to the crowd’s delight.

Archibald produced another masterclass in the women’s elimination, winning a re-match with Yareli Acevedo (Mexico) after the two contested the win in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Paris, France) last week. The good news continued for Archibald as she cemented her grip on the women’s endurance lead, with rival Stenberg (Norway) finishing down in ninth place. Sevcikova’s third place in the elimination combined with her win in the Scratch race saw her jump up the standings to third, knocking down Stenberg, while Van Dam remained second overall.

The men’s elimination race was livened up by some unusual tactics as Prokopyszyn (Poland) made a long-range solo attack, eventually finishing fifth after an incredible effort. The race win came down to another battle between league leader Bibic and the UCI world champion in this discipline, Hansen. The pace was ferocious in the final lap, and it was the Dane who overpowered his rival on the line, with Blake Agnoletto (Australia) third for the second night in a row.

Alina Lysenko has been the revelation of this season, and she once again took the track sprinting world by storm, dominating the Women’s Keirin final. Mathilde Gros (France) made an early attack and held on for third place, with Steffie van der Peet (the Netherlands) coming second with another strong performance. But Lysenko looked to be in cruise control, and she continued her phenomenal UCI Track Champions League debut with a history-making fifth straight win.

A spectacular night of racing was capped off by a nail-biting victory for Richardson in the men’s keirin. Jeffrey Hoogland (the Netherlands) looked to slow down the race in its early stages, with him and team-mate Harrie Lavreysen boxing in the Brit. But Richardson wasn’t bothered by their tactical manoeuvring and shot away from the field in the final lap for a resounding win.

In a late twist, Hoogland – who crossed the line second – was relegated for impeding Lavreysen around the final bend, with his team-mate moving up to third place, behind Cristian Ortega (Colombia) in second. Hoogland’s relegation wasn’t all bad news for the home favourites, however, as it kept Lavreysen five points ahead of Richardson overall with everything still to play for in London.

Women's Endurance leader and Elimination winner Katie Archibald said: "Indecision really caught me out in the Scratch race, but damage control has been okay in the Elimination. I always knew this was going to be a good round, I’ve raced lots in Apeldoorn. They’re a great cycling nation and they get excited by the sport. It's nice to be in a stadium that enjoys wins by their home favourites but I think they give every rider a big mark of respect. It’s such a privilege to be a British rider in this series and for the Finale to be the most special round for us."

Men’s Endurance leader and Elimination race runner-up Dylan Bibic said: "I felt good. The Elimination was probably one of the most competitive [races]. Tobias [Hansen] is a really good rival. We push the best out of each other. Guys are getting faster, Will Tidball is getting back to what I remembered him being, so it’s going to be really competitive [next week]. I’ll just keep racing for the win, keep trying to win every race."

Women’s Sprint leader and Keirin and Sprint race winner Alina Lysenko said: "It’s a mix of joy, and at the same time, I’m not used to all this attention focused on me. For me, it’s an experience, and I hope I’ll be able to overcome it. I’m grateful for this competition, as it gives me the opportunity to compete alongside sports celebrities who have been at the Olympics and the UCI World and European Championships. I’ve never had such experiences before, and for me, it’s all positive. As for the future, I’m not making any predictions. We’ll see as the race unfolds."

Men’s Sprint leader and Sprint winner Harrie Lavreysen said: "This week was a heavy double-header and I expect that next week again! Here I had the home crowd, next week [Matthew Richardson] will have it. I don’t think it will matter that much but it’s nice to enjoy the crowd. [Cristian Ortega] is showing some really good form, I was just in the middle in the Keirin, and I couldn’t really pedal any more, but I'm still happy I got some points and looking forward to next week. Going between me and Matthew [Richardson], I need every point and I can get!"

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