Harrie Lavreysen knows the statistics. He knew that Sir Chris Hoy had won world titles in all four different sprint events on track cycling. Lavreysen didn’t know that the British athletics legend was the only one to have ever done so until Friday evening. “Yes, and now I have.”
Another record. With gold in the kilometer time trial on Friday evening in Ballerup, Denmark, Lavreysen took his World Cup medal total to fifteen. Before starting the tournament, the 27-year-old cyclist was thirteen years old. With the gold medal in the team sprint on Wednesday, on the first day of the World Championships, he equaled the record of French sprinter Arnaud Tournant. Now Lavreysen no longer has to share the title of record holder for the rainbow jersey. In Paris last summer, he was the top male Olympian at the Summer Games with a total of five gold medals.
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Lisette van der Geest is a sports reporter de Volkskrantand wrote about Olympic sports such as skating, swimming, and tennis.
In Denmark on Friday night he beat Jeffrey Hoogland, his 31-year-old compatriot who has dominated the event in recent years, but has now been awarded the silver medal. For Lavreysen, this was his first appearance in the highest global level time trial kilometer. Despite years of ‘poking’ from Hoogland and other teammates. “Man, what kind of champion would you be if you didn’t do everything?” Lavreysen was then notified.
However, ‘kilo’, the term time trial kilometer which is often abbreviated by national track selection participants, is a non-Olympic event. This is underappreciated. This is also a tough part. It was held in the middle of the tournament, which is why Lavreysen didn’t want to do it beforehand. “It also took a lot of strength today and I will definitely notice that tomorrow,” Lavreysen said afterwards while sitting in a chair.
Qualifying for the sprint is scheduled for Saturday. Events in which he is the reigning Olympic and world champion. The final will be held on Sunday. “I think the top four or five sprinters who will set the fastest times tomorrow haven’t ridden today,” he said as he looked ahead to qualifying. ‘So I prepare myself for that: even if you don’t have the fastest time, that doesn’t matter either. That doesn’t mean you can’t win on Sunday.”
His time of 57.321 is a record on a lowland track. Hoogland had to give up almost a second to Lavreysen, Britain’s Joseph Truman was four tenths of a second slower and finished third.
“My worst shot in my worst moment,” Hoogland said of his own performance. He didn’t know exactly what caused it. ‘Things are not going well.’ Lavreysen’s participation does not add extra pressure. Hoogland sees himself as having a good chance in an event where he already has four world titles, but he also knows he can expect the most competition from Lavreysen. Hoogland: ‘The fact that he has never started his international career doesn’t mean that we don’t know that he can do it.’
A surprising silverware for Van de Wouw
Soon after Lavreysen and Hoogland’s medals, 26-year-old Hetty van de Wouw managed to spring a surprise with her silver medal in the individual sprint. She had to concede her superior in top British favorite, Emma Finucane. Earlier this summer, Van de Wouw also surprised with an Olympic silver medal in the keirin, an event scheduled for Sunday. “Of course you want to win, but I also know: he is very strong,” he said afterwards, with a large silver medal around his neck.
‘I came here with an idea: I had to see what was on my feet after all this time.’ For track cyclists, the Olympics are the main goal. The World Cup soon followed, just two months later. ‘It’s great that I came second here, I showed that I’m worthy and not competing for a lower podium finish.’
Tongue out of mouth
24-year-old Philip Heijnen surprised the previous Friday night with bronze in the points race. In a strong, attacking race, which he rode largely with his mouth wide open and tongue hanging out – ‘that’s my style’ – he just had to tolerate Spanish winner Sebastián Mora and Danish rider Niklas Larsen.
This was his first bronze at the World Cup. It sounded dry after the points race was over: ‘There may always be more to it, but let’s start with this.’ He has a ‘bigger engine’, Heijnen said. Results of different training approaches. He calls himself a track cyclist, but when Heijnen finished seventh in his home elimination race at the European Track Cycling Championships in Apeldoorn last January, it was a disappointment. Four places lower than the previous year, when he surprised with bronze.
He decided that things had to be different by turning his attention to the road. Since this year he has been driving on the road in front of the Parkhotel Valkenburg. He wanted to take part in multi-day racing on the road. Becomes stronger and increases his endurance. That, he saw, was what the best track cyclists also did.
Now, after five multi-day races, Heijnen said after the 40 kilometer race: ‘I can ride with heavier obstacles here. Towards the end of the race things got better, while the candle burned out quicker at the start.’
