UCI Track World Cup Update 2018

photo credits @ UCI and Cycling Canada

– What happened? –

After a break of five weeks, the 2017-2018 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup concluded in Minsk, Belarus, with its fifth and final round on January 19-21.

Opened in 2008, the Minsk velodrome is incorporated into the Minsk Arena, a multisport and cultural complex. The venue hosted the European Track Cycling Championships in 2009, and the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2013. It is home to the Belarusian Cycling Federation.

A total of 17 gold medals were awarded, with the Netherlands leading the standings in both the number of gold medals (four) and total medals (seven). The UCI-registered Beat Cycling Club took four medals (three gold), with Germany and Team KGF each winning two gold medals. A total of 20 countries were on the podium. Matthijs Buchli of Beat Cycling Team was the most dominant rider, winning gold in all three men’s sprint events. Four riders each won two gold medals – Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands (points race, Omnium), Germany’s Pauline Sophie Grabosch (team sprint, individual sprint), the Netherland’s Jan Willem van Schip (Omnium, points race) and Team KGF’s Charlie Tanfield (team pursuit, individual pursuit).

– What’s next? –

Apeldoorn, Netherlands, UCI Track Cycling World Championships presented by Tissot > February 28 – March 4

– Focus on Stefan Ritter –

Canadian Stefan Ritter is one of the new, young talents emerging onto the world sprint scene. In 2016, Ritter showed his abilities at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland, with a world title in the time trial and a bronze in the sprint. He followed that up at the Pan American Continental Championships with two new Junior world records of 1:00.578 for the time trial and 9.738 seconds for the flying 200 metres. Ritter moved into the Elite ranks for 2017, however, a crash and concussion kept him out of competition for the earlier part of the 2017-2018 UCI World Cup season. At the fifth and final round in Minsk, Belarus, Ritter marked his first UCI World Cup appearance by claiming the silver medal in the keirin.