The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) organised an international test event involving men and women on the velodrome of the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland, on Friday 23 March.
The UCI invited four Under-23 international teams from France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain to try out a new sprint formula at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) alongside the Centre’s BMX trainees. The teams, which comprised two men and two women, travelled to the WCC specifically to participate.
After a series of timed qualification rounds, the best teams moved through to the semi-finals and then the finals, which were raced in similar fashion to the traditional team sprint: two teams started off on opposite sides of the track and raced over four laps with each rider leading for a lap before dropping back. The teams were free to choose the leading order of their athletes.
From a performance point of view, this event proved spectacular. The racing was extremely close, with the winners only being decided in the very last metres. The three first teams were separated by less than 2/10 of a second, with the final seeing Italy beat France by just 1/100 of a second. Great Britain took third place in the ride-off against Spain.
UCI President Brian Cookson declared the test event “a huge success.”
“All the teams took it in great spirit, and I would like to thank them for their motivation and their stunning performances in this event, which was totally new to them. I am sure we have seen some of the world’s future stars here today.”
What the teams had to say:
Marie Dufour was the second athlete to lead the French team: “It is an interesting concept that demonstrates the form of the nation as a whole, rather than just the women or just the men.”
Italy’s two women riders were the first to lead their team, followed by their third rider Manuel Gambuti: “The mixed team sprint is a new possibility and it was really good fun. I tried to encourage the girls in front of me.”
Monica Dew led the British team for the first lap but didn’t let the pressure get to her: “The guys got behind me and encouraged me to press on. We know each other really well but it’s the first time we race together. It worked incredibly well.”
Spain’s coach Salvador Meliá Mangriñan said his whole team enjoyed the experience. “I think it’s a possibility for the future.”
Mixed events are not totally new to cycling. A mixed team relay event has existed at the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships since 1999.
The mixed team sprint already exists for para-cycling and the discipline also has a mixed handbike relay on the road. Moreover, cycling at the Youth Olympic Games is raced in a mixed relay format.