August 19, 2008 (Beijing, China) — The “great” in Great Britain was in full force on the last night of track racing when Vicki Pendleton was up first against the Netherland’s Willy Kanis. With Sherri and Tony Blair, and kids in attendance, along with the president of the British Olympic Association, Pendleton flew by the Dutch rider in their first heat in 11.537. The second heat was closer as Kanis held her off until the last twenty metres when Pendleton again pushed ahead with those powerful British legs winning again in 11.885.

The second pairing of Shuang Guo of China and Anna Meares of Australia turned into a standstill between the two on the backstretch in the first preliminary lap. They expertly held their ground until Guo broke. She spent most of the preliminary laps looking backwards, watching Meares until the second backstretch, half a lap before the bell lap when Meares went for it. But there was no contest as Guo came after her like red fireball in 11.629. Meares won the second heat in a slightly faster time of 11.578, which meant they would move on to a third sprint.

The third heat saw a crash for Guo when she was all on her own in a preliminary lap before the race had even begun. She was uninjured and the jury declared a re-run. Things seemed to loosen up for both riders as they started the sprint half a lap before the bell. But Guo played dirty on the banking and came far too close to Meares’ right of way, elbowing her onto the apron. Meares nearly fell, but retained her balance and kept on. The sprint was a photo finish that saw Guo’s tire about two centimeters ahead. However soon after this the jury decided that Guo had entered the other sprinter’s lane when the opponent was already there. This gave the match to Meares.

Women’s Sprint Final
In the bronze medal round Guo of China faced off against Kanis of the Netherlands, and with the velodrome packed with Guo fans, she flew taking the first heat in 11.420. Guo, who is from Inner Mongolia, has former Olympic and world champion sprinter Daniel Morelon as a coach and can duke it out with the best of them.

In the second heat they took their time in the preliminary laps with Kanis forced out in front. Then Guo rode high on the banking with one and a half laps to go pushed the Dutch rider until the last twenty metres when she powered past to take the bronze in 11.617. Watch for Guo in 2012.

After the race when she was questioned by Chinese media about why she hadn’t won gold, she said that she had not stated she would win gold, only that she wanted to, and was happy with her medal. Not an easy country to be anything but golden in.

Pendleton took on Meares for the gold and won the first heat without contest in 11.363, but what most people did not know is that six months earlier Meares had broken a C2 vertebrae in her neck during a crash at the Los Angeles World Cup in January 2008. The question at that time was would she live? For Meares to even make it to this final medal match, given what she has had to overcome, is a miracle.

Pendleton let her go out in front in the lead off to the race, and, unlike most of the races when riders started to wind up half a lap before the line, it wasn’t until the straightaway before the bell lap that they started to accelerate. Once again it was a walk in the park for Pendleton. It looked like Meares gave up by the last forty metres and Pendleton became the Olympic champion in 11.118.

Later she said that as she stood on the podium listening to the national anthem, “It didn’t really seem real for me. I’ve been watching the boys all week. Today it didn’t really seem real for me. I’m sure it will.”

On the phenomenal success of track program, Pendleton said, “It’s a combination of things. For a while we didn’t have a coach. Now we have Jan Van Eijden working with us. It’s made a massive difference to sprint training. The English institute for Sport is great. The team atmosphere is so good. Everyone draws on one another’s success.

“I feel like a different athlete than I was four years ago. I was ready to give up after Athens. I think it’s been a learning experience. Team psychologist Steve Peters has been so amazing. I’ve been really fortunate to have such support. What you have to do around here to equal your teammates is pretty steep. We were really looking forward to giving it our best shot.”

“Your Olympic dreams go out the window,” said Meares about the time after her accident, “but I’ve had so many amazing people surrounding me. For all I care the silver medal could be gold. It means the world to me.”

Meares said she has “pretty much grown up on the bike.” Living where she does in rural Australia. “I always had a bush bike and grew up riding BMX.” She also said that the British success definitely shows they are the top cycling nation, but that “a lot of countries just won’t be able to match that funding. That’s just it.”

It was the first time bronze medalist Guo participated in the Games and she said, “Nothing is decided yet as to who is to be my coach. As to next year the major task for me is to participate in the National Games.”

Men’s Sprint Semi-Final
Chris Hoy of Team Great Britain, as these cycling stars are called, and Mickael Bourgain of France were up in the first grouping, but as usual, there was no contest. Hoy was so far ahead he was able to come up on his bars as he crossed the line in 10.260. In the second heat Hoy stayed in front in the preliminary laps and just took off half a lap before the bell lap. It was another walk over in 10.358.

Next up was Jason Kenny, yet another Team GB member and Germany’s Maximilian Levy. If anyone could take Kenny it was Levy, who nearly did, but as usual, the British rider prevailed. Kenny led in the second heat during the preliminary laps, riding nearly permanently with a bent neck, as he watched Levy from behind. Kenny’s strategy was to just take off and start the race early. Levy didn’t even bother challenging. Kenny took it in 10.594 and then took the second heat in much the same manner in 10.358. These results put Hoy and Kenny against one another for the gold/silver and Levy and Bourgain for the bronze.

Men’s Sprint Final
The bronze match went to three as Levy and Bourgain each won a heat each. Bourgain took the first in 11/047 while Levy hit the line first in the second sprint 10.666. In the last heat Bourgain led in the preliminary laps, and Levy looked like he left the jump too late as Bourgain took advantage of a three-bike gap between the two of them they rode the straightaway, half a lap before the bell lap. Levy challenged, but could not take Bourgain, who won in 10.560.

It was Chris Hoy night as the flying Scotsman dominated the final for gold and silver. While Kenny was powerful, Hoy had that “Hoyceules” magic formula, as the press it calling it, that puts steel springs in his legs. No matter what kind of a gap a competitor has on Hoy, he seems to have an extra three gears he can move into, which he did in this sprint, winning it in 10.228.

In the second heat Kenny led out, watching his teammate who rode behind him two bike lengths back. They weren’t yet through the first preliminary lap when the speed picked up considerably and on the banking, one and a half laps before the bell lap. These two can start the race whenever they want, and they started to fly a lap early. Kenny stayed out in front until the last twenty metres when that famous sprint that Hoy has kicks in. He took the sprint, but only by a wheel in 10.216.

With two riders in the gold/silver race, British coaching staff became neutral. “It’s up to you to sort it out,” Kenny quoted the coaches as saying as they didn’t help either rider. “I knew I was in a slightly smaller gear than Chris. I didn’t feel the first heat went that well for me. I was indecisive and you can’t be indecisive in the sprint. I think I made up for it in the second one and at the end of the day Chris had the legs” said the twenty-year-old star.

“I couldn’t have tried harder and that takes the pressure off,” said Hoy about how he prepared for this night. “If you go into a race unprepared there’s mental stress. I believe hard work gets you to the top. I’ve always had the power and the speed, but it’s the tactical side I’ve never had. Jan Van Eijden as our coach – he’s a former world champion. So the tactical side has come up. Plus just having competition on the team. Jason was so close to winning tonight. He’s got better acceleration than me. You could re-run that race again and Jason could win it.

Despite his historic win of three gold medals in one Games, Hoy said he, “never thought about three gold medals. I just thought about the sprint itself. We trained very hard – the lactate tolerance intervals. Psychologically you know you have it. “We have no favorites here” the coaches told us. It was level and fair. Normally we have a little chat, but this time you were on your own.

When asked about the specter of doping that may be held over the team after winning an historic eight gold, four silver and two bronze in road and track, and four Olympic and one world record set, Hoy dismissed any suggestion that drugs played a role.

“I would be very surprised if people were doubting us. What’s more surprising to me is that some nations haven’t really been able to raise their game after the World Championships. It’s sad. It’s a minority who cause that [stigma]. There’s always going to be suspicions, but I hope people realize this is twelve years in the making.”

Bourgain said for him, the loss he suffered in the second heat was something he would not dwell on. “I focus on recovery – let it go. Get back in the saddle and do the best I can, and in the last one, I really gave it my all.”

Men’s Madison
Team GB entered this 50km event as the World Champions and thus wore number one. Germany was rated as number two, Denmark number three, and Belgium number four. Swiss were rated as the fifth fastest team, while Spain took the sixth spot going into this race. Canada, represented by Zach Bell and Martin Gilbert, was ranked 16th out of sixteen teams. They would all contest ten sprints.

The pack stayed together until Belgium and Argentina attacked with seven laps to go before the first sprint. With three laps to go Britain pulled the field up to them and on the bell lap Denmark took off followed by Germany, France and Belgium. Belgium took the second sprint followed by Russia, the USA, and Great Britain.

Two laps later Italy attacked and gained nearly half a lap within four laps. They held their lead for several laps until Argentina broke out on their own. But the Italians continued to fly and gained a lap on the peloton, while Argentina came hot on their wheels. In another five laps Argentina had lapped the field as well. Just as they reached the field the bell rang for the sprint and France jumped again, placing second behind Argentina, who had a lap up on the field.

Eight laps before the third sprint Bell went for a break, followed by the Russians and the Czech Republic. The field began to string out, which gave Bell and Gilbert an advantage as they went for it with Russia and the Czechs. They stayed out, while the Italians lost their lap. As the bell rang, they were still out in front and Canada took the sprint. This put Bell and Gilbert in third position, tied with four other countries. But Canada, the Czechs and Russians stayed out in front of the field, until Canada pulled ahead on their own and came so close to the field, but could not bridge as the pack sped up. Russia did make contact and then so did Canada just as the bell lap rang. This move pulled Canada into first place, tied with Russia and Argentina.

But Canada could not hold the lead and was lapped by the peloton, reducing their lead to sixth place. Spain attacked soon after the field lapped Canada and within two laps had half a lap with 84 laps to go. On this bell lap Spain took it, with the Czech Republic right behind them followed by Germany and the Netherlands. Spain stayed out and soon lapped the Canadians who were half a lap behind the field at this point. Canada tried to stay on the Spanish wheel but could not. But the Czech Republic ended up losing two laps and moved down with Canada. Spain continued like a train, lapping the field once more. Canada sat at 12th place with 54 laps to go. Four teams were leading in points: New Zealand, Argentina, Belgium and Spain and they were joined by Denmark, and Germany going into the next sprint.

On the bell lap it was New Zealand, Denmark, Germany and Argentina. The field had strung out considerably, but Holland and Belgium tried to make a break with Argentina, Russia and New Zealand chasing before the sprint. Holland took it with Belgium second, Argentina third and then Russia. The Netherlands and Belgium stayed out though as New Zealand chased with 37 laps to go as Canada took thirteenth position.

Britain and Denmark broke and were chased by Canada and Germany next. Canada was right on them, but the break could not be sustained and they were swallowed by the field. At the next bell lap Belgium took it with Denmark, Britain and France. Eighteen laps to go saw Belgium trying to make a break, soon gaining half a lap while the USA lost another lap. This moved Canada into twelfth position. But Germany, Spain and Denmark chased with Germany catching Belgium.

With ten laps to go the Dutch attacked and caught Belgium and Germans. But the peloton gained on them and with five laps to go the peloton was strung out, but no one country was out in front. Argentina had taken two laps as had Spain, and Russia. Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, New Zealand and Switzerland were all just one lap down, while Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, the Ukraine were three laps down, with the USA four laps back.

France took the final sprint with Denmark in second, Spain third and the Netherlands fourth. But it was Argentina who scooped the gold with fifth place in the finishing order combined with eight points and the fact that they were two laps up. Spain took silver with third place in the finishing order and seven points in total, also two laps up, while Russia was sixth in the finishing order, had six points and two laps up. Belgium took fourth, Germany fifth and Denmark sixth.

“We didn’t get too many opportunities in the race, so we had to take advantage of it,” said Bell afterwards, referring to their early break for an extra lap. Bell was disappointed with their ride even though they moved up from 16th to 12th position in international rankings, saying that they were too confident early on and paid for it later. On the other hand they wanted to show the Europeans that they were strong enough to trust if they found a Canadian in a break with them.

“It’s tough at this level,” Bell continued, “when a lot of these guys are doing fifteen to twenty races a year and this is our third race. We had the form to be here. But we’re victims of too much motivation. We excited about being here, we felt good so we went for it, and took the lap quickly. It’s a mistake you don’t do after twenty races a year.”

Gilbert, who was riding on a Cervelo bike lent to him by the Danish team after his was irreparably broken in transportation was happy with it. “It was perfect,” he said, “There was nothing wrong riding this bike.” But Gilbert said once the lactate sets into the legs, if you can’t recover, then the legs don’t turn anymore. There’s a little gap between being able to continue the race, when you are on the edge. “Just the edge there – it’s something you can learn – knowing yourself at that speed and that level.”