December 15, 2008 — Zach Bell won gold in the men’s Scratch race at the Track World Cup in Cali, Colombia in dramatic fashion on Friday (Dec. 12), overcoming a mid-race crash to come back and score Canada’s first World Cup win by a male rider since Curt Harnett in 1996. Pedal caught up with Bell at his home in North Vancouver to talk about the win, his breakthrough 4th place finish in the Points race, and where Canada’s top male track rider is headed.

What were your expectations going into the Cali Track World Cup?
Zach Bell: I knew I was in a good situation. I had been doing all right in training going into the event, but we weren’t sure what the field would be like. Richard (Wooles/BC Provincial Coach) and I had talked it through and decided that it was only worth going if we felt I could make top-5 in the Points race. It was definitely in the cards to perform the way I did – I just needed to have the mind set to do it.

Is this your best ever finish in the Points race?
ZB: By far! Previous to this my best World Cup was 7th in Sydney last year – though I think my ride at the Beijing Olympics is the best I’ve ever done in terms of physical performance. The whole race was super tight and there was a little bit of teamwork going on. The Cofidis rider (Leonardo Duque) was Colombian and I didn’t realize this. The Colombian national team rider was working for him all race, leading out and letting gaps go. We didn’t realize until the crowd’s reaction after he won that he was Colombian. I honestly think though, that the way he was riding he would have won anyways. The Spanish guy (Carlos Torrent Tarres — who had a teammate in the field) was getting a bit of a lead out as well, but in the final sprints at the end I just didn’t have the legs to change the race. It all came down to the last sprint, and my form is just not quite there yet.

The top four established themselves early on in the race, it wasn’t in my plan to spend so much energy so early, but I had to, to be in the race. About eight guys took the first lap, and shortly after four riders took a second. On that second lap we were going hard and the Cofidis rider was the main engine. He deserved to win the way he rode, because he dominated the final sprints as well. With about 50 laps to go I just didn’t have the hustle to come around in the last few sprints. Most of my points came from following wheels as I was trying to conserve energy — I didn’t have a choice!

Did being so close to the podium in the Points race inspire your Scratch ride like in Sydney last year?
ZB: It wasn’t like Sydney, I was pretty content with my Points race here, and I knew I was one of the engines in the field after the Points race. I was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. Both days I raced to a plan and it worked. I wasn’t really thinking about how close I had been.

Going into the Scratch I was a little more confident – what had put me under in the Points race were the multiple sprints. I knew the tools I have right now were sharp enough for the Scratch if I raced it controlled. I just haven’t sharpened up the part of my energy systems to have the repeated speed.

The field was very different then last year, it was pretty much the same for both the Points and the Scratch – whereas last year most nations sent their A guys to the Points race and the Scratch was more of a B field. The average speed on the board at the end of the race was 50.6 kph, which is absurdly fast for a Scratch race — normally they are a couple kph slower than the points. That said it’s a really fast track — just look at Sireau (France) going under ten seconds in the sprints.

How was the track?
ZB: It was a weird hybrid mix of a European track and a South American one. The track was really pretty good, it had one little bump just to say “ok we’re in South America – there’s a bit of a jump.” But there were nearly two stories of open air all around the track, it seemed indoors and then once in a while you’d get a bit of a breeze. It was definitely the best South American trip I’ve done in terms of how well we were looked after, and the race hotel was super nice.

What are you plans for the rest of the season?
ZB: The Beijing World Cup is in the plans, I want to get another one under my belt before Worlds. A result there isn’t critical, but I’m hoping to be in better form. It is likely to be a faster field as there will probably be more Euro teams there. I did some quick calculations last night and I should get into Worlds without too much difficulty, by its hard to say with the sporadic attendance this year.

Tell us about your goals for 2009.
ZB: My goals are primarily on the road this year, and I’m committed to having good form there (Bell recently signed with Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast). My only quantifiable goal on the track for 2009 is at the Track World Championships, I’m looking for a top 8 or top 5 in the Points race and to try and a podium in the Scratch. It’s always hard to say though, since Worlds are generally a whole different ballgame. Hopefully I will arrive there healthy this year and have a good one. On the road I am looking towards Philly.

It must be great to have an accomplished track rider like Jonas Carney at the helm of Kelly Benefits.
ZB: The team isn’t too concerned with the track, but I knew him a little before I signed. Svein (Tuft) and Jonas go way back and were always chummy at races. I think the big thing will be keeping the communication open with him. He’s working with me to make sure I have space to race the track, but I’ve also told him that his program is my priority this season. I am really looking forwards to racing with those guys, and I’m really excited about the team structure — it’s a good group of guys. Getting to race with Jake and Randy (Ryan Anderson) is a good thing! Jake still has a lot of hustle and I’m excited to see what Ryan can do at the next level since he didn’t get a lot of chances to show himself on our team last year.

Getting back to your Scratch race win — tell us about the race and the crash?
ZB: It was a pretty dramatic race! It was almost a little “Svein-esque” from this year’s Road Worlds! It was a crazy race the whole time, six riders took a lap with me early on and then some others did as well. I’d attacked again with a Spanish rider trying to get a second lap when a tire blew. I blew the tire coming out of corner two, and top-tube surfed the whole back straight before crashing at the start of corner three! Luckily I’d lost most of my speed by then so I just came away with a little road rash. Tanya (Dubnicoff/CCA Coach) changed the tire in four laps and then I rejoined the breakaway. By the time I got back in a few more guys had got across and the one Belgian rider thought I was a lap down, so there was some confusion there.

The confusion probably helped, I attacked with 12 laps to go — just to try and suss out who was on the front lap and no one went with me. Some of the guys thought I was a lap down — but the commissaries were pretty clear and were calling me the front of the race the entire time. I had a few guys with me, but they were a lap down so they weren’t allowed to pull. I got out to half a lap, and just tried to hold it there. The field was chasing but just couldn’t get organized. It actually played out a lot like the Sydney World Cup last year (where Bell was second), with guys attacking through the field every time they gained a lap. I just attacked earlier at the end this time. It really played to my strengths since my sprint is not as tuned up as it’s been in the past.

Thanks Zach! All the best in 2009.
ZB: Thanks