February 23, 2007 (Manchester, Great Britain) – Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo./Slipstream-Chipotle) rode to a bronze medal in the scratch race Friday as the final round of the 2006-07 UCI Track World Cup series opened in Manchester, Great Britain.

Huff, the 2006 USA Cycling Professional Criterium Champion, placed seventh in his qualifying heat to advance to the final where he faced 23 riders in a fast, tightly fought battle. In the second half of the final, Huff was in a group of twelve that lapped the other half of the field. The race concluded with Poland’s Rafal Ratajczyk taking a very close win over German Roger Kluge and Huff securing bronze for the U.S.

Liz Carlson (Jim Thorpe, Pa./East Coast Velo), who made her World Cup debut just last month in Los Angeles, also competed for the U.S. Friday. In the flying 200-meter sprint qualification, she advanced to the 1/8 finals after placing 16th with a time of 11.804 compared to top qualifier Victoria Pendleton’s 11.068. Carlson was defeated by eventual winner Pendleton in the ensuing head-to-head match and sent to the quarterfinals of the ‘B’ pool where she lost out to Venezuelan Daniela Larreal and settled for 16th place overall.

In other American action, Kele Murdin (Kenmore, Wash.) and Christen King (Huntington Beach, Calif./South Bay Wheelmen) made their World Cup debuts in the women’s points race.

Murdin competed in the first qualifying heat where she placed 15th and failed to advance to the finals.

King put forth an impressive performance in her qualifying heat, riding to second place with five points and advancing to the finals where she placed 21st.

Other events contested today that didn’t feature any American competitors were the men’s kilometer time trial, men’s individual pursuit, and the men’s keirin. Action on tap for Saturday includes the men’s sprint, team pursuit, points race, and team sprint and the women’s individual pursuit, 500-meter time trial, and team sprint.


UCI Track World Cup, Round 4
Manchester, GBR – February 23-25, 2007

Day 1 Results

Men’s Scratch Race

1. Rafal Ratajczyk (POL)
2. Roger Kluge (GER)
3. Brad Huff (Fair Grove, Mo.)

Women’s Sprint

1. Victoria Pendleton (SIS)
2. Shuang Guo (CHN)
3. Anna Meares (AUS)
16. Liz Carlson (Jim Thorpe, Pa.)

Women’s Points Race

1. Yoanka Gonzalez Perez (CUB)
2. Belinda Goss (AUS)
3. Mie Bekker (DEN)
21. Christen King (Huntington Beach, Calif.)

Kele Murdin (Kenmore, Wash.) – did not advance to finals