Marc Potts Finishes 13th in the Scratch Race at the Track Worlds

Aggressive and Fast Scratch Race at Track Worlds

It was a day of strong debuts for Ireland at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships today, with Marc Potts finishing 13^th in the Men’s Scratch Race, and Robyn Stewart 24^th in the Women’s Sprint at their first World Championship event. The championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28^th February – 4^th March.

 

The Scratch Race was fast paced and stacked with attacks throughout the 15km, sixty laps bunch race. With just over thirty laps to go a trio of Italy, Belarus and Australia made the significant move, gaining a lap with twenty laps remaining. This trio made up the eventual podium with Yauheni Karaliok from Belarus taking the world title ahead of Italy’s Michele Scartezzini and Australia’s Callum Scotson.

 

“When the three guys got a lap, that was the medals gone. The race was over from there,” said a disappointed Potts after the race. “I’m a bit disappointed really, it wasn’t really the result I was going for. I wanted to get a medal, that was what I came here for.”

 

Ireland’s Potts has come close to a medal twice in the Scratch Race this season – the 26-year-old was fourth at the European Championships last October, and fifth in the Track World Cup in Poland. Tonight, was not the night for the Neon Velo Cycling Team racer – “I didn’t feel great, and felt on the back foot from the start – I didn’t feel my normal self.”

 

“The plan had been to take it easy and to wait until the middle of the race when it got really hard – and to try to clip off and take a lap. After the three guys went I was hoping for another move to go, but nothing really went, and it was going to be a group sprint.”

“I was trying to go with ten laps to go, my coach was telling me to go then – I didn’t have anything in me. I felt a bit empty. I knew I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get a medal, and I’m a bit gutted to be honest. But it’s my first world Championships, so I have to start somewhere.”

Potts is a member of the Northern Irish Commonwealth Team who will be competing in Australia next month.

Tomorrow Lydia Boylan will be competing in the Omnium, and Mark Downey will race in the Points Race. The 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships take place in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, from the 28^th February – 4^th March.

RESULTS:

Men’s Scratch Race

Gold Yauheni Karaliok (BLR)

Silver Michele Scartezzini (ITA)

Bronze Callum Scotson (AUS)

13^th Marc Potts (IRL)

SCHEDULE:

Friday 2^nd March

Women’s Omnium

Lydia Boylan

Men’s Points

Mark Downey

Saturday 3^rd March

Men’s Omnium

Felix English

Women’s Madison

Lydia Boylan

Lydia Gurley

Sunday 4^th March

Women’s Points

Lydia Gurley

Men’s Madison

Mark Downey

Felix English