Sixth for the two Lydias in the Madison

Boylan and Gurley Finish Six in Gutsy Race at First Track Cycling World Cup

The Women’s Madison of Lydia Boylan and Lydia Gurley have finished sixth at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Glasgow today. The duo picked up seven points in the event that was introduced to the international race calendar in a measure to bring gender equity to the number of championship events. GB were the eventual winners, pipping second placed France in the closing stages of the 80 lap race. Eoin Mullen finished 17^th in the Men’s Keirin, having finished 3^rd in his repechage, with just the top rider progressing. This is the first World Cup on the calendar and takes place in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow from the 4-6 November.

In the Madison the two Lydias raced well from the start, picking up the maximum five points in winning the second sprint, following that with more points later in the race. Ireland moved into second place early in the race, behind France, and slipped down to sixth by the final lap in a race which saw a phenomenal finish by GB, winning four of the following sprints. The Madison is a bunch race with two riders competing for each nation. Racing in a relay format the riders sling each other into action every couple of laps, taking turns to race the distance. The women’s event is 80 laps, or 20km. Every ten laps there is a sprint lap, with points on offer for the top finishers, the last lap has double points on offer.

Tomorrow is a busier day on the track for the Irish team, with Marc Potts making his World Cup debut, competing in the Individual Pursuit, along with the Women’s Sprint Team of Robyn Stewart and Eimear Moran. The two Lydias are back in action with Boylan competing in the Omnium and Gurley in the Scratch Race.

The Track World Cup in Glasgow runs from Friday 4^th November to Saturday 6^th November in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow.