The 2019 edition of the Elite Track European Championships ended this afternoon with a win by the Danish riders Michael Morkov and Lasse Norman Hansen in the Men’s Madison.
274 riders (154 men and 120 women) from 25 countries competed in this event, in a 15,000-capacity stadium held over five days, demonstrating the high technical level of this continental race, whose first edition was raced in 2010 and this year was one of the last international meetings before the Tokyo Olympic Games next August.
The Netherlands, host country of this event, came at the top of the medals table with 5 gold medals, 4 silver and 4 bronze, beating France who won 8 medals (5, 1 and 2) and Russia who finished third with 3 gold medals, 2 silver and 1 bronze.
Technically speaking, the performances of some of the biggest names on the international circuit, not just on the track, were incredible. The Road European Champion and Olympic gold medallist in the Omnium in Rio de Janeiro 2016, the Italian Elia Viviani, achieved victory in the Elimination race. Excellent results were also gained by the French riders Benjamin Thomas and Bryan Coquard, respectively winners of gold medals in the Omnium and Points Race, but especially by the Danish quartet who raced the first lap of the Team Pursuit in 3’48”762, 750 thousandths of a second short of the world record.
The Netherlands proved themselves as one of the countries to beat in the Sprint races thanks to success in the Team Sprint with Hoogland (also first in the Sprint), Van den Berg and Lavreysen, who also won the Keirin title and in second place Theo Bos in the KM standing start won by the Frenchman Quentin Lafargue.
In the Women’s events, the host country’s star Kirsten Wild lived up to expectations in these European Championships winning two gold medals in the Elimination and Omnium and the Russian sprinter Anastasiia Voinova once again proved to be one of the riders to beat by winning titles in the Sprint, 500 metres and the Team Sprint (with Ekaterina Rogovaya and Daria Shmeleva). Among the other notable results were the victories by the British quartet in the Team Pursuit Mathilde Gros (France) in Keirin, the Italian Maria Giulia Confalonieri in the Points Race and the Danes Amalie Dideriksen and Julie Leth in the Madison.
Results #EuroTrack19 – click here
