News: World RR Champ at London 6

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2016 World Road Race champion (women) Amalie Dideriksen will headline a star-studded women’s omnium competition when the three-day event gets underway at Six Day London today.

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News: World RR Champ at London 6

By Phil Jones, Sportsbeat 

NEWLY-CROWNED World Road Race champion Amalie Dideriksen will headline a star-studded women’s omnium competition when the three-day event gets underway at Six Day London today.

With two of Team GB’s gold medal-winning, and world record-setting, team pursuit quartet on show in the shape of Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald, the addition of Dideriksen to the lineup adds quality to an already stacked field.

The 20-year-old won her first senior Rainbow Jersey just two weeks ago in the Qatar desert as she beat the world’s leading road sprinter, Dutchwoman Kirsten Wild, to take a surprise victory.

And now, having touched down in London only yesterday and headed straight to the Lee Valley Velopark velodrome to get a feel for the event, she cannot wait to get back on the bike.

“I’m looking forward to racing here,” said the double junior road world champion. “I just arrived and I can already feel the people excited about the racing. It feels like a nice atmosphere. It’s nice to be starting again. I just had a small break after the World Championships and I’m looking forward to racing in London.

“The crowd seems amazing and the atmosphere is high.”  … continued after advert

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Dideriksen rides with her predecessor as world champion, Lizzie Deignan, for the Boels Dolmans professional team, and also participated on the track at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, as well as March’s World Championships in London.

“It’s a nice velodrome, I like it,” she added. “It’s a bit similar to the one we have in Copenhagen but there’s always a big crowd here in England, so it’s nice.

“Last time I was on a velodrome was in Manchester about a month ago and before that it was the Olympics, so I haven’t been training too much on the track bike but I love it and I have been doing it for years, so hopefully that will pay off.”

Joining Dideriksen in the track centre on Day Three was Dame Sarah Storey, who rode the inaugural Six Day London in 2015.

After winning another three Paralympic gold medals in Rio, Storey opted out of making a return to the track in London but was excited to see what the assembled world-class field has to offer.

“It’s fantastic to see that the event already has such a huge following. Everyone looks forward to it being here. So I’ll see how next year pans out and hopefully be back here on the boards again,” she said.

“Within the women’s field Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker are going to be here for the rest of the weekend so obviously having the home crowd and the home athletes, it’s brilliant when you’ve got some incredible riders from around the world too.”

And Storey is backing Barker, who won both the individual pursuit and omnium titles at last week’s European Track Championships, to do the business in London.

“Katie is a really exciting rider, especially on the track,” she added. “I’m really looking forward to seeing her in this environment.

“She’s got that ability to read a race and she’s got so much of an engine. The power in that girl is incredible.

“She’s obviously got an individual pursuit European title as well so she’s got the stamina, and to have that so soon after coming home from Rio is really impressive.

“I’m excited to see what she can bring to the European girls, because you’ve got those girls who race Six Day on a regular basis, and who were here last year too.

“They’re obviously very capable, but Katie has got that raw talent, it’s very exciting.”

Storey also welcomed the introduction of the Six Day Series, and with Barker scheduled to race in both London and Amsterdam, and Dideriksen riding also adding Six Day Berlin to her diary, the Dane is excited to see what the Series can do for her sport.

“I think the Series is a good move for track cycling and for Six Days,” she concluded. “I think it makes it more interesting and makes people see that there are races all over the world, so I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

Six Day London takes place between 25-30 October 2016 at Lee Valley VeloPark on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Half term fun, with or without the kids. Tickets on sale now at www.sixday.com

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