After winning Olympic gold in the Women’s Omnium, Jennifer Valente (San Diego; TWENTY24 Pro Cycling) is back on the track for the 2021 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Valente started off the championship racing the Women’s Scratch Race. She rode to silver in this event last year, and won the event at the Junior World Championship 10 years ago.
The Scratch Race is straightfoward, whoever crosses the finish line first wins. The race started off slow with no moves being made until about eight laps to go. Verena Eberhardt (AUS) made the initial move. Hungarian rider Hanna Tserakh countered the Austrian’s move, and overcoming her in less than a lap, with Martina Fidanza (ITA) reacting quickly to Tserakh’s attack and taking over the race. It was all Fidanza as she gained about half a lap on the rest of the field. Valente worked to control the rest of the field staying at the front, pulling back both Eberhardt and Tserakh. The silver medal came down to a two-up sprint between Valente and Maike van der Duin (NED). The Dutch rider edged out Valente, awarding the member of Team USA the bronze in the event.
Valente went into Thursday’s Elimination Race as a rider to watch during the event. The key to this event is not to be caught in the back and not spend too much time in the front expending energy. Every other lap, the last rider to cross the line is eliminated. Valente rode smart and towards the front the majority of the race. There was nowhere to hide with five riders left in the field; Valente led the group each lap. When it came down to the final three, she knew she had a medal, but the race was not over. She stayed on the front until the last turn before the finish line, where she just missed the moves from Letizia Paternoster (ITA) and Lotte Kopecky (BEL). Valente was eliminated, settling for bronze. This would be her second medal of the event and 14th career World Championship medal.
Women’s Scratch Race Results:
- Martina Fidanza (ITA)
- Maike van der Duin (NED)
- Jennifer Valente (USA)
Women’s Elimination Race Results:
- Letizia Paternoster (ITA)
- Lotte Kopecky (BEL)
- Jennifer Valente (USA)
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