The 2022 Elite Track European Championships closed this afternoon with the win by Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt (Germany) in Munich (Germany).
222 riders (122 men and 100 women) from 27 countries competed in the event which was part of the multi-sport European Championships where championships in nine disciplines are taking place in the German city. The races were held in a temporary velodrome built in the Munich Trade Fair Center and the event was sold out for the full six days, demonstrating the high technical level of the event, whose first edition was organised in 2010.
Germany came top of the medals table with 8 gold medals, 4 silver and 1 bronze, ahead of France, second with a total of 15 medals (6, 5 and 4) and Italy which finished with 3 gold medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze.
On a technical level, the performances of certain well-known international riders were outstanding and not just in Track. Only a few hours after competing in the Road race (209 kilometres) in which he finished seventh, the Italian Elia Viviani, gold medallist in the Omnium in Rio de Janeiro 2016, won the Elimination race, a speciality in which he is the current World Champion. On the same day, the World Champion Benjamin Thomas won the Men’s Points Race, as well as the Team Pursuit with his French team.
In the Sprint races, France gave some excellent performances, especially Melvin Landerneau, Kilometre gold medallist, and Sébastien Vigier who won the Sprint and Keirin titles.
In the Women’s, Germany showed it was a nation to emulate thanks to the wins of Emma Hinze, first in the 500 metre Sprint, Sprint and the Team Sprint with Pauline Grabosch and Lea Sophie Friederich (gold also in the Keirin), as well as the Olympic Champions Franziska Brausse, Lisa Brennauer, Lisa Klein and Mieke Kroeger in the Team Sprint, and Kroeger’s gold in the Individual Pursuit.
Also worthy of note in the Women’s events were the two titles (Points Race and Elimination) won by the Belgian Lotte Kopecky, winner this year of the Strade Bianche and Tour of Flanders, as well as the Italian Rachele Barbieri in the Omnium and in the Madison with Silvia Zanardi and the Norwegian Anita Stendberg in the Scratch.
The next edition of the Elite Track European Championships will be in Grenchen (Switzerland) from 8 to 12 February 2023.
Results #EuroTrack19 – click here
