The Madison at the world championships is always a captivating event. In 2023, the Dutch pair of Jan Willem van Schip and Yoeri Havik claimed the title in a tight contest in which the medallists were decided by the final sprint…
– Photos by Stefano Sirotti
With an average speed of 58.881km/h for the 50km race, the elite men’s Madison on the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow was a tight tussle amongst a number of teams. No laps were taken during a contest that saw the Dutch hustle their way to victory with speed, cunning, careful planning, and aerodynamic efficiency.
Jan Willem van Schip and Yoeri Havik became the first riders from the Netherlands to win a Madison world championship in a stunning display of riding. Eventually they would relegate the British combination of Oliver Wood and Mark Stewart and the Kiwi pair, Aaron Gate and Campbell Stewart, to the minor places.
It wasn’t until the final sprint, however, that the order of the medallists was determined.
The Netherlands took the win with 37 points, two more than Great Britain with the New Zealanders only one point further back.
The Belgian pair, Robbe Ghys and Lindsay de Vylder, finished fourth with 32 points but this combination was one of the most consistent throughout the 200 lap race, collecting points in 11 of the 20 sprints, including first place in the opening two.
The Brits were the only other team to nab points in 11 of the sprints, adding to their tally in each of the final five sprints… but with double points on offer on the last lap, they needed to finish well clear of the Dutch to claim the title. The local pair was second in the final sprint (taking six points) while the Kiwi combo were first over the line to add 10 points to their total… but this wasn’t enough to overcome the strength of van Schip and Havik who took third place in the final sprint to score a stunning victory.
The Dutch scored points in nine of the 20 sprints, and the fact that they claimed first place in five of those is what ultimately made the difference.
– Click here for results from the elite men’s Madison from #Glasgow2023 –
Below is a gallery of images by Stefano Sirotti from the dramatic race on the penultimate day of racing on the velodrome at the UCI’s all-in-one cycling worlds.
Consistent in the acquisition of points, Belgium was in contention for a medal but 4th place in the final sprint meant they slipped off the podium at the very end of the race.
The 2021 world champions Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv of Denmark were strong but ultimately finished 5th in 2023.
Aaron Gate and Campbell Stewart, 2nd in the Madison at the worlds in 2020, were back on the podium in 2023: bronze for the Kiwis this year.
Numerous teams, including the Austrian pair – Felix Ritzinger and Maximillian Schmidbauer – were racing with innovative handlebars…
The Swiss team was one of six pairs denoted by a DNF for the Madison overnight in Glasgow.
Silver last year and silver again in 2023 for Team GB.
The French pair – Benjamin Thomas and Thomas Boudat – collected points in nine of the 20 sprints but won none and eventually had to settle for 6th place.
