Track cyclist Nikita Kiriltsev was the artist of an astonishing moment at this weekend’s UCI Track World Cup when he sprinted, on foot and wearing cleats, across the line to qualify in the men’s keirin.
Kiriltsev, who is from Russia but competes as a neutral athlete, was one of six riders involved in a heavy crash during the seven-rider event.
France’s Tom Derache won the heat as the only rider to stay upright, but with another qualifying spot available, and the rest of the field lying on the floor, Kiriltsev grabbed his bike by the top tube, ran almost 200m around the final bend and down the home straight, and claimed the second spot in the next round.
The move was perfectly legal, according to UCI regulations. Rule 1.2.109 reads: “A rider may cross the finish line on foot, provided that they have their bicycle with them.”
Kiriltsev’s show of smart judgement came in the kierin’s first round repechage, where he finished 42 seconds behind Derache. Thanks to his running, he qualified by just two seconds ahead of the USA’s Geneway Tang, who chose to remount his bike to finish the race. Great Britain’s Harry Ledingham-Horn also finished a further 10 seconds back.
Afterwards, Kiriltsev rested his bike against the track fence and collapsed on his back on the floor.
A former junior keirin world champion, Kiriltsev went on to progress through the second round repechage and into the minor places final (7-12), finishing 8th overall. Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands won the gold medal in the event.
The weekend’s UCI Track World Cup took place in Hong Kong and marked the second instalment of this year's three-part series.
Among the standout riders were Great Britain’s Matthew Richardson, China’s Liying Yuan, and the Netherlands’ Philip Heijnen, all three of whom won two gold medals; Richardson won the team sprint and individual sprint, Yuan the team sprint and the keirin, and Heijnen the omnium and the Madison.
There was also joy for New Zealand, whose men’s and women’s team pursuit squads both won gold.
The next UCI Track World Cup will start this Friday 24 April in Nilai, Malaysia. This year’s UCI Track World Championships, the flagship event of the year, will be held in Shanghai, China in October.
