European Track Championships start in the Netherlands

Robert Slippens has put an end to his pro career

Robert Slippens has put an end to his pro career (Image credit: Luc Claessen)

The European Track Championships start today in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. The competition should be fierce, as points from the Championships count towards Olympic qualification - and with only one rider per nation allowed to compete in each event, some riders from the strong European track nations, like France, Great Britain and Italy, will be seeing as much competition from their teammates for precious places on the Olympic squads as they will from other countries.