Alex Carver throws Scott Law into the fray during the Madison.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
Australian riders Scott Law (l) and Alex Carver took out the first night of UIV Cup racing.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
Australians Scott Law and Alex Carver, one of the youngest teams to contest the Memorial Noël Foré, put in a stunning performance in Gent, Belgium to claim the under-23 Six Day event.
Carver, who just turned 18 on November 25, was one half of the junior World Champion team in the Madison this summer with Luke Durbridge. He and Law used the expertise of Six Day legend Matthew Gilmore to secure the overall win in Gent, but even they were surprised with how well the race went for them.
After the opening day, the pair had two laps on their competition, and spent the remainder of the week maintaining the lead. They finished three laps up on the next team, Frenchmen Morgan Kneisky and Julien Duval.
The Australian duo wowed the crowds with record-breaking performances in the flying lap and 500m time trial. Their 8.94 second lap would have placed them fourth in the elites, and the 28.59 500m time would have also been competitive against the world's best.
The two Aussies were mentored by Gilmore, a five-time elite Six Day winner at the Kuipke Velodrome. "His expertise was very important for us," said Law. "It was the first time we rode such a steep track, and because it was the first time we have raced a real Six Day."
"We trained here for the first time only the day before the race ... Matthew was patient and gradually taught us how to race without wasting too much energy. It's really different than a 250m track, and without him it would have been harder, especially when we had our lead and had to consistently maintain it. "
Law and Carver will have no time to celebrate their win in the medieval city, as they will fly immediately back to Australia to acclimate in time to contest their national Madison championships on December 18.
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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
