(Montreal) Track cyclist Lauriane Genest resumed competition last week at the Glasgow Nations Cup. The Lévisienne concluded her time in Scotland with a silver medal in the team sprint and a bronze in the Keirin.
Posted at 2:48 p.m.
Back on these four days of racing where she draws up a balance sheet all in nuances.
“It’s not beyond my expectations. It reflects the shape I had. I’m happy with the results, that’s for sure, but I always want to do better. In the team sprint, I think we could have had the gold medal, ”explained in an interview to Sportcom the one who had been decorated with Olympic bronze at the Keirin in the Japanese capital.
The team sprint was an opportunity to reshuffle the cards for Genest and her teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Sarah Orban, in this event which they rarely compete on the international scene. At the World Championships last fall, Genest was the first torchbearer of the trio, followed by Mitchell and Orban. Last weekend in Scotland, it was rather the Quebecer who was the last to start and Orban the first. The Canadians were 0.359 seconds behind the Dutch in the grand final.
“It’s definitely better this way (the new order), but there’s still work to be done, that’s for sure. […] It’s good to see that the team is competitive, but we could have won the gold. I was not disappointed, but I saw that it was doable. »
Where she was disappointed was in the individual sprint event. Third in qualifying, she was then eliminated in the quarter-finals by Colombian Martha Bayona Pineda, which translated into sixth place in the final standings won by Alberta’s Kelsey Mitchell.
Intense, not just on the track
By diving back into the bath of international competition, Genest had forgotten what the temperature of the water was. And especially how grueling the days of Nations Cup competitions could be.
“We had forgotten the intensity of the thing, so it was a good reminder before (the stage of) Milton, that’s for sure! We arrive at 9 o’clock in the morning and sometimes we leave at 9 o’clock in the evening. »
Quite the opposite of the Champions League last fall. The format of this new series was tailor-made for television.
“It was condensed into one evening where it started at 7 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. It was a lot of effort, but the days were really shorter. »
The Milton Nations Cup, which will be held from May 12 to 15, will be where Genest will feel at home, because it is in this Ontario city that she trains.
“Going to Glasgow two weeks before put me in the mood of the competition. The results gave me confidence and I can’t wait to race home in front of my family, it’s been a long time! »
A new Olympic cycle of only three years
The new Olympic cycle has begun for Lauriane Genest and the rhythm of this first of three years suits her perfectly, especially because the qualification process for the Games has not yet begun. This results in less pressure, much to her delight, as she explained.
“Yes, we want to perform at the races, but we are also here to gain even more racing experience. There won’t be the stress of doing well to eventually qualify for the Games. It’s the only year where you can just have that feeling of racing to do your best, without being afraid of the result. It’s the mentality I need to perform better, so for sure it helps me. »
After Milton’s stop, the Canadian team will skip the third and final stop in Cali, Colombia, due to a scheduling conflict with the presentation of the Pan American Championships. Then, the country’s best track riders will be in action at the Commonwealth Games at the end of July in Birmingham, Great Britain.