Sarah Hammer took third place in the women's omnium event at the 2012 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Track Cycling World Championships held in Melbourne, Australia. This was the final event of the UCI Track Cycling Olympic qualifying season. Her performance earned her a nomination for a spot on the 2012 U.S.A. Olympic team. (Her nomination still has to be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.) In February 2012, Ms. Hammer won first place in the omnium event at the UCI Track World Cup held at the London Olympic Velodrome.
So what is this omnium? It's a brand new sport to the Olympic Games. It's the heptathlon of track cycling. For women, the event features a one-lap flying time trial, a 20-km points race, an elimination race, a 3,000 meters individual pursuit, a 10-km scratch race and a 500 meters time trial. The events are run over the course of two days. The winner of each event is awarded one point, the second place finisher two points, et cetera. The cyclist with the least number of points at the end of the six events wins. Like the heptathlon in track and field, cycling's omnium rewards the versatile athlete who might not be the best at any one event but who is really good at a lot of events. It rewards an athlete who can endure the physical and mental demands of having to compete in multiple events over the course of a relatively short period of time.
Ms. Hammer won't have any fellow rivals from the U.S.A. at the 2012 Olympics in the omnium event; only one athlete per qualifying country is allowed. Based on the results of the last two UCI events though, her international rivals appear to be predictable. During the 2012 UCI Track World Cup event, Sarah Hammer took first, Annette Edmondson of Australia took second, and Laura Trott of Great Britain took third. The three cyclists merely played musical chairs just two months later, at the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships; Laura Trott took first, Annette Edmondson took second, and Ms. Hammer took third.
Satchel's best buddy races once a month at Boulder, Colorado's velodrome operated by Boulder Indoor Cycling. Her friend has not been successful with her pursuit of trying to get Satchel to try out the track; she has had to settle for dragging Satchel to outdoor events, like the upcoming Gran Fondo to be held in Moab, Utah. Thank you for reading. Visit www.satchelford.com for more content from Satchel.
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