Bibic becomes 1st Canadian to win gold in men's scratch race at Track Cycling World Championships
19-year-old won last year's men's points race at junior world championships
Canada's Dylan Bibic won the men's scratch race at the 2022 UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Thursday in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., became the first Canadian to win gold in the event, which is a 15-kilometre mass start, featuring breakaways that can eliminate lapped riders.
The race demands a combination of endurance and sprinting abilities.
Belgium's Tuur Dens accelerated to take the lead until Bibic's timed attack to win by a full bike length.
"I believe in my sprint as it's comparable to sprinters, so I can rely on it," Bibic told the UCI in a post-race interview. "I've done a lot of team-pursuit practice and riding behind the moto.
"I'm now looking forward to the Omnium and Madison, which I want to place well in ahead of the Olympics, and then the UCI Track Champions League."
🌈🇨🇦 Dylan Bibic 🇨🇦🌈<br><br>Canada's first-ever Men's Scratch World Champion! 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SQY2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SQY2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/GXm1izj94B">pic.twitter.com/GXm1izj94B</a>
—@UCI_TrackBibic won gold in his world championship debut. He won last year's men's points race at the junior world championships in Cairo, Egypt.
The Velodrome National de St-Quentin-en-Yvelines is the Olympic venue for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Nineteen Canadians, led by Olympic sprint champion Kelsey Mitchell, are competing at the world championship until Sunday.
Four Canadians will also compete in the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships there Oct. 20-23.
