Truman relishes racing in front of London crowd at Track World Cup
Joe Truman bemoaned a lack of experience as the key factor after missing out on a medal at his home TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup.
Truman started the keirin in strong fashion as he qualified behind only fellow Brit Jack Carlin, who went onto claim fourth in the final in London.
But the 21-year-old from Portsmouth finished fourth in the second round to miss out on a place in the final, and cited his youthful exuberance as the reason for hitting the front too early.
“In that semi final I was coming over nicely,” he said. “I thought on the last lap ‘I’ve got this’ and then came a bit wide and let them ride underneath me so a bit disappointing but it’s only minor adjustments that need to be made for the World Championships.
“It’s a bit of inexperience, bit of letting the moment get to me. I should have left it a little bit later. It’s all in the tank, I’ve just got to get it out when it matters really.
“Maybe because of the crowd I got a little bit ahead of myself, used my energy tank a bit too soon.
“But you live and learn and hopefully I’ll be ready to go again at the Worlds.”
Racing at the Lee Valley VeloPark provided an opportunity much closer to home for Truman, used to travelling the length and breadth of the country for competition.
The weekend also gave him a chance to bask in London 2012 Olympic memories, with the Stratford track playing host to a plethora of golden moments six years ago.
But Truman is not a man to live in the past as he eyes up opportunities of his own, believing the tight-nit nature of the British squad can play a huge role in his bid for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“I don’t get many opportunities to race down south, usually it’s all in Manchester or Glasgow,” he said.
“So, it’s nice to come back down here. I raced down here at the Revolution Series when I was 15 so it’s nice to be back here at the elite level with a nice crowd behind me as well.
“We’ve all got great banter going on. We see each other every day and I live with Jack Carlin.
“It’s important that we get on and hopefully when it matters in Tokyo that camaraderie will have pushed us all on and we’ll get the most out of each other.”
The next TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup on UK boards takes place at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow from 8-10 November 2019. Sign up now at bit.ly/NextStopGlasgow to access tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
