Track Champions League: Katie Archibald extends endurance lead in round two

Katie Archibald extended her lead in the women’s endurance competition in the second round of the Track Champions League.

Archibald followed up her opening-round victories in the women’s scratch and elimination races by placing second in both events in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.

That took the 30-year-old’s combined points total to 74 – 29 clear of Canada’s Sarah van Dam before round three takes place at the same venue on Saturday.

Fellow Briton Matthew Richardson is second overall in the men’s sprint league, while Emma Finucane sits third in the women’s sprint discipline.

After claiming opening wins in the men’s sprint and keirin finals when the first round was held at Quentin-en-Yvelines in France on 23 November, Richardson placed fifth in the sprint and fourth in the keirin on Friday night to remain within seven points of Dutch leader Harrie Lavreysen.

Finucane was fourth in her sprint final and 11th in the keirin, leaving the 21-year-old 20 points behnd Alina Lysenko.

Katy Marchant rose to sixth overall in the women’s sprint league by following up seventh place in the sprint with fifth in the keirin, as Lysenko took maximum points in both events in round two.

Following the third round on Saturday, rounds four and five will be held at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark on 6 and 7 December.

The fourth season of the Track Champions League consists of five rounds, held in three cities.

Riders compete in either the sprint or endurance competitions, entering two races – sprint and keirin for sprinters, and elimination and scratch for endurance riders – in each round.

Points won in each round are reflected in a league table and the rider with the most points in each discipline at the end of the series is crowned the overall winner.