Ellese Andrews on UCI Track Champions League success, Harrie Lavreysen comparisons and Olympic 2024 aims
Published 10/11/2023 at 14:24 GMT
In her debut season, Ellesse Andrews has stamped her mark on the UCI Track Champions League. Going into the final two rounds in London, she already has four wins out of a possible six, with only Alessa-Catriona Propster denying her the clean sweep. As she looks to secure the title she will be "trying to be as consistent as I can be, and putting everything out on the track."
'Never in doubt' – Mitchell no match for Andrews in women's sprint final
It might have taken until the third series of the UCI Track Champions League for Ellesse Andrews to make her debut, but it appears to have been worth the wait - for us as well as for her.
Ahead of the final double-header weekend of competition at the Lee Valley Velopark in London, Andrews is top of the sprint standings, nine points ahead of second-placed Alessa-Catriona Propster.
“I’m really happy with what I’ve produced,” she tells Eurosport.
“It’s been great to come away with four wins, so far. It’s been a surprise as well because the field, we have other world champions and really strong riders, so it’s been great to put down some performances, be pushing them but be pushed by them as well.”
Andrews has had no trouble adapting to the format, which involves three-up qualifying match sprints, and shorter keirins. With four wins out of six, one shy of the total of a certain Dutch sprinter, some have even been calling her the female Harrie Lavreysen.
“That’s a great complement,” she says. “That keirin last week when he blew through the whole field - that was insane to watch.”
Andrews is, of course, a very different type of sprinter to Lavreysen, as well as a few years and world titles lighter. That has been part of the appeal of the Track Champions League for her.
“Having two keirins every weekend has been amazing exposure,” she says.
“Having three sprints in Berlin, three in Paris and two in Mallorca was also amazing. It’s all great practice. I’m learning skills and reinforcing skills that I will be able to use come the Olympics.”
'Never in doubt' – Mitchell no match for Andrews in women's sprint final
Ah, the 'O' word.
There are few riders in the TCL for whom Paris 2024 is far from their minds. Andrews can justifiably be aiming higher than before Tokyo, where the then-21 year old came away with a silver in the keirin and made it to the round of eight in the sprint.
“I’m in a very different place now,” she says. “I was very green then, so I was just racing on instinct. It was amazing that it worked out so well, but I’m coming into this next games wanting to push on, and see how far I can go.”
That means that “I would love to push for a medal in every event” - including the team sprint. New Zealand, like Great Britain, didn’t qualify for that event in 2020 but have since seen a very real upturn in fortunes.
“We got fifth at the Worlds but we know that there’s a lot more to give,” says Andrews. “It’ll be great to put down performances that we know are reflective of our capabilities.”
'Found my groove' - Sprint leader Andrews on Berlin victory in UCI Track Champions League
The Olympics is also why the main Dutch and the German women, who finished fourth and second in Tokyo respectively, have opted not to compete in this year’s TCL.
Andrews saw it differently. “There was such a benefit from racing in Europe and racing these girls over here, because it’s not often that I get to do that. Most of the time I am in New Zealand, training away, which is amazing but it’s not the same as having racing so easily accessible.”
Andrews, along with male team-mates Sam Dakin and Callum Saunders, has been using the weekly battles as something of a substitute for the more data-based work they would do back home.
“We haven’t been able to see any numbers, so it’s been based off feel,” she says.
They also “haven’t been backing off in races, we’ve been using the racing as a great physical exposure, while also putting ourselves out there as well. We haven’t been doing three track sessions as well and then racing on top of that, we’ve been using racing as part of our training week.”
'Looking like a Champions League superstar' – Andrews takes victory in women’s sprint final
If that makes it all sound overly outcome-oriented, more like work than play, well it hasn’t all been like that.
Andrews has especially appreciated getting to know her fellow competitors, an opportunity which is less available to her at World Championships or World Cups, as well as just from being based on the other side of the world.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot closer to lots of the girls,” she says, naming Belgium’s Nicky Degrendele as one she’s especially bonded with.
“Nicky reminds me of one of my friends back home. I always find it quite funny when you meet someone and their mannerisms remind you of someone else. She’s been really great. She’s musical, she likes to sing and so do I.”
Pressed for recommendations, Andrews offers the Australian duo called Angus and Julia Stone.
“Their music is sort of relaxed, very chill acoustic vibes.”
'I like it' - Andrews finds pressure 'really exciting'
In London since Sunday, rather than being stuck in Westfield, Stratford where her hotel is, Andrews and her fellow Kiwis have taken the opportunity to venture into town and enjoy some of the capital’s culinary offerings.
“We went to a really nice Japanese restaurant last night and had an udon noodle broth, sort of dish,” she says.
The main reason for Andrews TCL prior absence has been logistical. In 2021 it was Covid, and the strict quarantine rules in force in New Zealand at the time. Last year she just needed a break - but more from the travel, which most Europeans don’t appreciate the arduousness of.
“Travel from New Zealand is so exhausting and it’s a massive thing to plan another trip to Europe,” she says.
She credits her sponsor, Unsung, with paying for her to fly in a little more comfort than the NZ federation might have - “it was very nice to be able to travel here, nicely, and be a bit fresher than I have in the past,” she says.
Andrews will certainly want to be fresh tonight and tomorrow, as she looks to secure her first TCL title.
Despite the 60 per cent success rate, she’s not complacent, and is conscious of emerging star Propster snapping at her heels.
“The lead that I have right now isn’t massive, anything can happen this weekend," she says.
Rather than opting for a more defensive strategy Andrews intends to opt for a simple approach of doing what she’s been doing so far.
“If I’m going for the individual wins, trying to be as consistent as I can be, and putting everything out on the track, then the equation that would lead to the blue jersey,” she concludes.
Sounds simple? It won’t be.
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The UCI Track Champions League is back for season three. You can watch it all live and on demand on discovery+. We will also have extensive coverage across eurosport.com.
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