Concentrating on Tactics and Execution, Marquardt Takes Pair of UCI Wins at Second Weekend of T-Town Summer Games

04 August 2021

Team Novo Nordisk’s Mandy Marquardt won the Elite Women Sprint and Elite Women Keirin on the second weekend of UCI racing at the T-Town Summer Games Series held at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Penn., July 30-31.

“In the 200m qualification, I dropped a better time than last week, which is a new personal best on this track and getting closer to that track record,” said Marquardt who clocked a time of 11.243 in the Elite Women Sprint qualification heat. “I’m happy to be racing well and getting major UCI points and working myself back up in the individual UCI World Ranking in both events.”

Marquardt is currently ranked 14th in the latest UCI Women’s Elite Sprint Ranking and 13th in the UCI Women Keirin Rankings.

In the middle of a hard training block, Marquardt concentrated on mixing in and executing different tactics in the two events of the weekend.

“I’ve been training really hard and this block has pushed the boundaries mentally and physically. There is little to no room for error in Sprint and the Keirin, but I feel confident with form I have,” explained Marquardt. ”Racing with diabetes, especially when there’s little to no room for error on the track as a sprinter can be a challenge. I’m taking this opportunity of racing to also focus even more on my diabetes management.”

Marquardt enjoyed the opportunity of racing at her home track with Team Novo Nordisk Ambassador McKenna McKee and her fiance James Alvord, the newly crowned Elite Men Sprint National Champion.

“On Saturday, I won the UCI Women’s Keirin and Jamie won the Men’s UCI Sprint. That was our first UCI win together,” exclaimed Marquardt. “McKenna is staying with me through all the UCI racing and it’s been great to take her under my wing and to train alongside each other every day. She’s a joy to be around and I love her positive character.”

Marquardt concluded, “It’s been great being home, sleeping in my own bed, spending time with family, cooking meals, recovering on the couch with the animals watching the Olympic Games and cheering on Team USA. As much as I’d love to be there competing right now, I accept it wasn’t my time and am working towards Paris 2024 and everything in between. I’m enjoying the journey.”

The outdoor facility at T-Town, with its 333-meter concrete cycling track, will hold one more UCI Class-1 event this summer, the T-Town Summer Games: Fastest Man/Woman on Wheels, on August 6-7.