720-sponsored athlete Kévin Sireau of France, world record holder in the 200m track sprint, finished the 2010-11 UCI track cycling series as the world’s number one sprinter.
On the strength of wins in three of the last four stages on the circuit, Kévin stood high atop the points rankings at the conclusion of the World Cup series. Victories in Melbourne, Cali, and Beijing earned Kévin 1,560 points, nearly 500 points higher than the next sprinter to assure him the series title.
Capping off a phenomenal season, Sireau ascended the podium again as a member of the victorious French team in the Team Sprint event at the 2010-2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, NL in March. Kévin and teammates Michael D'Almeida and Gregory Bauge out-powered favorites from Germany and the United Kingdom to earn a victory in the Team Sprint at the UCI World Track Championship on March 21, adding to Kevin’s multiple big wins as a member of Team France alongside their silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The individual sprint is a unique discipline in track cycling. Preliminary heats to sort out the qualifiers feature a flying 200m time trial. Kévin’s qualifying time of 9.572 seconds at the 2009 Grand Prix of Moscow remains the world record. The fastest 16 or 24 riders after the flying 200m time trial are then seeded for head-to-head heats of two or three laps of the track. After quarterfinals and semifinals, the two top ranked cyclists line up to determine the winner.
Since 2008 Kévin has specialized exclusively in the sprint, a unique event that demands absolute focus, speed, explosiveness, and superb tactical skills. Kévin’s dominant showing in his chosen specialty during the 2010-11 season and his continued seasoning as an elite athlete make him a favorite for the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
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