South Africa’s Jean Spies won the keirin event at the UCI-graded GP Framar in Prague, Czech Republic, at the weekend.
In order to compete at the event, Spies had to have a UCI World Ranking in the top 36 in the keirin and top 45 in the sprint. The South African is ranked 33rd and 40th respectively.
South Africa’s Jean Spies (middle) won the keirin event at the UCI-graded GP Framar in Prague, Czech Republic, at the weekend. Photo: Jean Spies/Instagram
Spies, who flourished at the African Continental Track Championships this year, emphasized the importance of garnering UCI points for such qualification purposes.
Over the course of this year Spies had raced in USA in April, followed by stints in Germany and Japan before taking part in Czech.
“I’ve been chasing UCI races over the past few months, so every race is important for me right now,” Spies said in a statement released by Cycling SA.
“But obviously a win is that much sweeter as it carries more points than a placing.
“The races in Prague were my last opportunity to make up some points before the closing date; it was really important.
“The points are extremely close [between contestants] and everyone wants to qualify for the world cups. This is where we can gather those points.”
Spies won the keirin with 100 points, beating Czech Republic’s David Sojka and Pavel Kelemen into second and third respectively. He finished seventh in the sprint.
View more results below.
Keirin (points)
1. Jean Spies (South Africa) 100
2. David Sojka (Czech Republic) 90
3. Pavel Kelemen (Czech Republic) 80
4. Martin Cechman (Czech Republic) 75
5. Tomas Babek (Czech Republic) 70
Sprint (spoints)
1. Tomas Babek (Czech Republic) 100
2. Luca Ceci (Czech Republic) 90
3. Martin Cechman (Czech Republic) 80
4. David Sojka (Czech Republic) 75
5. Sandor Szalontay (Hungary) 70
*Selected
7. Jean Spies (South Africa) 60
