Levy relishing track return

CYCLING MAXIMILIAN Levy will make his return to the top ranks of international cycling at the six-day race at the London Velodrome next week.

The 30-year-old German is on the comeback trail following a serious crash at the Berlin 6 in January. Winner of the Grand Pris of Germany and Poland, Levy came off his bike while travelling almost 75kph, sustaining a broken collarbone for the third time.

Levy is no stranger to success on British tracks, having won the men’s Team Sprint and silver in the Keirin at London in 2012. “London was really good last year,” said the eight-times world champion and Olympic medallist. “It was the first time I ever did six days there but I was at London 2012 so I knew the British crowds were going crazy for track cycling.

“I also did a few World Cups and the World Championships, so I knew what to expect but it was awesome to see that it really works, because six-day is coming back to London as people there like it.”

Israeli Elite Woman’s road champion Omer Shapira placed 10th in 6:44:51 in the three-day Memorial Michaela Fanini Road Race in Belgium and 11th in the youth category.

The Israeli women’s team of Miriam Bar-on, Omer Shapira, Shani Bloch-Davidov, Rotem Gafinovitz, Avital Gez and Hila Yitzhak moved to Bergan, Norway for the World Road Race Championships. Gafinovitz’s time for the individual time trial of 28.54.35 was seven seconds faster than Shapira to place them 34th and 38th respectively.

The tough and mountainous course took its toll for Shira Biron in the women’s U23 road race and Omer Goldstein in the men’s U23 event. In the U23 Individual Time Trial, Goldstein’s time of 6:19.69 placed him 50th in the large entry.