Day 6 BBC Two: 22.00-22.45 Olympics

Thank you very much for joining us here in Rio, Sir Chris Hoy and

myself here in the velodrome. It is men's team pursuit qualifying at the

moment, so Sir Bradley Wiggins on the rest of the team coming up

shortly, but the Dutch rider had a nasty smash here. We were discussing

this earlier on about the risks in team pursuit, just caught the wheel,

and you see how easily it can go wrong. You try to ride within

millimetres of the ride in front of you, and he went to close, but they

had only dropped one rider, so he can only afford to lose one rider

from the quartet, and sadly, that is their Olympics over for the team

pursuit. Vandenberg was the rider, and if you hit this would and you

hit it hard, you are going to break things, it hurts. You can see how

hard he went down there, it was a real impact. Sometimes if you fall

onto the track it isn't too bad, but that could well be a collarbone. And

you can see the skin he is leaving behind on the track, it is not a

pleasant thing. You can see his left hand side, he will have lost a lot

of skin. And the bike during the course of that crash has caused a

scar on the track, and a very deep groove. That has to be repaired,

because any other cyclist's wheel would be thrown off course by it.

They seem to be doing it with masking tape, I am concerned about

this! Ideally they would put Villa in an sand it down, but there isn't

enough time. If another rider happened to crash and slide, and the

floor isn't level, you can pick up a splinter, and a rider like Jason

Queally back in 1996, people have picked up splinters that were more

like stakes of would essentially, one went right through one rider's

leg, you can see that on you Tube if you fancy watching it. I would

advise anyone watching not to look it up, it is disgusting! And Jason

got one through his back, he was in intensive care for a week. The slats

are smooth and evenly matched for a reason, so that if you do happen to

crash, you get bad burns, but you don't want to pick up a whole

section of would. But that is not a section of the track you would be

intending to ride on. Trying to go your fastest, you would be down on

the black line, but this is in case somebody else crashes, so that

shouldn't affect anyone actually racing. Chris, we have the British

team coming up, and Ed Clancy, Owain Doull, Steven Burke and Bradley

Wiggins. For Bradley Wiggins, a big decision for him to come back to the

track, he had gone to the road, won the Tour de France on the time

trial, set the hour record earlier on the track. But it is a big thing

he has got on his plate here. It is a huge challenge, but I think he is

relishing being back with the team again, and there are very few

variables now. He just focuses on the job he has to do, he has full

confidence in his team-mates, the focus they put on this job is

astounding. They will be ready, and he is very relaxed and focused. Here

we go with the Swiss team, the men's team pursuit qualifying, the Brits

will be coming up, they go eight, the Swiss team is forth to ride.

Here is Simon Brotherton. The race resumes, with the Swiss

team on the track. While Clare and Chris were talking, they were

rolling up tissue paper to shove into the gap, and then covering it

with gaffer tape. It should be OK Vitor night, because the disciplines

we have, you can see the riding around the bottom of the track, and

you can see them in the home straight, they should be OK.

Switzerland are the fourth team to ride. We have seen Italy, China and

the Netherlands so far, and the Dutch failing to post a time. Not

ending well for the Netherlands at all, although they wouldn't have

been at the top end of the leaderboard come the end of the

qualifying, whatever happened. A little reminder of the scenario. You

need to post a quick time straight out of the blocks here in this

qualifying ride, because it is only the fastest four teams from this

qualifying who have a chance of going for the medals. It is a very

curious system, but when you think about it, eight teams will go on to

compete again, we'll get another ride, but the top four will actually

go on to ride for the medals, and that is the important thing. So

first will race against fourth, second against third, and the

winners of those two will go for gold, and so on. So every ride is

important here. They fiddled with the format so many times over the

years. The Olympics is different to the World Championships, there is an

extra ride, which is why a lot of countries choose to use five instead

of four, and they swap out a rider between the different rounds. Great

Britain have not quite forgone that option, they have Mark Cavendish who

they can use, but they are so confident in the four strong riders

they have coming up soon that they decided to try to go through the

competition with them. Dillier upfront for the Swiss team right

now. They have been well up on the first time set by the Italians, then

almost back on terms now, and you can see big holes starting to form

in the team, so I think they are going to be well outside, despite

the short distance that they have still got to go. They come up

towards the line, they still have five laps and they are going to go

down to three riders any moment, I think. That is the worst thing you

could do, actually, to get onto the back and then go through and do the

turn. It is OK to sit on the back, but if you go through now you will

slow the team considerably. Bia relies is he hasn't got the strength

to stay with it, so they are down to three, inside the final kilometre of

this ride. -- Beer. Powering away on the front, Cyril Thiery. Joost Van

Der Beer peeled off them, but I don't

think he realised that Schir was in trouble. That is a welcome sign for

the Swiss riders as peeling off the front is Delia. Schir will give

everything he has left in the tank on this last lap, he is doing his

best. They are riding on fumes now, they did everything they could, but

playing a part in that last kilometre, they lost four seconds. A

promising ride that sort of crumbled and fell away a bit for Switzerland.

I am quite surprised even amongst the early riders, I thought we would

see some faster times, Italy's 3.59 is a solid ride, but I was expecting

most of these teams to be thereabouts. I think it starts to

get interesting as of now, because Denmark are next on the track. They

have always put out a good team pursuit side in recent years, then

it is New Zealand and Germany, Great Britain and Australia. Australia are

the last team, the ninth team, the current champions. Anything under

400 metres, the qualifying round is done alone so you don't get

interference between teams, so that qualifying time is posted, and then

the pursuit competition starts. It is called pursuit because if you

catch the other team, the races won. Certainly that is the case in the

final. There is the qualifying scoreboard so far, Italy leading the

way. If you want to stand a chance of winning a medal in this, you need

to be among the four fastest qualifiers in this ride. . There are

some very specialised skin suits there, you can see the different

texture on the outside of the arm, so aerodynamic really being thought

through by all the teams. Denmark's ride is under way. They

were bronze medallist in the World Championships this year, as Nicholas

Larsson leads the night of the starters blocks. Bronze medallist in

the World Championships, silver two years ago as well as a bronze this

year, so they are never far away from the podium, and often on it.

Larsson also going from long-term. He got his timing a little bit wrong

out of the gates before he hands over, and the pace is picked up,

very good riders that we have on the track here. They are not .4 seconds

ahead of the time set by the Italians now. That was Frederik

Madsen, the second rider. These riders also ride on the roads as

well is on the track. The third rider to take his turn on the front

is Lassie Hanson. The gold medallist in London four years ago. A short

turn by him, so already they have a good feel from training for the

different abilities within the team. Von Folsach peels off, looking back

towards Hanson. Von Folsach was part of their team four years ago in

Neolithic games, and he has won medals in three World Championships

in the last four years. A slight error in the change there, not too

bad, came out a little late and had to close up a wheel, an error he

will pay for later on, but it is because of the pace. No surprise

that they are going faster than any of the teams that have gone before

them so far. Italy the quickest up to now, but I think that time will

start to tumbledown. So, still looking good here for

Denmark, three and a half seconds to the good as they reached the halfway

mark, 2:03.238. Riding on the front, Nicholas Larsson just 19 years of

age, silver medallist in the Junior Championships last year. Larsen

handing over, Frederik Madsen, this is a predominantly young squad, they

are 18, 19, 24 and von Folsach the senior member of the team. They are

down to three now. They have been working really hard, they might be

paying for this later on. Haven't got too far to go, and that is a

result of the pace they are setting. We are down to three at the end here

for Denmark now. They go into the closing stages of this race.

Rider down, the quorum of three, the time will be taken on the third

rider to cross the line. Lassie Hanson now comes to the front.

They have just got two laps to go now, and it is a much longer turn

here, Hanson powering down the back straight. As they take the bell,

this is going to be the fastest time so far by quite a big margin here.

Over four seconds quicker than anybody else has gone so far. We

knew Denmark would be decent, and that has certainly been the case

here in this qualifying ride, 3:55.396, a new fastest time set by

Denmark. So, Denmark setting the new

benchmark. We will just see some replays of

that start. They rode hard and didn't quite measure it right, I

don't think, towards the end. They could even have gotten more than

that out, but that is the kind of time we will be looking for this

evening, it has been slow so far, but 3.55 is a quality ride by them.

If they could tidy up those mistakes, they have got even more to

come. So, Denmark leading the way, as it

stands. And now, next up onto the track will be New Zealand. Pieter

Bulling, Aaron Gate, Dylan Kennett and Regan Gough, the world champions

from a year ago. They won the world title in Paris, Olympic bronze

medallists in London. And Aaron Gate, former world on the champion

three years back. He rode in 2012, and Pieter Bulling as well, part of

that World Championship winning quartet. As was Dylan Kennett who

rides on the road as well. And Regan Gough, a double world junior

champion, just a couple of years ago in the Madison and in the points

race as well, so it will be interesting to see how New Zealand

fair. Very strange bikes, they have got extra support is running up from

the forks to give stiffness, possibly some aerodynamic gain. So

everybody thinking about aerodynamics now. It has taken a

long time to catch up with the Great Britain team, but they are all

taking it seriously now, technology plays a big part in pushing air out

of the way being your biggest problem.

The New Zealand team are looking very tidy here.

Just over three tenths of a second outside the fastest time up to now.

Still very much in touch. The Danes struggled towards the end a bit. So

technique will play its part later. Four minutes is a long time when you

are out there. New Zealand are losing ground at the moment. A

little bit surprising. Regan Gough peeling off the front.

Leading the way, Aaron Gate at the moment, 25 years of age. Now the

running is taken up by Dylan Kennett, the 21-year-old, young but

with the experience of being a world champion at this event already. As

we move up the rankings, less mistakes are being made. The changes

are consistently strong. They are a good unit. We will expect a decent

ride from them here, but will it be good enough to get them into the top

four and in contention for the medals? As we have seen with the

women earlier, technique is one thing, but you have to have the

power to go with it. Right now, New Zealand are losing ground to

Denmark. Regan Gough is fighting hard on the front. They still have

the quartet together, but they need to find more speed. They still have

six laps to go. Trying to make up ground is Aaron

Gate. They come round to the 3000 metre mark. Four laps to go.

New Zealand now have Dylan Kennett at the front. The crowd are getting

into this. They had been quiet in the early races. Working hard as

they crossed the line, the three of them now, with two laps to go. A

much shorter term from Pieter Bulling as they take the bell.

And up towards the line come New Zealand. They are the second

quickest so far. CLARE BALDING: and we will soon see

Germany on the track, followed by Great Britain. There is nothing to

glamorous about this, probably not even a kettle! Not even a coffee

machine for them here. You can see Callum Skinner with the shirt off.

He is wearing what we call hot pants. There is a heated element

within those trousers, and the riders put them on between rides and

leverage the body cool down, but keep their main muscle groups and

warm at the optimum temperature, and take them off when they get to the

track. Sitting down in the foreground, we have the team pursuit

group of Ed Clancy and Bradley Wiggins, listening to music and

having a chat. It is badly on the left. He will be listening to heavy

rock. It will be the Jam, a bit of Paul Weller. They will all be trying

to get themselves mentally in that place where they can do the job they

have got to do. They are a quartet but they have individual jobs. Ed is

the start man. He has a big task to accelerate the pace. That takes a

lot out of him. But they look pretty relaxed. Whisper it between the two

of us, but in theory, they could do a 3.49, which would be amazing. I

love your assumption that I am the only one listening to everything you

are saying! Let's go with Germany now. Great Britain, after them. We

rejoin Chris Boardman and Simon Brotherton.

COMMENTATOR: We are ready now for the German team. Weinstein was the

silver medallist in the German championship this year in the

individual pursuit, one of the traditional blue ribbon braces, but

no longer part of the Olympic programme. No, the total number of

medals for each sport is strictly controlled, and when we introduced

other events to get parity with the women, which is a good thing, we had

to lose some as well. So we have seen a lot of change in the last 12

years of events. It seems to have stabilised now, though. We are just

a few minutes away from Great Britain's ride. I can see Sir

Bradley Wiggins making final preparations in the British team

then. Schomber hands over. The German riders are looking good. Not

the fastest, though. The fastest was set by Denmark. The Germans will not

be happy with this. Maybe the track is not running fast. Domenic

Weinstein is at the front, the 21-year-old. These German riders

race on the road as well. Trying to put some of those road miles to good

effect on the track. It is a young team, 21, 22, 23, apart from Bommel,

who is a decade older, the experienced hand. These are the kind

of times we have been seeing at the World Championships, but we were

expecting that everybody would have pushed forward for this one. That

was a long term from Schomber. Germany are not in the hunt here.

They will not be a factor in the men's team pursuit. It is the

fastest four who are still in the running for the medals in the next

round. Not the best of starts for the

German team pursuit here. Six and a half laps to go. They are

miles off the pace set by the Danes. Plus the first signs of fatigue that

we have seen with this four. Bommel peeling off the front. They look

neat and tidy on the track, it is just the pace that is the problem.

It is subtle stuff, but you pick it up in the body language. A slightly

sloppy change. That will cost a lot of energy at these speeds. Great

Britain are on the track next. As you say, they look the part.

Weinstein riding at the front. The terms are getting shorter now. This

is when it really starts to hurt. I think three will finish more or less

together, but they will be well outside the sort of time required.

They will be disappointed with that. Great Britain are coming up onto the

track as the Germans wind down, slowly circling the track. These are

the highlights of their ride. You can see the on-board camera. The

teams are obliged to use these. They work so habanero dynamics, and then

the organisation insist that one of the riders must carry one of these

-- they work so hard on aerodynamics. Most riders choose to

put them down the back, where it is already messy. Plenty of British

supporters here in Rio, and the Union Jacks are out for this one.

Ed Clancy is one of the best starters in the world, back from

injury. And Steven Burke is one of the best man twos in the world. Can

be carry that form from training from Newport down to Rio? And can

they set a time that will give them an opportunity to go for a medal?

Olympic champions in 2008 and in 2012. Ed Clancy leave them off. He

was an integral part of both of those gold medal winning teams. The

rider second in line is Steven Burke. He rode four years ago. And

behind him, Eoin -- Owain Doull. And Bradley Wiggins, bringing up the

river but slowly moving forward. He is picking up the pace.

They have been shown by the courage that they are up on schedule. They

are half a second quicker than the fastest so far. It will be

interesting to see their strategy. Are they looking at the time is

doing enough to qualify, or are they going to want to break the world

record? I would be surprised if it is not the latter. Not quite on

world record pace at the moment. Bradley Wiggins riding at the front,

that distinctive style of his we have seen so often over the years.

No sign of slowing down, even at the age of 36. Has he got one last

Olympic gold medal left in him? They are slightly off schedule at the

moment. You can see the effort, even for a rider of his calibre just to

ride on the wheels, never mind on the front. Ed Clancy peels off the

front. Just taking things, so long as they don't die off towards the

end, which every team has done, they are at world-record pace. Are we

about to see another stunning ride from Great Britain here? They are

slowly increasing their advantage overall the other teams, with six

laps to go. This is where it starts to tell, the strength and depth.

This is where all that training and technical ability comes to fruition.

They are bang on schedule. They would not tell me earlier, but I am

guessing they have set their own best mark. The time to beat keeps

popping up on the left side of the screen. It is their own world record

Thomas set in London in 2012 -- their own world record time. Bradley

Wiggins grits his teeth. It almost looks like they are accelerating,

concertina-ing a bit behind. Wiggins gets out of the way. Wiggins drops

off. Ed Clancy, with Steven Burke and Owain Doull behind him. These

three have to be home for Britain. They have to stay upright and

produced the time it looks as though they might be capable of. 250 metres

to go, the last lap into the back straight. Ed Clancy, Burke and Doull

for Great Britain. Looking to be used a time that will get them in

with a chance of a medal. Just outside world-record pace, but that

was a superb ride from Great Britain. Britain topped the

leaderboard. CLARE BALDING: the fastest

qualifiers, with just Australia to come. We will be reflecting on that

ride from the British team and on the teamwork between them with Sir

Chris Hoy. But we will be doing that on BBC One. We leave you here now on

BBC Two. Join us again in a moment.