Emma Hinze looks to continue development after elite debut at Cambridge Track World Cup
	December 10th 2015           Emma Hinze the reigning junior world champion in the sprint, keirin and team sprint made her elite debut last weekend at the second round of the UCI Track World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand. "It was really cool to be allowed to ride my first World Cup and I was really excited!," Hinze said. "It shows that the German Federation want to give me a chance to integrate in the elite level as fast as possible. "One of my goals at the Junior World Championships was being in the first four riders to be allowed to start at the elite World Cups. So I was expecting it a little bit because the coach already talked about this opportunity," added Hinze. "I didn't know that far in advance that I would be racing the World Cup in New Zealand so I actually didn't have that much training for it. "I just rode the World Cup with the training status I had and tried to do my best! I just wanted to get to know the atmosphere at elites and learn from watching the races." Hinze's debut came in the sprint, posting a time of 11.311 seconds for the 21st fastest time earning her a spot in the 1/16 finals. "I'm really happy with my qualification time. It's nearly the same time I rode at the junior worlds, where I trained for one year compared to only a few months." In the 1/16 finals Hinze faced teammate and world champion Kristina Vogel for a chance to advance to the next round. Vogel's speed and experience proved too much for Hinze but the experience is likely to prove invaluable for her development. "The heat against Kristina Vogel was also a good experience for me," explained Hinze. "She has a lot of experience so she knew how to ride against me. "But in a situation like this it allows you to learn about racing and the elite women's sprint is completely different compared to juniors. "I finished 21st from 34 riders so I think that's really okay," Hinze said of her result. Hinze also lined up in the bronze medal ride in the team sprint after three time world champions in the event Kristina Vogel and Miriam Welte had qualified fourth fastest. "The team sprint was a really good experience because now I know where I want to be someday and that I need to train a lot for it! "I hadn't trained for the team sprint together with Miriam so it was hard to hold on to her back wheel because she was a lot faster than my team sprint partners from before but I also learned from that." Despite just missing a medal, finishing fourth to the team from the Netherlands the opportunity allowed one of the biggest talents in the sport to experience elite racing with a three time world champion in the event. The World Cup wasn't without challenges with a long trip from Germany to New Zealand taking its toll. "The first challenge we had to face was the long journey which was about 35 hours long. It took a few days but I got used to it. "The biggest challenge I had to face was being as focused and concentrated as I was at junior worlds to achieve a good result in the qualification! Because I knew this was the only real thing I had a chance in! "The atmosphere was so serious and you feel that it's their job not only their hobby anymore," said Hinze on what the overall experience was like. "I learned that there is another level and many people are very similar in strength so you can't really say who's going to win. "It's good to have a look at a World Cup without having pressure. You can just see how it is and get used to it a little bit. You also get to know the new team and how they work together. I'm really happy that I took part on it!" For Hinze her attention now turns to the final World Cup in Hong Kong in January. "My next goal is riding the World Cup in Hong Kong and then I'll see which other chances I'll get in the season. I'm looking forward to it!"