Published: 6 June 2006
News from John Dennis, Sunday June 4th 2006
National Derny motor paced championships from Reading Velodrome
If the right music had been available it would have been appropriate to have played ?ten green bottles hanging on the wall? because that is the way that Bryan Taylor, VC Londres giant played the game to win his third National Derny motor paced Championship over a total of 50 kilometres at Reading Velodrome on Sunday. With a formidable field of contestants to cope with Reading?s reigning League Champion from 2005 played it cool. The final, disputed over 30 kilometres (66 laps of the track) saw him sitting comfortably at the rear of the eight other riders in the field as each tried his luck to get away and establish a lead. At times it looked as if the breakaways would be successful with Luton?s Simon Gaywood, the brilliant young Welshman Tom Smith from Cardiff and David Sinclair almost one lap ahead and newcomers amongst the spectators asking ? where?s this great man Taylor?? Only James Holland-Leader saw through Taylor?s tactics and stayed close to him , even with 21 laps left in the race, when the VC Londres man unleashed his renowned burst of speed. It was just like a motor cyclist twisting the throttle as he upped his speed with laps covered at well over 50 k,p.h. One by one he caught and passed his opponents until only Holland-Leader was left in his wake and then with four laps left another burst by Taylor following his pacemaker Colin Denman as if he was stuck with superglue eradicated him too - the last green bottle hanging on the wall!
Much the same pattern emerged in the Women?s Championship over a total of 25 kms which was headed up by Victoria Pendleton, the 2005 World Sprint Champion and this year?s Commonwealth Games sprint title holder. While it would not be fair to say that locals had high expectations that Reading?s Junior starlet Lara Wann would challenge Vicki, there were certainly
hopes that the youngster?s durability over longer distances combined with her natural speed would be a thorn in the side of the World Champion. And so it looked for Lara, paced by Clive Sturgeon set off at a blistering pace soon to put them more than half a lap ahead, then the field gradually reeled her in much to the efforts of Laura Bissell (G.S.Strada) and Leda Cox (onimpex) who continued to hammer away at the front and leaving Lara in fourth position.
Vicki Pendleton put the hammer down four laps from home, but Laura Bissell hung on grimly until the World Champion sprinter finally demonstrated her speed to ride away for a comfortable victory and another Champion?s jersey and gold medal.
The first round in the British Cycling?s season long National Sprinter?s League brought together another junior versus older experienced final contest between a slim Peter Mitchell , Trackcycling.co.uk, Brighton?s 16 year old and sturdy Neil Potter, St Raphael/Waites Contract sprinter from Milton Keynes. In the qualifying 200 metres time trial with times of 12.1 secs and 11.7 secs respectively they looked to be strong contestants for the final match and so it was. However, Potter and many other sprinters too will have to pay great attention to developing Mitchell, because barely inches separated the two at the finish after Mitchell came from one length behind on the run up to the line.
More photographs of the National Derny Motor Paced Championship can be found on British Cycling's website.