Published: 22 August 2006
Results and story from Reading Velodrome Racing August 21st 2006
Very little got in the way of the AW Cycles juggernaut onslaught at Monday's Reading Velodrome Racing programme at Palmer Park, when its three ace riders, Joe Bayfield, Tim Bedingfield and Alex Peterson took most of the limelight. But for the intervention of Ian Holt, Evans Cycles, on one of his infrequent visits to Palmer Park, and Sam Sturgeon, trackcycling.co.uk that trio would have swept the board clean. They took all three places in the 10 lap points score and the 20 kms Endurance and scored in every other event in the programme.
Reading's introduction of the 'sunrise Keirin' a longer distance paced race behind only one Derny motor, re-introduced from its first appearance last year, produced the most exciting events of the evening. Instead of the sedate early pace of the regular Keirin, the 'sunrise' pace motors speed up every lap from the starting gun with the result that the riders have to fight all the way to stay in contention until the pace motor pulls off the track three quarters of a lap before the finish. It was in the A riders event that Ian Holt snatched prime place behind the Derny motor from the gun and held on to take first place from Joe Bayfield.
In the B riders event Christopher Bradbury, a local junior rider, trained by the Palmer Park youth school, followed a similar pattern and pushed his wheel over the line ahead of Twickenham's Rob Drinkwater.
It was in the 20 kilometre Endurance race that the AW Cycles trio sealed their evening's domination. They set the pace from the start and after 12 laps of the 44 had been covered in company with three others, Scott Merrilees, Twickenham CC, Robert King, Reading CCs upcoming junior and Sam Sturgeon they had established a one lap gain. This group maintained the speed and clipped off rider after rider as they consolidated the advantage.
The coup de grace came seven laps from home when they attacked the other three companion breakaways, and successfully shed King and Merrilees. Only Sam Sturgeon remained with them but he too was to suffer a group attack with 3 laps left when Bedingfield and Petersen broke away. Sam had to chase them with Bayfield firmly glued behind until in the last lap Bayfield produced his renowned sprint away from a tiring Sturgeon to take the third place behind his team mate's Petersen and Bedingfield who crossed the line in that order.