Published: 29 July 2008
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
There were thunder storms around the Palmer Park stadium during the warm up and the rain finally came down as the riders cooled down after the final event of the evening - The Central Division 20k championship. In between, though, it was a glorious sunny evening with some fine racing, despite summer holidays and the European Masters in Manchester.
The youths kicked things off, as usual - starting their programme with a flying 200m Time Trial. Cameron Swarbrick (Palmer Park Velo) headed the times for the Under 14s, ahead of team mates Ben Bailey and George Withers. Jamil Gaida (Palmer Park Velo) continued his fine form to take the Under 12 honours from Max Stedman (Reading CC) and Reg Pay (Palmer Park Velo). Natalie Hill (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) was the fastest girl.
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
Straight back on to the fence for the points race, it was Swarbrick again taking the honours, taking maximum points on every occasion but the last lap. Withers took those - and second place - ahead of Bailey. In the Under 12s, Gaida was on top again, with Stedman and Carl Jolley (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) behind.
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
Then it was the turn of the Seniors to bask in the summer sunshine. Sam Sturgeon (Team Terminator) made an early break in the 10 lap Scratch and was soon joined by Chris Legg (A W Cycles). The 16 year old set a blistering pace in the sweltering heat and, although Rob King (Reading CC) put in a tremendous effort to chase him down, took the win from King and Under 16 rider Matt Gittings (Palmer Park Velo).
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
The Keirin made the headlines on the BBC News in the morning and was one of the highlights of the evening. Bailey lead out the sprint in the Under 14 final, with Swarbrick coming off his wheel of the bend and pulling alongside to set up one of the closest finishes of the evening - Bailey holding on by the width of a tyre with Withers following them home. Gaida took the Under 12 race, with Pay close behind and Stedman in third. In the Ladies final, Rosie Serruya (Palmer Park Velo) took a comfortable win from Hill with Martha MacAllister (Palmer Park Velo) third.
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
In the Senior Keirin it was Sam Serruya (A W Cycles), Neil Cooper (A W Cycles), King and Legg who qualified for the A final with Olympic Talent Team rider John Paul (Didcot Phoenix), Trevor Bradbury (Reading CC), Paul Cooper (Reading CC) and Nick English (Reading CC) lining up for the B final. Paul lead the B final from the front with the trio of Reading riders battling it out for second place - Bradbury taking the place from English. In the A final things were much closer with Serruya, Cooper and King coming off the final bend in line abreast. Serruya took the win with Cooper completing an A W Cycles 1-2 ahead of King and Legg, who was clearly saving himself for other things.
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
Sturgeon and Legg again set the early pace in the Unknown Distance race and the bunch disintegrated within about a lap and a half. With small groups spread around the track, Legg set about picking his way through them, Cooper and King following him through to take second and third. English was the best of the Bs, with Donal Linehan (Newbury CC) taking second from Rikki Pankhurst (A W Cycles).
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
The Youths took to the track for the final time of the evening with a fiercely contested Devil take the hindmost. With two laps to go it was the usual suspects left to contest the final sprint - Swarbrick, Bailey, Withers and the impressive Gaida. With the Under 12s and Under 14s pointed separately, Gaida merely had to roll round to take the clean sweep of events for the evening. He doesn't know how to do that, though and was in there with the three Under 14s as they went for the line - Bailey taking the decision from Swarbrick and Withers. Stedman and Jolley took the other two Under 12 spots.
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
After last week's fascinating 'alternative' Devil, where David Jack won from the front - taking the best part of a lap on the rest of the field at one point - things were much more conventional this week with a tight pack manoeuvring for position at the end of each lap. Still there at the end in the B race were English, Linehan and Bradbury, with Cooper taking the A race from Legg and King.
- Action from Reading Velodrome Racing - 28th July 2008
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
And so to the main event of the evening - the A W Cycles 20k which, this week, incorporated the Central Division 20k championship. The race was dominated - as the 20k has been all season - by young Chris Legg who went off the front early on and, almost literally, never looked back. The finish was almost an anti-climax with Legg - who lapped the field with 10 laps to go - crossing the line to take the title tucked in the middle of the bunch, which was taking the bell. Cooper lead the charge home a lap later to take second from Martin Dawkins (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) with John Paul taking the B race from English and Bradbury.