Published: 12 May 2009
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
Cam followed in his sister's footsteps on Sunday, taking the British School's Cycling Association Under 16 National Track Championship in Portsmouth. Representing The Emmbrook School - as Holly did when she won the Under 16 Girls last year - Cam clinched a title previously won by Beijing Olympic Gold medallists Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas.
The title is decided by an Omnium event which consists of a 2km Pursuit, a Sprint competition and an 8km Scratch race, with the title going to the best placed rider across the three disciplines.
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
In the Pursuit, Cam caught his opponent - reigning Under 14 BSCA National Champion Sam Broughton of Countesthorpe in Leicsetershire - on the line to finish in 2 minutes 58 seconds, 8 seconds ahead of fellow local rider and former team-mate Frazier Carr of Maiden Erlegh.
Maintaining his momentum in the Competition, he cruised through to the Sprint final with an easy win in the heats and sitting up in the semi-finals to take the second of the two available places in the final - never doing more than he had to in order to qualify.
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
In the Sprint final, he took the front of the race and controlled the pace, constantly watching his rivals and waiting for one of them to jump. It was Herschel Stevens of Leeds who made the first move but Cam reacted immediately, taking his wheel before coming round his rival on the last corner and taking the win by a bike length from Stevens who just edged out Broughton. Carr took fourth place.
Before the deciding event, the riders from schools in the South Region took part in a separate Sprint competition, which also formed part of a South Region Omnium. Cam qualified first from his semi-final and won the final from Brock Duncomb-Rogers of Brighton, Harry Strudley and Frazier Carr, both of Palmer Park Velo.
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
Going in to the final event, Cam was four points ahead of Broughton and Carr, with Stevens just one point further back. Traditionally his weakest event, he had to work to keep the race together and with nobody able to get away, the bunch sprint started on the back straight on the final lap. Cam, Stevens and Duncomb-Rogers came into the home straight in line abreast, with Cam using his sprinting ability to good advantage. With 75 metres to go and the overall title secure, he eased up as Duncomb-Rogers came through to take the win.
Second place was enough to take the title by 6 points from Stevens. Carr finished 3rd overall, while Cam also took the South Region Sprint and Omnium titles.
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
The title was a perfect end to a tough weekend which began the previous day at the same track with Round 2 of the BC Youth Track Omnium Series. With another 26 rider field - including a couple of strong riders who had missed the first round - Cam got off to a flying start, setting a very respectable time in the 1km Time Trial. For a while it looked as though he would make it through to the A Sprint final with the fourth best time, but a correction to one of the other times dropped him to fifth, still his best of the Series so far - and quickest of the first year Under 16s and the fastest non-Talent Team rider. He was only beaten by the top 3 finishers overall in Round 1 and Oliver Rossi, who would go on to take Round 2.
In the Points he rode a similar race to the previous round, but this time was in contention for more of the sprints - just missing out on points on a couple of occasions. Again, he was first non-points scorer over the line on the final lap, clinching 10th place.
The Devil was also going well, and a top ten spot looked likely until he found himself on the inside with nowhere to go 6 laps from home and had to settle for a disappointing 11th.
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
In the Sprint, Cam rode a good tactical race, controlling things from the front and reacting well to the jump but ended up leading out Welwyn's Ben Bailey who just edged past him on the line to drop Cam to 6th place.
Then disaster - another pulled wheel in the Scratch race meant that he had to drag his bike around for 17 laps, off the back of the group but managing to stay on the same lap. The 19th place finish, though, dashed his chances of bettering his 8th position of the previous round - but only just, finishing 9th - equal 8th on points.
Cam takes a well earned rest next weekend before heading to Welwyn for the next round of the Omnium Series and then to Palmer Park for the slightly insane Bordeaux-Paris Derny paced races and Herne Hill for a Madison festival. June sees the final round of the Omniums at Cam's home track in Reading and then it's all about preparation for the BC Nationals in August.
A big thanks again to VIA International for providing the new carbon wheelset and aero bars, to Adrian Lawson for spending nearly 3 hours 'persuading' a pair of tubs to stretch to fit the wheels and to Cyclezone and Cube bicycles for providing the road bike that keeps him in shape between track events.