Published: 20 June 2006
News and results from Reading Velodrome, June 19th 2006
Only one man withstood the onslaught of Junior and Youth riders at Monday?s Reading Velodrome Racing programme at Palmer Park Stadium, Joe Bayfield. Now riding in the AW Cycles team colours, Joe who has showed that he has regained his track speed after his enforced lay off following a serious motor cycling accident, started the evening?s work with a win in the 10 lap scratch race and finished it off with a resounding victory in the 20 kms Endurance race.
He received a powerful warning from a newcomer to Reading, junior David Sinclair, who has been playing havoc in road and circuit races around the southern counties recently. Leader of a strong I-team combination, Sinclair challenged Bayfield in the 10 lap race and confirmed the danger when he beat him in the Devil, then demonstrated his sprint ability with a third place behind two sprint specialists in the A riders 500m final. The final warning for Bayfield came in the AW Cycles Endurance race when he finished a close runner up to him at the end of a punishing 20 kms.
Always a tough race, it?s 44 laps of the Reading Velodrome, Monday?s event started with what has become a familiar pattern recently, a solo dash away from the start by Sam Sturgeon, trackcycling.co.uk It was not long before he was joined by Bayfield, Sinclair and Lee Smith and the foursome joined forces to such good purpose that with 12 laps covered they had lapped the field. With 30 laps still to cover they could have stayed in the main bunch to the finish knowing that they already had the prizes in the bag. But after numerous breakaway attempts by other ambitious riders, the same quartet together with under 16 years old Michael Wilmot, Martin Docker and Alex Petersen dashed away in another determined breakaway. With 12 laps to the finish it was well established , but Sam Sturgeon had not lasted the pace after his earlier effort and slipped back into the chasing field of riders. Bayfield conquered the others in the sprint for the finish line, but Sinclair was not far behind with Lee Smith recently out of the junior status, third.
It was in the pure sprinting department that the youngsters underlined the depth of talent that lies within track racing on the Reading Velodrome. Local youngster Sam Serruya still under 16 years old now snatched up by the AW Cycles team, demonstrated a finishing sprint in the final of the British Cycling?s Central Region Sprint Championship, that could take him far. He took the title comfortably from team mate Alex Petersen while yet another under 16 years old, Michael Wilmot, Hillingdon Slipstreamers, took the bronze medal.
In the League sprint series, contested by riders outside the Regional boundaries, Brighton?s Peter Mitchell, another junior, overcame his older trackcyling.co.uk team mate Lee Povey who managed to stay in front of star of the night David Sincalir, the junior leader of the I-team.