Published: 18 April 2007
With the amazing weather currently hanging over the British Isles, you'd think we were in the height of summer, and it was these warm and calm conditions that greeted over 50 riders to the first night of the new season's track league.
Many of the top riders, like Bryan Taylor and ex-pro Joe Bayfield, who have dominated the league the last few years, were not present but this only added to the buzz and excitement as some of the younger talent and other "old hands" were able to strut their stuff and open their league points tally's.
And there were 20 or so under 16's, 14's and 12/10's who were really up for giving it a go too.
In a tightly packed schedule, the well organised league got the racing underway:
- Action from the Junior 1 lap Time Trial
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
Youth 6 laps Block handicap. With various pockets of youths spread all over the track at the start, keeping up was all but impossible for a spectator, with attacks going in every bunch, riders passing other riders and with the final lap bell ringing, it came down a half dozen mad dashs for the line.
Palmer Park Velo riders sweeping this event; Matt Gittings taking the under 16's, Stephen Bradbury taking the under 14's, Harvey Watson the Under 12/10's and the under 16 girls went to Holly Swarbrick.
To make sure the youths weren't kept up too late, they were straight into a 1 lap time trial and it was a similar result with PPV's Matt Gittings again the fastest in the Under 16's, Stephen Bradbury fastest in the Under 14's but Hillingdon Slipstreamers Daniel Maslin proved fastest over the 1 lap in the 12/10's.
To give the youths a break before their next event, we moved to the seniors' first outing of the night, the Hare & Hounds, a 10 lap scratch race with the B riders getting a half lap lead.
- Senior Hare & Hound
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
No time for a slow start in this event and it was A rider Twickenham CC's David Jack who wound up the pace of the chasing bunch and with some fast through and off by the chasing pack, the B group was brought back into the fold with 5 laps to go.
A big attack from i-Teams guest rider Dave Sinclair, put the group under serious stress and there was a single line of strung out riders spread over half a lap. Sinclair continued the pressure and, on the last lap, had enough in reserve to hold out for the victory, followed closely by AW Cycles new recruit this year, Roger Woodford and fast finisher and BCF talent team rider Michael Wilmot of Team Quest.
The Women's result saw Agisko Viner's Rohan Battison beat her team mate Emma Patterson, while Planet X's Janet Birkmyre punctured, missed several laps, and then honoured the judges request not to contest.
- Action from the Junior Hare & Hound
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
Back to the youth riders who were treated to their own 4 lap Hare & Hound event, with the Senior Women.
Again, riders started in advanced handicap positions around the track, based on the age categories and it was nearly impossible to keep track of which group was which. So many fast groups descending on others, especially the Under 14's, who were eating up the riders in front of them.
At the finish it was Hillingdon Slipstremers Sam Grant who took the win in the under 16's, PPV's Stephen Bradbury took his 3rd win of the night in the under 14's but was given a real run for his money from talented 13 year old Harriet Owen, whilst in the under 12/10's, it was a second win from Daniel Maslin of Hillingdon Slipstreamers.
The women's race was a speedy affair too and it was Planet X's Janet Birkmyre who showed she hasn't lost any speed over the winter by winning the 4 lap event from Agisko girls Emma Patterson and Rohan Battison.
The youths got a well deserved break at this stage whilst the Seniors took to the track for the first of this seasons A, B and Women's Sprint competitions.
In the first A qualifying heat there was a shock result when last years sprint league champion Sam Serruya, missed an early attack from Twickenham CC's David Jack, who was closely chased by Newbury CC's Ian Greenstreet. Both vet riders kept their respective gaps on the chasers and Serruya, plus others, were duly dispatched.
In the second heat, a much closer affair, it was i-Team's David Sinclair who wound it up down the back straight and no one was able to pass him. AW Cycles Roger Woodford, was close enough to take the 2nd spot to get into the final.
In the B Sprint things were similarly close with Ed Sobieralski of Sports-Coaching.com taking the win in the first heat, from AW Cycles Rikki Pankhurst with another AW Cycles rider Steve Clark leading home VC Meudons Brian Hoadley in Heat 2.
We'll tell you about the finals shortly but in the meantime its back to the Youths final event, as well as another women's specific race too, the 10 lap scratch race, which was a high speed affair with the Under 16's, really going to town on their younger competitors.
With only the senior women able to keep up, it was another mad effort from eventual under 16's winner Matt Gittings who pipped Sam Grant on the line, closely followed by the women's race winner, Jan Birkmyre, who distanced her rivals Battison and Patterson whilst battling with these two.
In the Under 14's it was PPV's Stephen Bradbury who completed a clean sweep of events for the night but being pushed all the way to the line by young Harriet Owen again, with a third PPV rider, John Paul also closing quickly.
The Under 12/10's had Daniel Maslin win his third race of the night, from Harvey Watson and Jason Pitt.
The next event was the combined Senior A & B & women's 10 lap Scratch races and with 2 more events to come including sprint finals, some riders were using this event as a warm up. Which of course left the door open for others to take the glory.
With the pace fast and furious it was David Sinclair who kept the pace high but couldn't contain the speed of Newbury CC's Ian Greenstreet, who opened up a 4 bike length gap on the last bend and held it comfortably to record the win, with Sinclair holding off Team Quest's Mark Wilmot and another old timer in Steve Heffernan.
The women's event was won convincingly by Janet Birkmyre, who lead in Rohan Battison.
The B riders race was won by South Western CC's Alan Parkinson, from Chris McLeod and Gavin Spiers, both of Reading CC.
Back to the Sprint Finals which turned out to be hugely exciting. In the women's event Janet Birkmyre showed a clean pair of heels to win comfortably from youth rider, Harriet Owen, who deserved her well ridden 2nd placing and Rohan Battison who came in 3rd.
The B Sprint was fairly tactical, but came down to all out speed and Ed Sobieralski showed he had that to win easily from AW Cycles Rikki Pankhurst and Gavin Spiers.
The A final was a different kettle of fish, with Ian Greenstreet and David Sinclair winding up the speed early, keen to keep the pace high, whilst Michael Wilmot and David Jack watched each other closely. As they hit the 200 metre mark, it was Greenstreet leading at pace, with Sinclair trying to come round but it was talent team rider Wilmot who was really giving it the gas to kick over both of them. He had Jack glued to his wheel and as they hit the main straight, Jack wound up his big gear and rolled over all of them to win by a wheel length.
After a 5 minute break all senior riders returned to the track for the nights final event, the AW Cycles sponsored 20km endurance race, which, for a change, started slowly.
- Action from the 20Km Endurance race
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
The first attack of the night came from AW Cycles Tristan Natolie, who rolled off the front and seemed surprised to find Janet Birkmyre on his wheel. With several AW team mates watching the escape whilst on or near the front, they gained a good half lap before the bunch and their legs decided it was too much, and after 3 laps, they was back in the fold.
The next attack was from Roger Woodford, which was again covered by women's sprint champ Janet Birkmyre.
They were brought back several laps later and it was ex-Commonwealth Games Champion from 25 years ago, Steve Heffernan, who put in a huge attack down the back straight to quickly gain almost half a lap. Most riders would not know his pedigree, but David Jack did, and he led the charge that wound Heffernan back into the bunch.
Then there was an attack from Twickenham CC's Sandy King, who gained about 100 metres. He was joined by Jack and they kept the pace on for several laps, before the bunch decided they too were too dangerous to let go and they were brought back after some big efforts lead by Dave Sinclair.
All this attacking had caused many riders to fall by the wayside, but it was the next attack by Sinclair, Greenstreet, Woodford and Michael Wilmot which broke the race apart. You could see legs exploding as riders chasing just couldn't hang on any longer, their legs giving way underneath them, their chasing in vain as the lead riders stretched out the gaps.
Soon the track had maybe 12 riders left on it, from the original 30 plus, with 7 riders away, another 3 chasers in one group and a 3rd group of 2 or 3.
The lead group then set about lapping everyone and continued their charge until the final few laps, where some riders began to miss laps and save something for the finish. The pace suddenly went out of the bunch and they all swung up and it was like this until a lap and a bit to go, with Ian Greenstreet giving it everything down the back straight. He was to be denied by the youngsters of Wilmot, Sinclair and a slightly older Roger Woodford, with Wilmot pipping Sinclair at the line, Woodford held off a determined Greenstreet for 3rd.
First women home was Janet Birkmyre, who although known as a fast finisher, held off Emma Patterson, to take the Endurance and Sprint league points.