Published: 19 June 2007
Blazing sunshine met a smallish field for the AW Cycles Track league at Palmer Park this Monday and given the busy weekend of National Championship events, we're not surprised, as there must be some tired legs out there.
- Keirin qualification action
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
The nights major attraction was the Sunrise Keirin Competition but first up on the track were the ever present and highly energetic youth racers, who show up week in-week out to do battle.
Rosie Serruya, is in the Under 14's girls category and every night competes against the girls and ladies all older than herself. Rosie, who has a wicked sprint and shows great determination, won the 6 lap & 10 lap Scratch races, the Keirin and the Block Handicap. She also competed in the Womens open Sunrise Keirin finishing second.
In the Youth boys category the stand out rider of the night was John Paul, who has improved steadily this season and competes against one of the countries top Under 14's Stephen Bradbury. In the first event, the 6 lap Scratch race John finished a close second to Stephen but then really got going and finished up with three wins from four races.
Continuing in the vein of Youth riders, Under 16 Matt Gittings decided to ride against the Senior B riders and he showed some fabulous speed to win his Sunrise Keirin heat. In the final he drew a late position and his Under 16 gearing was no match for the top speed of the senior boys.
The Senior races opened with a Hare & Hound 10 lapper and the A's caught the B's with 4 laps to go. In the romp to the line it was Robert King who hit the line first from the fast finishing duo of Michael Wilmot and Ian Greenstreet.
Greenstreet is having an excellent season and after winning the 20km race last week was out to show he was ready for more and finished in the top 3 in every senior event this evening including winning a very tightly fought Points race by one point from Roger Woodford and a further point back to Sandy King. Sandy King is also showing that he is a force to be reckoned with as he won his National Circuit Championships at Curborough on Saturday . What most haven't realised is that this 6 foot tall lad is not yet 16 and rides with a great deal of maturity and aggression in the Senior A ranks.
The Sunrise Keirin is a slight variation on the normal keirin in that the speed is increased incrementally until they reach over to 35 miles per hour before the Derny pulls off with 300 metres to go. The rider at the front has to keep the same pace that the derny was doing or more in order to stave off the opposition.
- The sprint for the line - Keirin 'A' final
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
In the Senior A's competition it was David Jack who, after drawing a bad start number used some guile, by not moving when the gun went, but instead waited for the Derny to come past and dropping on to it before it had reached the other riders who had accelerated earlier. This tactic worked superbly and Jack, who still had his large Derny Champs gear on from the weekend, was able to hold the Derny smoothly as it hit top speed. When the Derny pulled over, Jack kept on top of the huge gear and although he could hear his competition coming, was unchallenged as he hit the line. Neil Cooper took second from Greenstreet
- The ladies awaiting their Derny - Keirin final
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
The Senior B's race had a wide range of age and experience with Under 16's Matt Gittings probably having ridden more races this year than the rest of his competition but it was the powerful ex-rugby player, Rob Drinkwater, who had the Derny's fender. Drinkwater powered away after the Derny pulled over and was looking good until another Rob, this one Rob King, who came round in the final 30 metres to pip Drinkwater by half a bike length.
In the Ladies final it was Rosie Serruya who snuck in behind the Derny first and led down the back straight with 300 to go but alas her 81 inch Under 14's gear just wasn't enough speed to hold off the steadily improving Emma Patterson, who with a bigger gear and 5 more years, had too much power and took the win by a bike length.
The final event as always, is the AW Cycles 20km Endurance race, which started very steadily until age and youth joined up to escape the clutches of the main field.
- Young and old at the head of the field - 20K Endurance
- Photograph courtesy of DGS Cycling Photography
It was over 50's Steve Heffernan who made the move followed by a determined Under 14's Richard Barlow and then a lap later they were joined by another Under 14's John Paul. Soon the threesome had 150 metres lead on the pack, who weren't really showing any interest, knowing that with 44 laps to complete, this attack was potential suicide.
And so with 10 laps gone the bunch slowly begun to reel the attackers in. Barlow and Paul dropped back and jumped in with the main field and Hefferan persisted for another couple of laps until he too realised it was fruitless to continue and sat up. Gavin Spiers was the next to go and he powered away to gain half a lap before the pack responded and when caught with 16 laps to go, it was all on.
Attacks from Roger Woodford, Ian Greenstreet, Sandy King, Neil Cooper and Tristan Natolie over the successive laps were all brought back and it came down to a one lap scratch race. Greenstreet held the top of the banking, followed by Cooper and Woodford. Jack was on the datum line keeping pace. Finally the tension broke and everyone hit the 200 metre line flat out. Greenstreet got to the front and powered onto the home straight but had Cooper and Woodford for close company and it was the latter two who rolled over the top with Cooper taking the win from Woodford with a quarter of a wheel back to Greenstreet. Rob King continued his good Senior B's form to win his fourth race of the evening and Rohan Battison finished the best placed Women.
Remember this Sunday 24th is the Paris-Bordeaux, National Endurance League event at Palmer Park from 12 onwards. Entry on the Line is available.