Published: 26 May 2010
The first of what will, hopefully, be a series of mini-summers drew to an end on Monday night under a cloudless sky, accompanied by the gentle murmuring of Derny motors. With only five Dernies available and, as a result, a lot of heats to run, the decision was taken to run first round of the Senior B Derny championship and the Under 12 Youths this week, with the remainder of the Youths and the Senior As kicking off their series in 3 weeks' time.
- Ian Greenstreet of Newbury RC leads Steven Bradbury of AW Cycles and Trevor Bradbury of Reading CC in the closing stages of the opening 10 lap scratch
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
The evening started with the traditional mixed Senior A & B race - a straight 10 Lap Scratch this week, with As, Bs and Ladies all scoring points for their own respective championships. Juniors - and AW Cycles team mates - Steven Bradbury and Matt Gittings set the pace early on, but there were few serious attacks. Nick English (Reading CC) went off the front at one point, with Neil Cooper (AW Cycles in pursuit, but the break was chased down and it was Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) who lead the final lap dash. He was overhauled off the final bend by Bradbury with Dan Maslin (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) and Rob King (AW Cycles) in hot pursuit. Bradbury held on for the win and father Trevor made it a family affair, taking the B win from on-from Rikki Pankhurst (AW Cycles) and William Macke (Palmer Park Velo).
The As now had an extended recovery period as the Senior B Derny championship roared into life, with several of the Derny drivers who recently gained their licenses at Welwyn making their competition debuts - under the watchful eye of the experienced due of Sean Bannister and Clive Sturgeon.
That experience proved invaluable to Pankhurst in first heat as he and pacer Bannister steadily chased down early leader Steve Bale (Reading CC), paced by Sturgeon, and Gawain Bailey (Team Zappi's) and Derny debutant Dave Dentus, resplendent in yet-to-be-UCI-approved cardigan with aero ribbing. Whether it was turbulence from Dentus' top or simply lack of miles in Bailey's post-comeback legs, he struggled to hold the Derny in the later stages as Bannister and Pankhurst set a blistering pace to book a place in the final.
- Frazier Carr (paced by John Wann) comes round the outside of Willam Macke (Sean Bannister) to take the Senior B Derny final
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
Heat 2 was a contrast of styles, with young Frazier Carr of Palmer Park Velo - paced by the newly qualified Andy Pitt - put in a flawless display of smooth, consistent riding behind the motorbike, sat right on the rear mudguard. The draw meant that he lead on the first lap, but he was soon overhauled by Tristan Natolie - newly resplendent in the colours of Charlotteville CC - who looked strong and was clearly pushing a much bigger gear than that mandated to protect Carr's Under 16 knees. Natolie and pacer Gisela Bradbury opened up a sizeable lead, but it was clear that the big gear was hurting and Natolie started to lose contact with his pacer. Carr swept past him and, as the laps started to run out, so did Dentus and Reading CC's Jun Aishima who appeared to be spinning an even smaller gear than Carr. It was the youngster who took a comfortable win and the place in the final - and a first win for the new batch of Derny pilots - with Aishima second and Natolie hanging on for third.
The third heat was much closer with the Pitt-Palmer Park Velo combination again to the fore, this time with William Macke doing the pedalling. Macke took an early lead and looking set for a comfortable win. With a couple of laps to go, though, he was passed by Joe Holloway of VC10, tucked in behind Dentus and the now notorious knitwear. By the time Macke re-passed Holloway in the closing stages, a third duo had joined the fight, with Bannister again to the fore, pacing none other than Joe's dad Kevin. With all three riders struggling to keep the wheel in a frantic dash for the line, it was Macke who took the win, with Holloway Senior nicking second in the last ten metres.
Heat 4. With the sun finally starting to disappear, it was Reading CC's Trevor Bradbury who booked the penultimate place in the final with possibly the most controlled win of the evening - and Pitt's third of the night as a pacer. Stephen Avery of Team Zappi's followed them home in second place, paced by Dave Dentus.
In the final heat George Withers had the chance to join his Palmer Park Velo team mates - and fellow Under 16s - Macke and Carr in the final - as well as giving Pitt a shot at four wins in a row on the Derny. It wasn't to be, though, with Sam Grant (Beyond MBC) taking full advantage of the sweater slipstream, partnering Dentus to his first win as a pacer.
- Emma Grant of AW Cycles cruises to victory in the Ladies Final behind the 'Woollen Wall' of pacer Dave Dentus
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
The Ladies had a straight final, which returning Olympic Development Programme rider Harrier Owen (Bicester Millennium - paced by Andy Pitt) lead early on, before being passed first by fellow ODP rider Emma Grant (AW Cycles - Dave Dentus) and then by Jayne Paine of Willesden CC (Sean Bannister). Paine battled hard to get on terms with Grant, but in the end it was an easy win - and two in a row for the Flying Furball.
Before the male Derny paced final, there was a points race for the long suffering Senior As, who had been kicking their heels through all the Derny heats, Ladies final and a couple of youth races. A fast paced race was ultimately decided when a group of four riders - AW Cycles duo Bradbury and Gittings and Newbury RC duo Donal Linehan and Ian Greenstreet rode clear. Bradbury took the win, with Gittings second and Greenstreet third.
Pankhurst and Sturgeon led off the Derny final, with Macke and Bannister tucked in behind and in the early stages the two combos started to open up a gap on the rest of the field. Grant and Dentus soon made their move, followed by Carr and his neophyte pacer John Wann, with Pitt and Bradbury bringing up the rear.
Macke took over the lead and looked to have things sewn up, despite pressure from Grant. It was Carr who finally made the winning move, though - albeit, thanks to a couple of mix-ups with the lap board, on the 12th lap of 10 - coming alongside Macke onto the home straight and lunging off the wheel of the Derny to take the win by the narrowest of margins.
- Nick English of Reading CC laps the field then leads the bunch in the final stages of the AW Cycles 15k
- Photograph courtesy of swarbrick.com
The final event of the evening was a shortened AW Cycles Endurance race over 15k which was completely dominated by Nick English of Reading CC who lapped the field before half distance and rode most of the second half of the race on the front of the remaining bunch. In the early stages he'd been joined in his attack by Rob King and Neil Cooper of AW Cycles and Nick Abraham who lost touch with him but stayed clear of the bunch for most of the race, before being swallowed up in the last 5 minutes of the race.
With 3 laps to go, Derny winner Carr jumped off the front and opened up a 75 metre lead on the bunch, which he held for just over two laps. He was swallowed up by the sprint for the line, though, with early escapee Neil Cooper taking 2nd as a reward for his efforts, with Under 16 Olympic Talent Team rider Dan Maslin 3rd. Tristan Natolie took the B honours ahead of Bradbury Senior and Gawain Bailey.