Reading Track League 10

 

The C league six lap scratch race opened the night, with eleven riders taking on six laps of the track. It took just two laps for the group to splinter, with under 16 riders Cameron Thomson (Palmer Park Velo) and Thamana Nel (i-Team CC) breaking away convincingly from the front of the bunch. With none of the bunch willing to chase the duo, they managed put more and more distance between themselves and the bunch throughout the following laps. It was eventually Nel who took the lead at the final corner, but was passed by Thomson in the final sprint who won the event by half a second from Nel. The rest of the bunch were left to sprint for third position, and it was Pete Osborne who was victorious for this highly contested minor placing.
 

 
Nine riders lined up for the A riders ten lap trackcycling scratch race which followed. As has become normal of late, the riders assumed an orderly peloton for the first 5 laps of the race. At this point, a spurt by Nick English (awcycles.co.uk) injected pace into proceedings, but the increased pace of the race meant none of the riders could make a discernable break from the pack. With the bell sounding, it was George Clark (High Wycombe CC) who took the chance to try for the win from a lap out, although the move proved fruitless against the sprint might of Matthew Gittings (awcycles.co.uk). Gittings took the lead on the final corner and was able to hold it right the way to the line. Meanwhile, Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) rode an exceptional final straight to hold off his younger competition and claimed second place, barely half a second behind Gittings. Such was Gittings’ and Greenstreet’s determination, both riders put in a sub-31 second final lap. Max Stedman (Pedal Heaven RT) took third place.

 
The final scratch race was for the B riders. Just seven riders lined up for the ten lap race, and it was Tom Hemmant (BC Private Member) who made the early break after five laps. Hemmant was quickly joined by Daniel Lansley (RP Racing Team) and Nick Cammell (Mountain Trax RT). The veritable trio continued to increase their lead and, with Richard Gostick (Reading CC) and Ash Ellis (Performance Cycles) dropping out, the remaining duo of Sam Grant (WDMBC) and Jun Aishma (BC Private Member) had little hope of catching the front bunch. Cammell had managed to forge a decisive lead going into the final lap and was able to hold this right until the line, ultimately finishing some four seconds ahead of Hemmant (second place). Lansley took third place.
 

 
A mixture of keirin races followed; some races were run as heats and, where there were insufficient riders, some races were run as straight finals. The first of the straight finals was for the U14 boys. In this race, it was Callum Macleod (Palmer Park Velo) who got the better of Jan Corsten (Palmer Park Velo) to seize first place. Joshua Knowles (Palmer Park Velo) fought all the way to the line to take third spot. The U16 boys/novice/vets group was next to be run as a straight final, and it was Thomson who, clearly untroubled by his strong performance in the scratch race earlier in the evening, rode an exceptional final lap to take first place half a second clear of Nel who once again had to settle for the runner-up spot. The fast improving Lee Jones (Newbury RC) took third place. With the B riders in such depleted numbers for the meeting, their race was also run as a straight final. Cammell chose to sit the keirin out, and it was Daniel Lansley who took the win, just two-hundredths of a second ahead of Grant. Hemmant finished in third place.
 

 
The C ladies and A riders had had to have heats for the keirin and were awarded the luxury of a break between the heats and the finals – in the form of the Devil races. First up was the C Devil race and, with a large field of 19 riders starting the race, the riders were pulled off in pairs for the first four laps of the race. The trio of Thomson , Nel and sole U14 rider, Macleod, were left to contest the final lap. Thomson was once again able to put in an excellent final straight to take first place ahead of Nel and Macleod who took second and third respectively.
 
Continued overleaf…