Reading Track League 10
Just seven riders started the A Devil, with Gittings and Matthew Lansley left to contest the final lap of the race. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Gittings who got the better of Lansley in the final straight. Stedman, the rider eliminated in the penultimate lap, took third place. With just seven riders starting the B Devil, it was Daniel Lansley and Hemmant who were left to contest the win in the final lap. Lansley put in a fine sprint in the closing half lap to claim his second victory of the night, with Hemmant having to settle for second. Cammell, who narrowly missed getting through to the final lap, took third place.
Amber Jpseph of Palmer Park Velo won the Senior C Keirin
The final two keirin finals followed. The ladies’ final was first up, and a strong ride by Amber Joseph (Palmer Park Velo) saw her triumph, despite a sterling effort by Anastasia Welsh (RP Racing Team). Emma Clarke (Palmer Park Velo) took third place. Chloe Jones (Newbury RC) who finished the race in fourth spot was the best of the U14 riders. The A keirin final followed and, with such a strong line-up, we could be sure that an impressive race would follow – and we weren’t disappointed. Gittings put in a characteristically strong final straight to cross the line first, although was pushed all the way by Matthew Roper (Brixton Cycles) who, in doing so, clocked the fastest lap of the race. Matthew Lansley (RP Racing Team) took third place.
Nick English of AW Cycles takes a fine solo win in the 20k
The second C scratch race of the night followed, with this race being contested over the slightly longer distance of 10 laps. With 18 riders starting, it ended up being the most popular event of the evening so far. The race remained relatively ordered, with 14 riders remaining in the bunch until the final lap. In the end, Thomson managed to cement his 100% win rate for the evening ahead of Nel and Knowles. The female trio of Jamie Kimber (Cotswold Veldrijden), Lorna Bowler (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) and Emma Pitt (Palmer Park Velo) were the top the ladies who impressively finished fourth to sixth respectively overall.
The A/B riders’ unknown distance race followed. No riders were willing to make an early break; all eagerly anticipating the bell to signify the final lap of the race. On this occurrence, the bell was sounded after six laps, and it was Gittings once again who put in a phenomenal final sprint to cross the line first. B-rider Daniel Lansley’s 30.4 second final lap saw him take a convincing second place overall (first B rider) ahead of Frazier Carr (awcycles.co.uk). English took third spot amongst the A riders, with Cammell and Grant taking second and third place for the Bs.
The AW Cycles 20k started at a frantic pace and, for those who were poorly positioned at the start, it meant significant effort had to be made just to stay in the bunch. Within just four laps, the race became separated in three disparate groups. With the leading quartet consisting of the talent of Stedman, Gittings, Clark and English, there seemed little doubt that the group would be able to hold their lead for the entire race. The second foursome was composed of Greenstreet, Cammell, Thomson and Matthew Lansley, whilst the final bunch consisted of the remaining eight riders who were not shelled out by the blistering pace of the first few laps. The lead group retained such an advantage, minor attacks for the lead – largely led by the ever energetic Stedman – were noted throughout.
Matt Gittings of AW-Cycles on his way to victory in the Senior A Devil
However, it was with three laps to go that the winning break was made: English put a gap of 50m between himself and the rest of the bunch within a lap, and impressively held his lead until the line to take a convincing win. Stedman left his advance a little too late, but still managed to collect the runner-up place with a fast surge in the closing lap. Clark took third place, with Gittings having to settle for fourth. Thomson was able to triumph amongst the second quartet of riders to take first place amongst the C riders, with Cammell taking first place amongst the Bs. Hemmant earned second place within the Bs, whilst Jun Aishima’s resilience was rewarded with third spot. Nel was second placed C rider, with Joseph taking third. Indeed, any rider who managed to finish last night deserved some credit: the race was the fastest 20k of the season so far.
Continued overleaf…
