Reading Track League Round 2

A large group of riders assembled for the first senior race of the night: the “C” Hare & Hounds race. The riders were split into two groups and, with the race penned as only six laps, it seemed to be a tall order for the hounds to catch the hares. However, with such determined enthusiasm by the hounds from the whistle, it took barely two laps for the hares to be caught. In a sprint finish, Anthony Anderson (Sigma Sport) took the victory, two bike lengths clear of Cameron Thompson (Palmer Park Velo) with Alex Jones (Twickenham CC) taking a close third place.
 

 
The “A” and “B” Hare & Hounds which followed was a more ordered affair, with the A riders catching the B riders. Ian Greenstreet (Newbury RC) made an early break for the line, but in the end was overpowered by Neil Rutter (Cotswold Veldrijden) who showed off his sprinting prowess to take first place just 0.2 seconds ahead of Matthew Lansley (RP Racing Team). John Wager (BC Private Member) rode a strong last lap to take third place.
 
In the C Unknown Distance, the large group stayed together until the bell when Anastasia Welsh (RP Racing Team) took to the front of the bunch in the final lap. In the end, it was once again Anderson’s powerful sprint which brought him across the line first ahead of Thomas with Jones taking his second podium spot of the night to finish in third.
 

 
The “A” Derny paced race was run as a straight final as just six riders elected to take part. A well-paced race by Max Stedman (Pedal Heaven RT) saw him cross the line first with an impressive 26.95 second final lap. Lansley’s efforts were rewarded with second place, with Wager taking third.
 

 
In the 10 lap “C” Scratch race, the group largely stayed together for five laps with riders taking turns on the front. After 5 laps, the group were spurred into action and, within a lap, the ordered bunch had been spread along 50 metres of track with a fast and furious pace ensuing. At the bell, just 12 riders remained in the front group. Anderson put in a burst of speed on the final bend and impressively managed to hold it to the line to make it a hat trick of wins for the evening. Thompson’s impressive efforts in the final half lap earned him second place, with Carl Jolly (Hillingdon Slipstreamers) finishing just behind for third.
 

 
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