PHOTOS BY LARRY HICKMOTT
Day 3
National Senior and Disability Track Championships
2-6 October 2007, Manchester Velodrome
EVENING SESSION
Men's Sprint Finals
Chris Hoy, Ross Edgar and Matt Crampton
Bronze Medal Ride-Off
Former world junior champion Jason Kenny met Matt Crampton in the bronze medal ride-off. Crampton took the first heat in what promised to be a very close contest. Kenny led it out but Crampton used the full height of the banking to build up enough speed to come up to his opponent on the outside down back straight and just hold him off at the line. The second heat was a thriller with Kenny fighting tooth and nail to come past Crampton, who just held on to win by the width of an energy bar (or 3cm, according to the officials!).
Crampton comes around Kenny in heat 1.
Gold Medal Ride-Off
Chris Hoy v Ross Edgar: Edgar took the first heat with a great burst of speed which took him clear of Hoy going into the last lap. Hoy got going too late, perhaps unsettled by a brief excursion onto the infield coming into the final lap, and left himself too much to do against a sprinter of Edgar's class. Edgar's final 200m time of 10.616 was sharp by any standards.
Chris Hoy tries in vain to hold off Ross Edgar in the final
The second heat was simply awesome with both riders switching around the track before Hoy surged up the inside to take the initiative. As he had against Jason Kenny in the morning, Hoy delayed his final sprint till less than 200m to go, but Edgar responded with his trade-mark rapid acceleration and just crept up to Hoy to snatch it on the line by a margin as small as 5cm, claiming the title in the process.
Men's B Sprint Final
Jody Cundy and Michael Partridge
Jody Cundy's great run through to the final of the B Sprint competition came to an end with defeat by Michael Partridge. Heat 1 saw Partridge lead it out with Jody Cundy just failing to come past him, Partridge taking it by a wheel. Cundy went for a long one in the second heat, hoping his kilo speed would pull him clear, but Partridge just got past him with a late lunge to take the win.
Jody Cundy and Michael Partridge battle for the medals
CWAD Pursuit
Mel Easter, Frances Newstead, Sarah Bailey, Darren Kenny
Sarah Bailey produced a typically consistent ride to claim the gold medal in the Disability Pursuit championships. Riders are awarded points according to how close they get to the world record for the event in their disability category - starting with 100 points for equalling a record.
Bailey is the world record holder in her category and she was within three seconds of that time. Fellow World record holder and World pursuit champion Darren Kenny looked short of his best form and could only claim the bronze behind new tandem pairing of Mel Easter & Francis Newstead, who looked a little shaky off the start but soon settled in to an impressive rhythm and recorded an impressive 3.42.463.
1. Sarah Bailey 3.51.909 - 98.583 points
2. Mel Easter & Francis Newstead: 3.42.463 - 97.462 points
3. Darren Kenny 3.54.319 - 95.036 points
4. Rik Waddon 3.58.472 - 93.381 points
5. Simon Richardson 4.20.403 90.763 points
6. Keith Moore 4.15.924 - 84.226 points
7. Richard Davies 4.18.231 - 82.468points
Chris Furber keeps Darren Kenny informed trackside
Francis Newstead & Mel Easter
Women's 30kms Points Race Championship
Katie Curtis, Kate Cullen & Jo Rowsell
Kate Cullen followed up her gold medal in the Scratch Race with a dominant performance in the defence of her Points Race title, which she never looked like losing once she was into her stride. Cullen scored in eight of the first nine sprints, winning four of them. This was too much for her rivals who were left battling for the lesser medals.
Katie Curtis eventually annexed silver grabbing it by out-sprinting Global RT team-mate Jo Rowsell to win the final gallop. Although this was her only sprint win, Curtis scored well throughout. However, she simply couldn't come to terms with Cullen's strength and repeatedly lost out to her Scottish rival in the sprints. Rowsell had a strange race, winning three sprints with strong surging efforts and picking up eight points in total in the lst two sprints, having looked almost out of the race at two thirds distance when she almost lost contact with the back of the field.
Cullen won sprints at will and built up a big lead to sew up the title well before the race was finished.
1. Kate CULLEN City of Edinburgh RC 31
2. Katie CURTIS Global RT 22
3. Joanna ROWSELL Global RT 21
4. Lucy MARTIN Team Chance 18
5. Katie COLCLOUGH Fat Birds CC 12
6. Becki RIMMINGTON VC St Raphael 10
7. Sarah BYRNE GS Strada 5
8. Femke VAN SCHELVEN Fat Birds CC 5
9. Janet BIRKMYRE Sportscover-Planet X 3
10. Emma TROTT VC Londres 2
11. Jessica BOOTH Halesowen A & CC 1
Lucy Martin and Katie Colclough break free of the field.
Jo Rowsell spent as much time off the front as she did off the back but never looked in danger and when required turned on the style to gain vital points.
Becki Rimmington goes for a long one, the second time in the race she tried this tactic.
Katie Curtis wins the final sprint and jumps into the Silver medal position.
Men's 20km Scratch Race
Chris Newton, Steven Burke & Peter Kennaugh
After a quiet start the first serious move came from Paul Manning who went clear and opened up a third of a lap lead, before relaxing back into the field. This seemed to animate the riders and Newton, Dowsett and Jonny Bellis were just three of several who had a try off the front. The 100% ME duo of Hampton and Bellis then got clear and ripped round the track but they stalled at a half lap lead, which they seemed to hold for ages, before they were finally forced to give best to the field, which had covered the first 10km in just 12 minutes! The racing had been so frantic that a lull was then almost inevitable, but it didn't last for long.
Riders racing tempo early on in the Scratch race.
The 100% ME boys than made another move with Bellis Hampton and Burke briefly assuming Team Pursuit formation, stretching the field in the process, before sitting up. Team-mate Dowsett then had a go, underlining the fitness and determination of the team's young riders.
Left: Hampton and Bellis try to take a lap. Right: Bellis & Page try to catch the leaders.
Newton then suddenly drifted off the front and was joined by Burke, Kennaugh and Manning and this quartet suddenly looked dangerous, especially as the rest of the field suddenly fragmented into small groups behind them. Bellis and Page were following closely behind, but the leading quartet quickly caught the back of the field and then went clear again eliminating the majority of the race in the process. Eventually only Page was left in the race behind them, stranded as the laps ran out.
The winning break that fought out the medals between them.
Going in to the end of the race, Steven Burke was the first to strike for home at two laps to go and the 100% ME rider showed great strength and speed in holding off two renowned finishers in Chris Newton and Peter Kennaugh, to claim the gold medal. Manning was fourth and Page fifth.
1. Steven BURKE 100% ME
2. Chris NEWTON recycling.co.uk
3. Peter KENNAUGH Pinarello RT
4. Paul MANNING Landbrouwkredit
5. Kieran PAGE AVC Aix-En-Provence
Women's Sprint Quarter Finals
Anna Blyth and Victoria Pendleton made very easy progress through to the Women's Sprint semis, disposing of Jennifer Davies and Caroline Gammell respectively and underlining the gulf in class between themselves and the rest of the field. Jess Varnish was made to work hard by club-mate Helen Scott, but had just enough in hand to ease by in the last 25 metres or so of both their heats.
Victoria Pendleton uses all the track to keep her opponent guessing
Anna Blyth wins her quarter final. Right: Jess Varnish beats her teammate Helen Scott in her quarter final
Victoria PENDLETON scienceinsport.com beat Caroline GAMMELL XRT Elmy Cycles-Orbea-Audi 2-0
Anna BLYTH VC St Raphael beat Jennifer DAVIS City of Edinburgh RC 2-0
Jess VARNISH Halesowen A & CC beat Helen SCOTT Halesowen A & CC 2-0
Anne LEWIS Yasumitsu Schlaap Daisy SHERWOOD City of Edinburgh - walk over
Women's sprint minor final (5-7 places)
1 Helen SCOTT Halesowen A & CC
2 Caroline GAMMELL XRT Elmy Cycles-Orbea-Audi
3 Jennifer DAVIS City of Edinburgh RT
MORNING SESSION
Highlight of the morning of the third day of the championships were the Men's Sprint Semi-Finals.
Men's Sprint Semi-Finals
First up was the eagerly anticipated clash between Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy. Kenny won an exciting the first heat after a brave dive under Hoy with a lap to go. Kenny then twitched up going into the penultimate bend forcing Hoy to back off briefly. This aggressive riding paid off, unsettling Hoy and enabling Kenny to hold off the Scot well over the closing half lap. Hoy was clearly unsure that Kenny had stayed within the rules and was seen chatting with the race officials, but the commissaires decided the result should stand. A quick glance a video replays of the crucial move, made with a lap to go, showed that Hoy had been above the sprinter's line as Kenny began to undertake him, that Hoy had then closed the door, drifting below the line, but too late, forcing Kenny off the track on the inside and that Kenny's twitch had been inevitable as he re-joined the track proper at the next corner.
Hoy then turned things round in style. He rode the second heat from the front keeping the pace high throughout, always accelerating and when he went with a lap to go Kenny was not quite on his wheel, which cost him in the closing half lap as he almost got on terms, losing by a wheel. The decider was a carbon copy with Hoy cleverly delaying his final sprint, having seen Kenny waiting again for him to make his move. Again, Kenny couldn't quite get on terms, but he'd once again shown the skill and speed which labels him an outstanding prospect.
The Ross Edgar v Matt Crampton semi didn't disappoint either. Edgar won the first heat with a determined chase of Crampton who led it out and looked the favourite going down the back straight, However, Edgar got on terms through the final bend and edged ahead to take it on the line.
Edgar took the second heat too, but not before Crampton had forced him to work hard to stay at the front. Edgar, in the end, just had too much pace for Crampton, who put up an impressive fight.
Men's B Sprint Semi Finals
The first semi brought together Jody Cundy and Gwyn Carless. Cundy took the first heat with a never-say-die ride round the outside, grabbing it by half a wheel on the line. In the second heat Carless went for a long one and caught Cundy napping and although the paralympic world champ chased hard he couldn't quite catch his opponent. Cundy then made no mistake in the decider, leading it out and relying on his greater speed to win fairly comfortably.
The second semi saw Simon Churton up against Michael Partridge. Partridge took his semi two heats to nil, having just a bit too much for Churton.
Women's Sprint Qualification
As expected Victoria Pendleton qualified fastest in the women's 200m Time Trial, recording a new championships record in the process. Anna Blythe was second fastest with Jess Varnish third.
200m Time Trial
1. Victoria PENDLETON scienceinsport.com 11.392s (CR)
2. Anna BLYTH VC St Raphael 11.682
3. Jess VARNISH Halesowen A & CC 12.138
4. Daisy SHERWOOD City of Edinburgh RC 12.612
5. Anne LEWIS Yasumitsu Schlaap 12.744
6. Helen SCOTT Halesowen A & CC 13.043
7. Jennifer DAVIS City of Edinburgh RC 13.230
8. Caroline GAMMELL XRT Elmy Cycles-Orbea-Audi 13.459