Location: Manchester Velodrome, National Cycling Centre
Event: October 6-14 2012
Report: Larry Hickmott
Day 6 of the 2012 UCI World Masters Track Cycling Championships at the Manchester Velodrome saw eight titles decided, with Britain winning two of them.
Men 60-64 Points
Frenchman Rene Grigon won the 60-64 Points race after he was one of five riders to get a lap and with his seven points from the four sprints, he finished two points ahead of South African Wendell Bole. Steve Davies took the first sprint before two riders, Wendell Bole and Graham Truelove went clear and quickly took a lap.
The race then exploded as more and more riders tried their hand at getting a lap and in all, five riders achieved it, meaning that points from the sprints became crucial for getting a place on the podium.
Of the riders in with a chance of a podium place, only Wendell Bole managed to score points in the last sprint, allowing him to jump from outside the medals into second place with Grignon safe on 17 points on the top of the table.
Result
1 Rene GRIGNON FRA 17
2 Wendell BOLE RSA 15
3 David MULICA USA 14
4 Bent CHRISTIANSEN DEN 14
5 Graham TRUELOVE GBR 13
other
8 Steve DAVIES GBR 5
9 Martin BUSH GBR 1
10 Alistair CAMERON GBR 1
11 Malcolm FREEMAN GBR 1
16 Terry HOLMES GBR
17 Paul DAVIES GBR
18 Jim ROBERSTON GBR -20
Men 65-69 Points
There was a victory for the defending champion, Lance Ravenhill (GB) in this event after he scored points in every one of the four sprints. Like every bunch race on the night, the event was brutal at times with different riders all trying to defeat Ravenhill but the British rider was always alert to attacks and while it was far from a walkover, he was able to remain in contention for the sprints throughout the forty lap event.
The race started well for Ravenhill with victory in the first sprint after he’d attacked over the top of the bunch down the back straight and held off the rest to cross the line first. Every other sprint from then on was won by a different rider with Ravenhill finishing second, fourth and third in the remaining sprints after he’d won the first.
Early in the race, Max Pendleton, father of now retired Olympic champion Victoria, went on the attack after the first sprint and then after he was brought back, there was a bad crash which felled two riders including David Rowe who was taken to hospital. While Rowe was on the floor of the track being treated by medics, the race was neutralised for a long time.
Former Olympic medallist Willi Moore then attacked and in that pursuit style from the days of old, he was joined by two others as they approached the third sprint with the peloton at speed breathing down their neck. The trio out front were swamped and there to protect his lead was Ravenhill. Even a dangerous move off the front in the closing laps by Hansen and Moss didn’t faze Ravenhill who managed to cross the line behind them at the finish to successfully defend the title won the year before on the same track. It was his third bunch race win of the week.
Result
1 RAVENHILL Lance GBR 11
2 HANSEN Steffen Munch DEN 7
3 BRIAT Michel FRA 7
4 LE QUERE Marcel FRA 6
5 MOSS John RSA 3
other
9 BRANDT Geoffrey GBR 1
10 COTTON Bill GBR
11 MOORE Willi GBR
12 MORPHET Paul GBR
14 GRANT George GBR
15 WOLSTENHOLME Mike GBR
Men 70+ Points 10k
Italy’s defending champion Guido Lupo dominated this race, winning all four of the sprints and finishing the race on 20 points to the six points of the next rider, Derrick Woodings. The latter was the only other rider besides Lupo to score points in every sprint but it was still a close run thing for that silver medal. A look down the result shows just how closely matched the riders were with third placed rider Roger Langlois only one point shy of Woodings while Leo Menestrina of the USA was another point back in fourth.
Result
1 LUPO Guido ITA 20
2 WOODINGS Derrick GBR 6
3 LANGLOIS Roger FRA 5
4 MENESTRINA Leo USA 4
5 POSSEE Victor GBR 3
other
6 WHITWORTH Alan GBR 2
7 CRAYFORD Roland GBR 2
8 DACEY Brian GBR 2
9 RISSBROOK Laurence GBR
10 WYNNE John GBR
12 SAVERY Roy GBR
Men 40-44 Points
This event saw a 1-2 for Britain with the win going to Elliot Davis from Jason White in a close race where no laps were taken and the first four riders were within three points of each other.
The lead changed constantly during the race, from the time of the first sprint won by Italian Alessendro Picco though to the last sprint won by Jason White. That victory in the final sprint by White took him from outside the medals into the Silver medal position.
For Davis, two sprint wins and consistent scoring in all but two sprints, helped him to climb onto the top step of the podium, though he was a mere one point ahead of White at the finish.
Result
1 DAVIS Elliot GBR 15
2 WHITE Jason GBR 14
3 DEL BARCO Daniel ARG 13
4 HENNESSY Daniel AUS 12
5 ROZIE Diego Alejandro ARG 8
other
6 MCCLELLAND John GBR 7
9 SHELDON Alan GBR 3
14 LEWIS Jon GBR
17 ROBERTS Jason GBR
22 JAMES Andrew GBR
Men 45-49 Scratch
Riders had to be alert and ready to go in this race with a break of four riders forming in the opening laps. They quickly established a lead that no-one was able to bridge to. Working together, they gained the lap and there was little time for the rest to get back on terms in a race only 40 laps long.
The four riders, David Klipper, Agostino Salvadeo, David Brinton and Mario Vegetti then had the job of staying in touch with the attacks in a race where no less than nine riders did not finish thanks to the high pace.
In the end, no other breaks stuck and it came down to a bunch kick and the second rider across the line, David Klipper of the USA won the title from Salvadeo (Italy) and Brinton (USA).
1 KLIPPER David USA 1
2 SALVADEO Luca Agostino ITA 1
3 BRINTON David USA 1
4 VEGETTI Luis Mario ARG 1
5 DAUGEARD Philippe FRA
other
6 WAIN Paul GBR
7 CLAYTON Stephen GBR
9 HAMMERSLEY Mark GBR
12 ETTLES Peter GBR
Men 50-54 Scratch 7.5k
Canadian Peter Toth showed yet again how strong he was with a late lone attack to cross the line first and add another title to his collection. The race was very fast but no breaks were able to get far despite the long line of riders splitting from time to time. It wasn’t until two laps to go when Toth made his move that a break stuck and he crossed the line well clear of the rest. Stephane Le Beau, also of Canada was best of the rest with Britain’s Colin Parkinson in third.
Result
1 TOTH Peter CAN
2 LE BEAU Stéphane CAN
3 PARKINSON Colin GBR
4 O'CONNELL Gerard AUS
5 ZYRYANOV Vladimir RUS
other
10 APPERLEY Keir GBR
11 CARTER Ralph GBR
12 ROESNER Kenneth GBR
13 CROSS Jerry GBR
15 BURKE Trevor GBR
17 CATON Paul GBR
19 DONOHUE Ian GBR
20 REID Ivor GBR
Men 55-59 Scratch 7.5k
Sweden’s Lars Myrberg won another title at this year’s championship when he won the bunch kick after 7.5 kilometres. The race saw a break of three go clear and for a while it was looking good for the medals until they lost a rider and then the bunch swept them up. It was then that Myrberg beat Didiet Ramet (France) and Graham Barclay (Gbr) in the rush to the line.
Result
1 MYRBERG Lars SWE
2 RAMET Didiet FRA
3 BARCLAY Graham GBR
4 MUEGLICH Lutz GER
5 FIGUEROA Bernardo COL
other
9 RUTHERFORD James GBR
10 DAVIS Chris GBR
11 HUMPHREYS Ian GBR
13 LILLEY Ralph GBR
14 MOORE Keith GBR
16 O'KELLY Brian GBR
19 LAING Andy GBR
20 DONALDSON Andrew GBR
Men 35-39 Points
The final race of the night was the 30 kilometre Men’s 35-39 Points and it proved to be a very controversial win for Argentina's Rolando Ahumada who was awarded the race after a protest and counter-protest.
Britain’s Graeme Lackford had crossed the line seemingly the winner, but Ahumada was given the win after the race officials spent a lot of time looking at the video of the race.
Defending champion Dhinnin of France was the biggest loser. He was in second before the final sprint on 41 points but in the final result that was reduced to 36 points while Ahumada, who was in equal third on 38 points before that final sprint, was then ‘given’ a lap which took him clear of Lackford and denied the Brit the Gold medal.
With only 15 starters and ten finishers the race was all over the track at times as riders attacked and attacked again to gain laps. Identifying what bunch was the peloton in a race where the biggest group was four riders strong was not easy for the onlooker.
The lap gains were difficult to judge such was the pace and changing shape of the race. The only guide as to who was where was the scoreboard and, from that, the win appeared to heading to Lackford. However, that post-event review by the offials left the Argentine celebrating.
1 AHUMADA Rolando ARG 58
2 LACKFORD Graeme GBR 52
3 MEIDHOF Jason USA 44
4 JEWELL Mark AUS 36
5 DHINNIN Mickael FRA 36
other
6 NOTLEY James GBR 20
9 STUART Andy GBR -13
TICKETS
Tickets are now available at the door during the championships, with all day prices at £8 and £5 for concessions during the week and £10 and £5 for concessions for the final two days. All ticket holders will also receive a free souvenir programme together with a daily update sheet containing full details of the programme for each day.
