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Historic Meadowbank hosts Track Grand Prix

Story posted July 14, 2010; Article by Brian Annable | Reminder to riders, the closing date for entries for the Meadowbank GP (7/8 August) is 23 July 2010.

In early August (7/8 August), an iconic velodrome in the history of cycling in Scotland will host the long running Meadowbank GP. Indoor velodromes like Manchester and Newport are quite new venues in the history of the sport and not so long ago, all track cycling events were held on outdoor tracks like Meadowbank.

A youthful Chris Hoy at his home track and as ever, in winning form.

The Meadowbank GP on the 7/8 August is a celebration of this great track which has Sir Chris Hoy MBE as its patron. The event over two days, will see yet again the British Omnium Championship held on the tracks boards as well as round of the Women's Omnium National Series. The Sprint riders too, fittingly, get a chance to shine on this big outdoor track as do the future stars of the sport. 

A blast from the past! L-R: Phil West, Paul Manning, Rob Hayles, Jonny Clay, James Taylor and James Notley.

A Meadowbank History Lesson
Riders racing at Meadowbank may not know it but many historic battles have been fought on the track’s steep bankings since it was built 40 years ago in this very historic and beautiful city of Edinburgh (Scotland).

The Meadowbank track was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and at the time was the best track in Britain, the first proper 250 metre timber track.  The so called ‘friendly Games’ were a great success for Edinburgh and the cycling glory was shared between Australia (two Golds  for John Nicholson &  Johnstone/Jonker Tandem ),  New Zealand (two Golds Harry Kent Kilo, Bruce Biddle Road Race), Canada (one Gold Jocelyn Lovell 10 miles), England (one Gold Ian Hallam Pursuit). 

Scotland won a Silver medal  (Brian Temple) in the 10 Mile track event.

I was at the time an architect and former `trackie` who retired from competition in 1955 and had moved to Edinburgh. We sat in the middle of the front row to watch the action and for me the best moment was the Sprint Semi matches B&C between Gordon Johnstone (Aus) and Harry Kent (NZ) who was the faster qualifier and who had won Match A. 

`Gordie` as he was known came up the inside of Harry and in front of us, put his hand on his front tyre and stopped and stood still, forcing Harry into the barrier so tight that his bars were pinging on the rail 6 inches in front of us.  He took one hand off his bars, pushed his thick lensed specs up his nose and stared into Harry`s eyes.  The tension became electric; you could hear a pin drop until the crowd noise exploded in the final dash for the line. 

Gordie won Match B and C and met the fastest qualifier, team mate John Nicholson (Aus) in the final.  Nicholson won 2:0 by using his shear speed to dominate Gordie.  For me however Gordie was the sprint hero who turned professional after the Games and won the World Professional  Sprint title a few weeks later at Leicester.  Sprinting was my passion then and after 40 years still is.

Two greats from the track, Ian Hallam and Tony Doyle.

Alan Nisbet organised the first track league in 1970 (and won it) but the first Meadowbank Grand Prix was organised by the then SCU track Secretary Angus Fraser in 1971, who continued until 1976 when Alan took over.  In the early years, the GP was a 10 Mile Scratch race. 

Alan loved the Madison and in the following years we had many of them. Angus (now in St Kilda, Australia) told me that in 1972 Geoff Cooke won it. I couldn’t believe that as Cookie is a real sprinter - good for 200 metres maximum. So if Geoff confirms he won, I will put his name on our posh 1989 Trophy with former Champions, Willie Moore, Ian Hallam, Bill Nickson (Aus), Paul Medhurst, Hugh Cameron & Paul Curran, & again with Tom Annable, Gary Cresswell, Tony Doyle, (World Champ), Hans Hendrick Oersted (Ned, World Champ), Craig Connell (NZ), Gary Coltman & Alastair Adams and John Walshaw. 

I became the City Architect of Edinburgh in 1971 until 1983, and was elected Secretary to the East of Scotland Cycling Association in 1981, and from then worked with Alan Nisbet to organise and promote track racing, including the Meadowbank GP for SCU, and with Jamie Johnstone a new Grand Prix of Edinburgh promoted by ESCA, and Alan and I set up the City of Edinburgh Racing Club as a track racing team.

We held another Commonwealth Games here in 1986 and `advance Australia fair` was the anthem as the Aussies took most of the glory.  Eddie Alexander won a Bronze for Scotland in the sprint behind Gary Neiwand (Aus) and Alex Ongaro (Can) which was one of the few successes by the home countries.  Paul Curran won the Road Race for England.

A good idea at the time…
In 1988 I persuaded Edinburgh`s first Woman Lord Provost, Eleonor McLaughlin, to present the prizes and to start the meeting on a tandem with Eddie Alexander in a sprint match against the GP sponsor Ian McKay with Allister Watson. 

It was a good idea except Ian got over enthusiastic requiring Eddie to back pedal hard, while Allister was full on as Eleonor (who couldn`t ride a bike) was towed round with her eyes shut.  Eleonor won by a tyre!  Press and spectators thought it a real race!

Eleonor became a cycling fan and decided that there should be a Trophy for the Grand Prix.  We went to the Vaults and found the biggest Silver trophy not in use that was given to the Council by
the Captain of the wartime battleship HMS Howe in 1958 when decommissioned at Inverkeithing. 

Alan became ill and had to step down in 1999 and sadly died in 2000 and Jamie Johnstone had retired from the ESCA.  In the track centre, there is a memorial seat with the inscription Alan Nisbet `cycling was his raison d`etre`  He was the true leader of track cycling in Scotland.

David Hoy (father of Sir Chris) had retired from the Board of the SCU and became Chairman of the National Track League. An ESCA track promotions team of David Hoy, David Menzies, and Brian Annable took over the organisation of the two GPs and the Scottish Championships.  In the last 10 years international involvement in the GP of Edinburgh has expanded and the City Council gave financial support to the two GPs, and good support received from sponsors was welcomed.

The names on the 1989 Meadowbank Grand Prix Trophy now include four more World Champions, (Chris Hoy, Rob Hayles, Jan van Eijden, Ivan Vrba), and Multi British Champions Bryan Steel, Steve Paulding, Anthony Stirrat, Simon Lillistone, Peter Jacques, and riders from the Czech Republic, Holland, Spain, Ireland, Italy, West Indies, New Zealand, and Australia came.

Next year will be our 40th Anniversary promotion of the event at Meadowbank, in my 80th year.  We have staged three British Madison and Six Omnium Championships and completely lost only two Meadowbank GPs because of rain. 

What the future holds is uncertain as our sport is now split between the indoor winter UCI international programme with our successful British professional World Class Performance team; and the domestic, mainly outdoor, summer track programme organised by volunteers which does not now attract the top British professional riders. 

Paul Curran and Tom Annable

Government cutbacks will affect Local Authorities policies to support the promotion of sport too.

For me, nothing was better on a sunny day than being at the many great summer outdoor international track meetings which were well promoted and supported by the City Councils at Leicester, Cardiff, Kirkby, and Cleveland which have all gone.

Nowadays, for summer meetings we only have left Herne Hill, Newcastle under Lyme, Dudley, Scunthorpe and the two GPs here at Meadowbank.

The week long British Championships at Leicester was often taken as a family holiday with dad and the kids riding.  Entries were so big that the 20K had heats, semi finals, and final! Now the British Championships endurance events are often straight finals with few spectators.  The National Championship date has also changed to suit the professional international winter programme to a date long after the Summer outdoor track season has closed making it very difficult for the amateur trackies to maintain top form.  

If this sounds like an old chap’s ‘those were the days my friend’ then yes, a wee bit? - Tempus Fugit or ‘how time flies’….

Making that history go further
So there you have it. A little taste of history from this great venue in cycling and riders wanting to be part of that history can enter the August 7/8 meeting until 23rd of July.
 
On Saturday the 7th, is the British Omnium Championship and a British Cycling Women's Omnium League match. There are also a number of support events including a 10k Points, Devil and so on for riders not in the Omniums. Racing starts 12 noon
 
On Sunday, the 8th, is the British Cycling Sprinter's League match with a Keirin for those eliminated after Round 1. There is also Derny Derby for the top 16 endurance riders with heats, minor and major Finals. The last event is the Meadowbank GP 15k, which is a British Cycling Endurance League match.

There is a 500 metre Handicap and support events for Women (3K, Keirin etc) and B riders as well as a Youth Omnium over the two days. Racing starts at 10 am.
 
Entry fees are £20 per day or £35 weekend  Youths £5. Race details: click here to see event details