Ben Moves Up To National Championship Honours!

Milton Keynes 16 year-old Ben Chapman pairs up with Max Stedman to win Youth British Madison Championship

Gordon Wiseman writes … The frequent trips to Manchester to race and train at the National Cycling Centre paid dividends at the weekend for Milton Keynes 16 year-old Ben Chapman as the Denbigh student, paired with Reading’s Max Stedman and won the Youth Madison championship after a nail-biting final few laps.

The Team Corley Cycles – Blue rider has been a member of British Cycling’s Olympic Talent Team Programme in 2012 but by his own admission, he has not shown the consistency he would have hoped for so winning the Youth Madison on Saturday was an excellent way to draw his season to a close.

After what Ben described as a “dodgy” qualifying round in which the Chapman/Stedman pairing finished in 4th place – “we clashed together after a hand-sling and I damaged my rear disc” explained the sheepish youngster – in the 20km final they played a starring role.

With sprint points on offer every 5kms, Ben won the second and final sprints with Max sweeping up points on two occasions as well but so close was the race that into the final lap the top three pairings were covered by just one point so Ben’s final sprint win was essential if they were to take the championship honours.

On the final 250 metre lap, Ben pulled back a dangerous attack and was then able to hold off the surging bunch of 11 other pairings for the definitive sprint of the race. “This is awesome” said an obviously delighted Chapman. “We’d won the Madison in the Inter-Regional Track Championships in Newport Velodrome riding for the Central Region two weeks ago so I knew we had it in us to win the Nationals. Max is a great team player and we obviously work well together”.

Ben’s season has not been helped by a bout of illness that took out most of the middle part of his racing season but in the last six weeks he’s been coming back into form and so although this was a National championship win – “having the jersey is a great feeling” – he is not sure if that is his best result of the year.

“A few weeks ago I went to Belgium with John Barclay and won a kermesse. In the race on the Saturday, I had a puncture so that took me out of that race but it all came good on the Sunday”. This was a typical 60km Belgian affair at Hooglede near Kortrijk and winning that was, in Ben’s own words, “a real blast”.

When reminded that John Barclay is renowned for encouraging younger riders and regularly taking talent to develop their skills in the cut and thrust of Belgian racing, Ben acknowledged the role John has played in helping other British riders. “I know that John took Ian Stannard” – another rider from Milton Keynes – “and Mark Cavendish to race in Belgium along with many other top British riders so to be a part of that programme is really awesome”.

Ben was helped by Team Corley Cycles Sean Dines at the start of 2012 before he was on the Talent Team Programme and Dines has been impressed with the way the youngster has developed throughout the year. “I went out regularly with Ben during the pre-season months, making sure he took part in plenty of the Team Corley structured rides and his development on a week-by-week basis was impressive and to say the least, he was coming on in leaps and bounds.

“Ben is clearly a talent and he’s now showing that on both the track and the road. I’m seriously impressed and we genuinely think he’s The Proper Article. I know many Milton Keynes riders are dreading going out with him this winter!” For Ben himself however he’s already looking ahead to 2013 and the next step in his racing career; “Next year I start to ride as a junior and very much look forward to the challenges and competition that will bring”.