Report: Reading Track League

Dark, brooding skies over Palmer Park gave way to golden summer sunshine for Round 15 of the Reading Track League season. A busy programme opened with the VIA International 10 Lap Scratch for the Senior A riders.

The bunch stayed together for most of the race – although a late attempt by George Withers of Palmer Park to get away was closed down on the penultimate lap. Stephen Bradbury of AW Cycles, taking to the track just an hour after returning to the UK from the week-long Assen Youth Tour in the Netherlands where he was the highest placed British rider, pushed team mate Matt Gittings – unbeaten in track league competition since the 27th of June – hard, but couldn’t halt the winning streak, just pipping Ian Greenstreet of Newbury RC for 2nd place.

AW Cycles Matt Gittings checks to see where Joseph Crolla of Palmer Park Velo is as he sews up the Senior A Sprint Final

In the Senior B and Ladies Scratch, Kevin Holloway of VC10 jumped first with just over a lap to go but was closed down on by Simon Dawson of Inverse RT and James Pilgrim-Morris of GS Henley. In a closely contested sprint it was Pilgrim-Morris who just had the edge over Dawson with Trevor Bradbury snatching 3rd from AW Cycles team mate Rikki Pankhurst. Corrine Hall of Team Corridori took the Ladies win.

The Senior A Points race saw the sprints shared around among a number of riders with AW Cycles’ Nick English scoring early on and taking the final sprint to secure 3rd place. But it was team mates Bradbury and Gittings, once again, who were behind him scrapping for second place in the sprint and first and second overall. It was enough for Gittings to take the win over all and for Bradbury to stay ahead of  English in 2nd. Dawson made up for the disappointment of  the opening Scratch race by taking the win in the Senior B points race ahead of Joe Holloway of VC10 and Jason Pitt of Palmer Park Velo.

Corrine Hall of Team Corridori controlled the Devil on her way to a clean sweep of the Ladies events

Corrine Hall rode the Senior B Devil from the front  – looking in control until the last lap. She took the Ladies win but it was Pankhurst who rode away on the Final lap to take the win from Pilgrim-Morris and Pitt. By contrast, English rode away with 3 to go in the Senior devil – taking care not to pull out the half lap lead that would have seen him re-classified as the back of the bunch. He managed to stay away of the charging Gittings and Bradbury… until about 3 metres to go, when Gittings eased past him to set up yet another clean sweep. English managed to hold on to 2nd with Bradbury taking the final point.

In the Sprint Finals it was the usual story with some competitive heats followed by Gittings taking the Senior A race comfortably from Joseph Crolla of Palmer Park Velo and Cam Swarbrick of AW Cycles. In the Bs, the top 3 had all scored points in earlier races with Points race winner Dawson taking 2nd ahead of Scratch race victor Pilgrim-Morris, but it was Points Race runner-up  Joe Holloway who took the win.

James Pilgrim-Morris of GS Henley pips Simon Dawson of Inverse RT on the line in the VIA International Senior B Scratch

The AW Cycles 20k Endurance race again saw a group of 10 riders work together to control the race and, of course, Gittings was in the mix. It was Bradbury, though, who seemed to have made the decisive move, diving down from the top of turn 3 on the penultimate lap and pulling out a sizeable gap. Coming out of turn 2 on the last lap, though, Gittings turned up the week and rapidly closed the gap, opening out a huge lead by the time he crossed the line – looking round to see where everybody else had gone. Bradbury’s momentum was enough to secure 2nd, ahead of Martyn Harris of Banjo Cycles, but Gittings had done it again. Kevin Holloway joined son Joe on the results sheet, taking the Senior B win ahead of Pitt and Stuart Stow of Hounslow & District Wheelers, with Corrine Hall completing a Gittings-like clean sweep of the Ladies events.

Joe Holloway of VC10 takes the Senior B Sprint win

RESULTS

Senior A

VIA International 10 Lap Scratch
1 Matt GITTINGS AW Cycles
2 Stephen BRADBURY AW Cycles
3 Ian GREENSTREET Newbury RC

Points Race
1 Matt GITTINGS AW Cycles 13 points
2 Stephen BRADBURY AW Cycles 8 points
3 Nick ENGLISH AW Cycles 6 points

Devil
1 Matt GITTINGS AW Cycles
2 Nick ENGLISH AW Cycles
3 Stephen BRADBURY AW Cycles

Sprint Final
1 Matt GITTINGS AW Cycles
2 Joseph CROLLA Palmer Park Velo
3 Cam SWARBRICK AW Cycles

AW Cycles 20k Endurance
1 Matt GITTINGS AW Cycles
2 Stephen BRADBURY AW Cycles
3 Martyn HARRIS Banjo Cycles

Kiwi Peter Jenkins of Lewin CC leads the pack in the early stages of the Senior A Points Race

Senior B

VIA International 10 Lap Scratch
1 James PILGRIM-MORRIS GS Henley
2 Simon DAWSON Inverse RT
3 Trevor BRADBURY AW Cycles

Points Race
1 Simon DAWSON Inverse RT
2 Joe HOLLOWAY VC10
3 Jason PITT Palmer Park Velo

Devil
1 Rikki PANKHURST AW Cycles
2 James PILGRIM-MORRIS GS Henley
3 Jason PITT Palmer Park Velo

Sprint
1 Joe HOLLOWAY VC10
2 Simon DAWSON Inverse RT
3 James PILGRIM-MORRIS GS Henley

AW Cycles 20k Endurance
1 Kevin HOLLOWAY VC10
2 Jason PITT Palmer Park Velo
3 Stuart STOW Hounslow & District Wheelers

Matt Gittings of AW Cycles takes the opening VIA International Senior A Scratch race

Ladies

VIA International 10 Lap Scratch
1 Corrine HALL Team Corridori

Devil
1 Corrine HALL Team Corridori

AW Cycles 20k Endurance
1 Corrine HALL Team Corridori

Somin Under 14 & Under 16 20k Endurance
1 Max STEDMAN Palmer Park Velo
2 Daniel LANSLEY Palmer Park Velo
3 Matthew LANSLEY Palmer Park Velo

Matting Gittings of AW Cycles with team mates Stephen Bradbury and Cam Swarbrick at the bell in the Senior A Devil with Nick English – also of AW Cycles – well away in front

Tags: ,