A full programme of racing completed on the first night of the 2013 Halesowen Track League in the West Midlands
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The Halesowen microclimate is a constant topic of conversation among Friday Night Track League regulars, but for the first night of racing of 2013 it was on the side of the racers, with a full programme of events carried out amid lowering skies and spits and spots of rain but never near enough to threaten proceedings.
The Freewheelers, benefiting this year from sponsorship from the Islabikes company of Ludlow, boasted a field of 25, with the opening Devil the most hotly contested, victory going to Ryan Brookes at the head of four others from the promoting club, while the Hare and Hounds went to Luke Blundell and the closing two-lap handicap was won by Alex Barker from Jake Nash of Redditch.
The opening Youth race of the night, a 6-lap scratch saw a race-long break from Jamieson Blain and Ben Healy, both of Halesowen, with Healy pulling clear at the bell, while Healy added victory in the Devil to take an early lead in the overall standings in spite of missing out in the Kilo scratch won by Cameron MacLeod. The five leading Youth and Freewheelers of the night were presented with copies of Bradley Wiggins’s autobiography My Story, kindly donated by Yellow Jersey Press.
At the other end of the age spectrum the veterans league returns this year, and an early advantage was taken by Lee Gardner of V-Sprint, who took a narrow victory by half a wheel from Peter Hodgetts and Nigel Albutt of the promoting club.
22 B-Categories lined up for four events which produced a clean-sweep of victories for Andrew Butler of Stratford CC, which looked inevitable given the strength with which he won their opening 10-lap scratch, riding the field off his wheel at the bell. The pick of his four wins came in his heat of the Kilo scratch where he was led out to fine effect by his team mate Tom Lane. The other heat in the Kilo went to Halesowen’s Brad Simkin, who was the pick of Butler’s opponents on the night.
Butler looks amply qualified to join the A-categories, where junior Callum Ferguson of the promoting club looked the strongest. Ferguson missed out on the opening 10-lap scratch, dominated by break of four including eventual winner Charles Walker, and in the Devil he finished a close second to Jack Mills after leading out for the final lap.
Ferguson dominated the closing, combined A and B 25-lap scratch, leading away a group of four at half-distance with Mills and Butler, plus another B-category, Oliver Dighton. The quartet lapped the field, with Ferguson outsprinting Mills and Butler eluding Dighton, and with Walker and Patrick Fotheringham chasing for 12-laps to take third and fourth in the As.
Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)
- Features, Reports, Results
- Track Result: Premier Division Manchester Track League #4
- Team Feature: Hutchinson/Brother UK
- Events: Spring MK Bowl Circuit Series
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Series (LVVP #13)
- Events: RCR Fatcreations Road Race
- Team News: DAS Handsling Women’s UCI Team
- News: GB for European Track Championships
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Series (Hillingdon #6)
- CX Result: NWCCA CX League Round 9
- CX Result: London/SE CX League Rd 10
- CX Result: Wessex CX League Rd 13
- CX Result: Eastern Cyclo-Cross League 11
- CX Result: East Kent CX League 5
- British Track Championships: Day 3 Report
- Track Results: British Track Championhip Results (para)
- Track Results: British Track Championship Results (M)
- Track Result: British Track Championships Results (W)
- British Track Championships: Day 2 Report
- Q&A: Sophie Lankford (Alba Team)
- Team Feature: Sam Watson’s Journey to WorldTour
- News: Rayner Foundation’s Gateway Project
- News: Star Names Sign up for Saint Piran 05/03 Team
- News: 58th Perfs Pedal RR
- Track Result: Premier Division Manchester Track League
- News: GB Team for CX Worlds
- Team News: MAS Design – Fensham Howes Junior Team
- 2022/2023 National Trophy Cyclocross Series Final Standings
- EVENTS: The Peaks 2 Day p/b Giant Sheffield
- TEAM NEWS: Kalas Motip Race Team for 2023
- Team News: Rotor UK Sponsor Team AT85
- CX Result: Leicestershire Cyclo-Cross League Rd 7
- CX Result: Wessex CX League, Rd 12
- CX Result: Eastern Region CX League Rd 10
- Q&A: Vicky Smith (Alba Development Road Team)
- Track Result: First Division Manchester Track League
- Track Result: Premier Division Manchester Track League
- Crit Result: LVYCC Winter Races 1
- British Track Championships Jan 26-29
- Crit Result: Odd Down Winter Series 2
- Crit Result: Full Gas Winter Series #11
Other News on VeloUK
- Team Feature: Hutchinson/Brother UK
- Events: Spring MK Bowl Circuit Series
- Events: RCR Fatcreations Road Race
- Team News: DAS Handsling Women’s UCI Team
- News: GB for European Track Championships
- Q&A: Sophie Lankford (Alba Team)
- News: Rayner Foundation’s Gateway Project
- News: Star Names Sign up for Saint Piran 05/03 Team
- News: 58th Perfs Pedal RR
- News: GB Team for CX Worlds
- Team News: MAS Design – Fensham Howes Junior Team
- EVENTS: The Peaks 2 Day p/b Giant Sheffield
- TEAM NEWS: Kalas Motip Race Team for 2023
- Team News: Rotor UK Sponsor Team AT85
- Q&A: Vicky Smith (Alba Development Road Team)
- British Track Championships Jan 26-29
- Event News: Midlands handicap league returns in 2023
- News: Alba DRT Riders Inspired to Step Up
- Race Dates: Track Events 2023
- News: Santini Cycling UK
- News: Wightlink-Wight Mountain CRT Report
- Events: Velo Club St Raphael Time Trial
- Startlist: British Cyclocross Championships 2023
- BRITISH CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023
- News: Brother UK Continues to Sponsor Cycling
- Dave Rayner Fund Supported Riders
- Event news: British Team Cup
- National Trophy: Final Round, Cyclopark
- News: Pedal Club December Lunch Report
- Team News: Velo Bavarian Race Team 2023
- 2023 British teams – Richardson’s Trek
- Team News: 26th Year for Arctic-Aircon RT
- Event News: British Masters RR Champs
- News: West Midlands RR Calendar
- Team News: New cycling team in Central Region
- News: UCI World Masters Track Championships
- 2023: National Under 23, Youth & Junior Road Series
- National Trophy Cyclocross Round 5: Startlist
- News: 2023 British National Road Series
- New Bikes! Ribble’s Reynolds 725 (Gravel bike)