SWRC have a new National Champion

I know I said the Hillingdon was my last event of the year but I had entered the inaugural LVRC National Track Championships at Newport this weekend
Good thing I did my geraniums as we had 3 inches of snow on Tuesday (first time in October in Leicester since 1937) so I had a couple of slippery rides to work in full winter mode. Having watched our Boys & Girls 'doing the business' at the Manchester World Cup on Friday evening I was ready all excited about the prospect for my first competitive outing on the boards since I broke my collar bone (Ouch!) a week before the National Champs at dear old derelict (now not then) Saffron Lane in 1992.

Alan, just back from a week walking in NW Italy (hardly ideal preparation) and I took ourselves along to Newport Velodrome to have a bit of end of season fun. Only to find riders just back from the World Masters Track in Sidney and others taking it very seriously, I cannot lie I had done a session on the turbo on Thursday to try out my 'fixed' TT bike as I had not ridden it since the 12 hour (used as a spare with gears). Adrian (Shaftsbury CC) was there with us all in the same age group (45-49) these two have a bit of history together as Adrian said to me last week "I've got a pair of 'Barelli' pedals with Alan's paint on somewhere at home", old scores were set aside for the weekend and we set about a plan to get bodies on the podium at every opportunity


Plotters Corner

First up the 16km (60 laps) Points race, I decided to put the opposition on the back foot by wearing old kit while Alan had the new. I went on the attack (best form of defence) after the first sprint (every 10 laps) with some stout blocking from Alan and Adrian and a bit of nifty leg work from yours truly I got half a lap, 2 sets of
sprint wins and 15 laps later I sat up not able to stay away on my own any longer. While I was getting myself together Ian Fagan (Paramount RT) an Ex Pro and a useful 'trackie' I had targeted as a likely winner went away with another and quickly got half a lap, he then dropped his companion and bridges the lap on his own to wild applause from the track center, Damn! I thought there goes the win. I managed to get points in the last two sprints 2nd & 3rd to consolidate my position in second place Steve Clayton our representative at the Worlds (Lichfield CCC) 3rd

We left the sprinters on the track at 7 O'clock to finish their programme while we headed to the Holiday Inn for post race analysis and some grub from the buffet. Adrian had brought some old cycling's and the Skol 6 Day programme from 1978 when he and Alan rode the schoolboy omnium. Maurice Burton was riding (with Paul Medhurst) and there was an advert for 'newly opened' DeVer cycles in Streatham (I think It's called synchronicity) Alan found a result in a 1976 edition of the 'comic' with Parky's all plus Steve Gowar winning the WLCA Team Pursuit in 5.17 (for 4000m on Herne Hill) not bad considering Alan was only 13 years old at the time.
I had to be at the track for 8.30 on Sunday to prepare for the Pursuit so the others tucked into a cooked breakfast while I made do with cereal in an effort to not be overcome by my first Pursuit since 1982


I worked out a schedule at breakfast with Alan, 3.40 a bit ambitious (I found out later) but I had no idea what riders do these days. Fagan had not signed on, no bike apparently but that did not stop other riders just bolting on aero bars but I was not the only one to have a dedicated bike and a couple of 'solid' front wheels came out Oh! I thought this is serious, to my surprise I was fastest qualifier albeit by a mere two tenths of a second 3.49.86, I felt that I had been pedalling too fast on my 92" gear and on schedule at half way I could not maintain the high cadence of 120 revs (bit different from my usual 88) so I put my gear up 2" for the final
Felt more comfortable at 112-115 revs although still went out a bit fast at the start, the result was never in doubt, I was up 2 seconds in the first lap and then 4 seconds up at half way. I had my man in sight for the final kilometer but did not quite manage to catch him as I went 4 seconds faster 3.45.88 while he went 4 slower. In fact I was the only rider in the finals to go faster in the second ride only a couple of hours after the first my powers of recovery obviously good. Incidental my opponent in the final Steve Bent (Ludlow CC) one of the Highgate/Hendon riders that beat us in the GHS in 1976 I wrote about several weeks ago. 3rd Paul Lilley (Fenland Cl.)3.54.19


Top Spot

The remaining event the 15km Scratch always a bit of a lottery, the 'A' race had been a bit of a procession with a 'wind up' for the last KM and then a bunch sprint, I was getting to know the 'form' riders, Fagan was in there with Clayton and Doug Pinkerton (Halesowen C&AC) who had all sat out the Pursuit series. We had a bit of a plan for Alan and Adrian to try and get away after I had done a bit of 'softening up' in the opening 20 laps but once I lit the touchpaper it was just attack after attack and the bunch blown to pieces by half way with the above three myself and Adrian to make a lead group of five and we lapped the field. Alan pulled out after being up with the leaders but not able to keep in the front split. I decided it wasn't hard enough and attacked several more times and Fagan had a good go at dislodging us but nobody was shifted although Pinkerton not working by now and I told Adrian to only do short turns as he was our best hope for the finish. My legs were beginning to give out and I found myself at the back at the bell as it got a bit confusing with back markers and the lap board. In the end it was all five of us across the track at the line with Clayton getting it and Adrian 2nd over the long way with some impressive speed only back to racing this year and done half a dozen league meetings at Welwyn. Fagan 3rd Myself 4th (Almost doing a 'Wiggins' with Gold Silver & Bronze) I was satisfied with my weekend tally an 'age related champ' at 3000m and 12 Hrs. not a bad spread


Points race Winner the elusive Mr Fagan!