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Report: Good Friday Meeting

Event: 22nd April 2011
Promoted by: SCCU
Venue: National Cycling Centre, Manchester
Report and Images: Guy Swarbrick
Event Details and Results

Full report and images from the classic Good Friday Meeting. Traditionally held at London's iconic Herne Hill venue, 2011 saw Good Friday journey north to Manchester Velodrome. Guy Swarbrick was there to report on a packed day of racing.

Qualifying

The afternoon session saw the qualifiers for the ‘junior' and ‘senior' Sprint competitions and - with the lower track safety limit at Manchester - for the prestigious Golden Wheel Scratch race.

The International Sprint competition is seeded with a 200m time trial and it was Great Britain Academy rider Kian Emadi - riding for Tunstall Wheelers - who set the early pace with a 10.497 which would stay at the top of leader board until the closing stages of the competition. David Daniel of Motorpoint Marshall's Pasta finally knocked him off top spot with an impressive 10.239 and then the fast times started coming thick and fast.

Emadi's Academy team mate Callum Skinner of City of Edinburgh RC followed Daniel on to the track and slotted in to second place with a 10.430. Another Academy rider - Lewis Oliva of Bristol Cycling Development Squad - squeezed in between Skinner and Emadi with a 10.461. Peter Mitchell - yet another Academy rider - then put in a 10.308 to go second.

Ross Edgar of the Sky Track Cycling team was last up but couldn't quite match the pace of Daniel and Mitchell, clocking 10.390 to finish in third place. The top eight riders were either GB Podium programme or Academy riders.

I think that's called ‘strength in depth'... The highest placed non-British rider was Itmar Estaban of Spain, who clocked 10.734 to qualify 9th ahead of Jody Cundy of Para-T Paracycling and Hylke van Grieken of Team Stiga in Holland with 10.995 and 10.998 respectively - the last two riders to dip under 11 seconds.

Above: Daniell about to swoop down to the black line and post a 10.239 sprint qualifier.

International Sprint 200m

1 David DANIELL Motorpoint RT 10.239
2 Peter MITCHELL British Cycling Private Member 10.308
3 Ross EDGAR Sky Track Cycling Team 10.390
4 Callum SKINNER City of Edinurgh RC 10.430
5 Lewis OLIVA Bristol Cycling Development Squad 10.461
6 Kian EMADI Tunstall Wheelers 10.497
7 Philip HINDES British Cycling Private Member 10.536
8 John PAUL City of Edinburgh RC 10.587
9 Itmar ESTEBAN Spain 10.734
10 Jody CUNDY Para-T Paracycling 10.995

Unlike the International Sprint, the White Hope Sprint first round is drawn out of a hat. Jon-Allan Butterworth - who lost an arm while serving in the RAF in Iraq - took the first heat for Jody Cundy's new Para-T Paracycling team. Rising sprint star and Olympic Development Programme rider Matt Rotherham of scienceinsport.com took the second heat with Tom Baker of Halesowen taking the third. Rotherham's former team mate - and fellow ODP rider - James Berryman of Sportcity Velo - took Heat 4 and Eoin Mullen of Sundrive Track took the fifth. Donal Bailer of Orwell Wheelers joined them through the Repechage.

Meanwhile, the heats of the International Sprint saw Daniel, Mitchell, Edgar, Skinner, Oliva and Emadi move through to the three Semi Finals, with two more Academy riders - John Paul of City of Edinburgh RC and Philip Hindes - join them through the Reps with Esteban ensuring that the later stages of the International Sprint competition were at least slightly International.

White Hope Sprint

The Evening session kicked off with the White Hope Sprint Final - a six-up Sprint that was more like a 3 lap dash than a conventional match sprint. At the bell, Rotherham had a 20 metre lead and looked comfortable, but Berryman and Baker weren't settling for second and charged hard on the closing lap. Rotherham was in control, though and while Berryman pulled alongside him in the run up to the line, the scienceinsport.com rider held on to add his name to the likes of Jamie Staff and Matt Crampton on the trophy, which was first contested in 1948.

1 Matthew ROTHERHAM scienceinsport.com
2 James BERRYMAN Sportcity Velo
3 Tom BAKER Halesowen A&CC

Ed Taylor Points Race

Leif Lampeter of Germany dominated the Ed Taylor Points Race - taking the first two Sprints and second in the next two - behind Adam Yates of Maxgear RT and Adam Duggleby of scienceinsport.com respectively - and continued to rack up points - effectively clinching the win by taking the maximum from the penultimate sprint. His final total of 33 put him 8 points clear of Duggleby in second place with Adam Yates taking third with 22.

1 Leif LAMPETER Germany 33 points
2 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com 25
3 Adam YATES Maxgear RT 22

Adept Keirin

Above: Baker in the distinctive purple, white and black of Halesowen in the act of chasing down Rotherham, who'd made an early bid for home in the Adept keirin.

Rotherham looked to have another win in the bag in the Adept Kerin final. Lining up last in the 8 up race with a two bike length gap to the next rider, Rotherham launched himself as the derny pulled off and flew round the outside of the line to take a commanding lead. Baker - who'd settled for third in the White Hope Sprint - had positioned himself behind the motorbike and timed his response to perfection, closing Rotherham down on the home straight to take the win by inches with Berryman close behind in third place.

1 Tom BAKER Halesown A&CC
2 Matthew ROTHERHAM scienceinsport.com
3 James BERRYMAN Sportcity Velo

British Pacing Association Derny Paced GP

The highlight of the Herne Hill Good Friday meetings has always been the BPA Stayers race with the big Triumphs thundering around the track. The move to Manchester meant a change in format and a switch to dernies

It wasn't a great race, in truth. Duggleby and pacer Derek Marloe set the early pace, building up a half lap lead before Lampeter and Bauerman changed gear and reeled them back in. Thomas and Wharton moved through in the closing stages as things got a little congested and James Louter of South Africa briefly lost touch with pacer Davy Urquhart and had to hitch a ride behind Duggleby.

Gibb lost touch with Pinkerton, too, on the home straight on the final lap, but still managed to hang on to take second behind Thomas and ahead of Lampeter.

1 Geraint THOMAS Sky (Alex Wharton)
2 Tony GIBB Cyclepremier-Metaltec (Doug Pinkerton)
3 Leif LAMPETER Germany (Peter Bauerman)

Women's Keirin

Vicky Williamson of the GB Olympic Development Programme and Welwyn Wheelers led out a very closely contested Women's Keirin but was swamped in the run-in as the bunch fanned out to find a way through to the line.

Fellow ODP rider Jessica Crampton of Sportcity Velo surged through to take the win with Helen Scott taking second. Williamson held on for third with Sarah Crowley of Cardiff Ajax and Cassie Gledhill of Elmy XRT close behind.

1 Jessica CRAMPTON Sportcity Velo
2 Helen SCOTT Para-T Paracycling
3 Victoria WILLIAMSON Welwyn Wheelers

Mile Dash

The Mile Dash - for those riders who hadn't made the Semi Finals of the International Sprint, was ridden like a keirin - with the pace building slowly for 4 laps and then exploding in to a drag race for the last half a kilometre.

Kelly and Boss led it out, but it was Miles Stovold who stormed through to take the win ahead of Cundy and van Grieken.

1 Miles STOVOLD scienceinsport.com
2 Jody CUNDY Para-T Paracycling
3 Hylke van GRIEKEN Team Stiga

Super Elimination

Despite a little confusion and a fewer whistles than the riders might have liked in the first few laps, the comms eventually agreed that the Super Elimination race was one rider out every other lap... but not until Rich Prince of Planet X had been caught out by a whistle-free ‘stealth' sprint lap.

VC St Raphael seemed to have decided, as a team, to loiter at the back and then surge over the top to safety every lap - and it seemed to work until about half distance when Neil Whittington, Alan Peet and Chris Bush were eliminated on consecutive sprint laps.

The other team working well together was scienceinsport.com with Duggleby and Alistair Rutherford riding most of the race on the front - a much more effective tactic - and the two of them were joined by Gibb for the final sprint, with Duggleby taking the win and Gibb splitting the two team mates in second.

1 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com
2 Tony GIBB Cyclepremier-Metaltec
3 Alistair RUTHERFORD scienceinsport.com

International Sprint

The heats went exactly to 200m form, so the International Sprint Final saw fastest qualifier Dave Daniel lined up against second and third fastest men Pete Mitchell and Ross Edgar.

Mitchell was allowed to take the front and, coming in to turn 1 at the bell it was Mitchell ahead of Edgar with Daniel high on the fence waiting for his chance to pounce. Once he went, it was a another drag race to the line with Edgar closing the gap to Mitchell but not quite able to overhaul him at the line.

1 Peter MITCHELL BC Private Member
2 Ross EDGAR Sky Track Cycling
3 David DANIEL Motorpoint RT

Devil

The Devil - for riders not in the Super Elimination race - was even more frantic with a rider out every lap. With the race essentially a sprint every lap with a (slight) rest in between, it was no real surprise to see Berryman and Rotherham in the last three. The impressive final member of the trio was Jack Hibberd of Halesowen who rode the race the hard way - sitting at the back and coming over the top time after time.

It left him at a slight disadvantage for the last lap sprint - having worked much harder than the other two to get there. But not, as it turned out, as much of a disadvantage as Rotherham, who pulled a pedal. Berryman took it from Hibberd with Rotherham limping home in third.

1 James BERRYMAN Sportcity Velo
2 Jack HIBBERD Halesown A&CC
3 Matthew ROTHERHAM scienceinsport.com

Ron Beckett Scratch

Above: Team Terminator's Barnard, who'd made a solo bid for victory, eventually chased down by winner Tom Baker of Halesowen A&CC.

The Ron Beckett Scratch race - for riders who hadn't qualified for the Golden Wheel - saw a small field of eight riders ride one of the strangest scratch races we've seen for years.

The pace was slow and the race was characterised by breaks that didn't quiet come off. The first was by Stuart Hourigan of 34 Nomads, who spent 12 of the first 15 laps away, but couldn't quite bridge the gap and then came back to the bunch. In the middle of the race it was Toby Blackman - sole representative of Herne Hill based VC Londres at the meeting - who tried and failed to get away. And then, with 20 to go it was Paul Barnard of Team Terminator.

Barnard looked the most likely to stay away, with team mate Lee Povey doing his best to slow down the group every time he got to the front and, although with 6 to go it was clear he wasn't going to take the lap, it did look like he'd hold on for the win.

But while Povey was trying his best to control the group it was fellow sprinter Tom Baker who headed the charge to chase Barnard down. They caught him with just under a lap to go and it was Baker who led the sprint over the line with Alan Sheldon of Blueleaf Bicycle Smithy and Povey who took second and third.

1 Tom BAKER Halesowen A&CC
2 Alan SHELDON Blueleaf Bicycle Smithy
3 Lee POVEY Team Terminator

International Keirin

Callum Skinner's fine form continued as he took a convincing win in the International Keirin. Pre-race favourite Ross Edgar pulled in to the line third behind the derny and looked well positioned behind Oliva and Skinner.

Skinner - who took pole position behind the derny from the start and left himself a good gap to rush as the motorbike pulled off - just put his head down and pulled away. Impressively Emadi, who had found himself at the back of the line of eight finalists, had launched himself forwards as the derny pulled off, storming around the outside of the line and surging past Edgar and Oliva on the home straight to take second, ahead of the young Welsh rider.

1 Callum SKINNER City of Edinburgh RC
2 Kian EMADI Tunstall Wheelers
3 Lewis OLIVA Bristol Cycling Development Squad

Golden Wheel Scratch

The prize money for the Gold Wheel Scratch race was almost all accounted for within the first 20 laps as 7 riders took a lap on the field - Lampeter looking effortless as he pulled the break-way group ahead and then eased on to the back of the bunch.

Lampeter, Duggleby, Yates, Louter, Alistair Rutherford, Masotti and Bush then settled in to their rhythm in the bunch for the bulk of the race. It was fast and furious and there were attempts to get away, but nothing that looked like it was going to stick.

With half a dozen laps to go Duggleby and Masotti broke away - soon to be joined by Lauter and young Alex Minting, who was a lap down - and the result - if not the final order - was sealed. Minting blew in the run in, to leave three clear and Duggleby made sure of the trophy and the £1000 first prize, with Masotti second and Louter third. And with prize money for the top 6, one of the break-away riders was going to be unlucky; ironically, it was Lampeter, the architect of the decisive move.

1 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com
2 Fabio MASOTTI Italy
3 James LOUTER South Africa

Full results

International Sprint Qualifying

1 David DANIEL Motorpoint RT 10.239
2 Peter MITCHELL British Cycling Private Member 10.308
3 Ross EDGAR Sky Track Cycling Team 10.390
4 Callum SKINNER City of Edinurgh RC 10.430
5 Lewis OLIVA Bristol Cycling Development Squad 10.461
6 Kian EMADI Tunstall Wheelers 10.497
7 Philip HINDES British Cycling Private Member 10.536
8 John PAUL City of Edinburgh RC 10.587
9 Itmar ESTEBAN Spain 10.734
10 Jody CUNDY Para-T Paracycling 10.995
11 Hylke van GRIEKEN Team Stiga 10.998
12 Miles STOVOLD scienceinsport.com 11.021
13 Andrew KELLY scienceinsport.com 11.103
14 Yorick BOS Team Stiga 11.180
15 Dave READLE scienceinsport.com 11.194
16 Jeroen HOEKSTRA Baansprinter Amsterdam 11.259
17 Ieuan WILLIAMS CC Cardiff 11.297
18 Tomeu GELABERT Spain 11.532
19 Erik TOMARELLI Team Maggioni 11.548
20 Michal ROHAN Slovakia 11.574
21 Christian BETINELLI Team Maggioni 11.593
22 Kevin STEWART scienceinsport.com 11.761
23 Andrea PRATI Team Maggioni 11.794
24 Fabio PAVANI Team Maggioni 12.060

White Hope Sprint

1 Matthew ROTHERHAM scienceinsport.com
2 James BERRYMAN Sportcity Velo
3 Tom BAKER Halesowen A&CC
4 Eion MULLEN Sundrive Track
5 Donal BAILEY Orwell Wheelers
6 Jon-Allan BUTTERWORTH Part-T Paracycling

Ed Taylor Points Race

1 Leif LAMPETER Germany 33 points
2 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com 25
3 Adam YATES Maxgear RT 22
4 Alistair RUTHERFORD scienceinsport.com
5 Fabio MASOTTI Italy
6 James LOUTER South Africa

Adept Keirin

1 Tom BAKER Halesown A&CC
2 Matthew ROTHERHAM scienceinsport.com
3 James BERRYMAN Sportcity Velo
4 Barney SWINNERTON scienceinsport.com
5 Alex MINTING Planet X KW Racing
6 Nils Van't HOEDERDAAL Baansprinter Amsterdam

British Pacing Association Derny Paced GP

1 Geraint THOMAS Sky (Alex Wharton)
2 Tony GIBB Cycleprremier-Metaltec (Doug Pinkerton)
3 Leif LAMPETER Germany (Peter Bauerman)
4 Fabio MASOTTI Italy (Malcolm Freeman)
5 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com (Derek Marloe)
6 Alistair RUTHERFORD scienceinsport.com (Bob Barber)
7 James LOUTER South Africa (Davy Urquhart)

Women's Keirin

1 Jessica CRAMPTON Sportcity Velo
2 Helen SCOTT Para-T Paracycling
3 Victoria WILLIAMSON Welwyn Wheelers
4 Sarah CROWLEY Cardiff Ajax CC
5 Cassie GLEDHILL Elmy XRT
6 Birgitta ROOS Baansprinter Amsterdam
7 Jenny DAVIS City of Edinburgh RC

Mile Dash

1 Miles STOVOLD scienceinsport.com
2 Jody CUNDY Para-T Paracycling
3 Hylke van GRIEKEN Team Stiga
4 Ieuan WILLIAMS CC Cardiff
5 Andrew KELLY scienceinsport.com
6 Yorick BOS Team Stiga

Super Elimination

1 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com
2 Tony GIBB Cyclepremier-Metaltec
3 Alistair RUTHERFORD scienceinsport.com
4 Adam YATES Maxgear RT
5 Ian COOPER Planet X KW Racing
6 James RUTHERFORD scienceinsport.com

International Sprint

1 Peter MITCHELL BC Private Member
2 Ross EDGAR Sky Track Cycling
3 David DANIEL Motorpoint RT
4 Callum SKINNER City of Edinburgh RC
5 Lewis OLIVA Bristol Cycling Development Squad
6 Kian EMADI Tunstall Wheelers
7 John PAUL City of Edinburgh RC
8 Itmar ESTEBAN Spain
9 Philip HINDES BC Private Member

Devil

1 James BERRYMAN Sportcity Velo
2 Jack HIBBERD Halesown A&CC
3 Matthew ROTHERHAM scienceinsport.com
4 Alex MINTING Planet X KW Racing
5 Terry BYRNE Para-T Paracycling
6 Nils Van't HOEDERDAAL Baansprinter Amsterdam

Ron Beckett Scratch

1 Tom BAKER Halesowen A&CC
2 Alan SHELDON Blueleaf Bicycle Smithy
3 Lee POVEY Team Terminator
4 Stuart HOURIGAN 34 Nomads CC
5 Rob BISHOP MJS Racing
6 Martin SMITH Chesterfield Coureurs

International Keirin

1 Callum SKINNER City of Edinburgh RC
2 Kian EMADI Tunstall Wheelers
3 Lewis OLIVA Bristol Cycling Development Squad
4 Ross EDGAR Sky Track Cycling Team
5 Philip HINDES BC Private Member
6 David DANIEL Motorpoint RT
7 John PAUL City of Edinburgh RC
8 Peter MITCHELL BC Private Member

Golden Wheel Scratch

1 Adam DUGGLEBY scienceinsport.com
2 Fabio MASOTTI Italy
3 James LOUTER South Africa
4 Adam YATES Maxgear RT
5 Alistair RUTHERFORD scienceinsport.com
6 Chris BUSH VC St Raphael
7 Leif LAMPETER Germany
8 Jack HIBBERD Halesowen A&CC
9 Ian COOPER Planet X KW Racing
10 James HOLLAND-LEADER Agiskoviner Cycling Team
11 Richard PRINCE Planet X KW Racing
12 Chris FRANCIS Team Cystic Fibrosis