Location: Manchester Velodrome, Manchester
Event: 6-12 October 2013
Report: Larry Hickmott
After an excellent day of bunch racing, day five of the 2013 UCI World Masters Track Cycling Championships saw Great Britain extend its lead in the medal table after winning seven golds to the four of the USA and two of Argentina.
The highlight of the day was the brutal and aggressive manner the riders attacked the bunch races as they chased the dream of being world champion. The day began with heats of the scratch races which were equally aggressive as only 12 of the riders in each heat would get a second ride in the final.
There to see the action was the mayor of Manchester who seemed, yet again, to enjoy his visit. The evening session then followed from 6pm and it was a night of brutal racing, crashes, relegations and lots of passion in the racing to win rainbow jerseys.
Men’s 75+ Time Trial
The night began with some time trials over 500 metres for three of the older age categories and first gold of the night went to Roland Crayford in a 1-2-3 for Britain. Wally Fowler was second and Derek Thurrell third.
Men’s 70-74 Time Trial
In this age category, it was the riders from the USA who were dominant with the win going to Victor Copeland who was almost a clear second faster than his fellow countryman, Leo Menestrina. Third was Britain's Peter Smith.
Men’s 65-69 Time Trial
The win in this event was a decisive one for a rider who continues to rise to the top with each age category he competes in, Geoff Cooke. The British rider was almost half a second faster than the USA's Reid Schwartz with another rider from the US in third, Mark Rodamaker in a line up with riders from New Zealand, France, Denmark, Spain and Canada.
Men’s 60-64 Time Trial
Keith McBeth of the USA continues to steal the show in this age category with a narrow beating of Italian Angelo Onofri with France’s Marc Dangleterre only a tenth of a second or two away in third place in a keenly contested competition.
Women’s 35-49 Points Race
Janet Birkmyre (Gbr) dominated this event, which despite some attacks off the front, was won and lost in the mid race sprints. Birkmyre won maximum points in no less than three of the six sprints and was second in the other two. Ireland's Susie Mitchell gained her five points with a lone attack but that was it for her outside of a single point in the final sprint. The other two sprints were won by the USA's Dana Walton.
The race saw 14 riders take to the start and from these, six medals were awarded. In the 35-39 age category, Siobhan Mullan won the gold medal after her third place in the race. Silver went to Ireland's Mitchell and bronze for French woman Christelle Ribault. In the 40 plus age category, race winner Janet Birkmyre added yet another rainbow jersey to her large collection whilst silver went to Dana Walton (USA) and Bronze to New Zealand's Erin Criglington.
Women’s 50+ Points Race
It may have been a small field of eight riders but the pressure in the build up to the mid race sprints saw the group split over and over. The USA's Tara Unversagt won the first sprint followed by the ever-aggressive Orla Hendron in the second sprint. Unversagt took the third sprint whilst Australia's Sue Challen was first across the line at the end of the race.
That late challenge from the Australian wasn't enough for her to get among the first three in the race or even get a medal despite six medals being awarded from the eight starters. Now that's bad luck!
Race winner Tara Unversagt was the gold medal winner in the 50-54 category from Orla Hendron (Silver) and Petra Kluender (Bronze). The last three in the race filled the podium spots in the 55+ age category with the rainbow jersey going to Brenda Tate with Arja Scarsbrook getting a silver to go with her golds from other events and the bronze went to Britain’s Heather Sanderson.
Men’s 55-59 Scratch Race
A lap gain by the USA's was Mark Sommers saw him win the gold the hard way. It was a long solo effort and touch and go whether he'd make it as the bunch accelerated away from him several times as he was about to make the junction.
Finally they sat up once too many and he got onto the back. That didn't stop the attacks from which a selection was made off the front with Jay Wolkoff beating Britain's Chris Davis to the line for the silver medal with Davis getting the bronze. Britain's ever smiling James Rutherford was fourth.
Men’s 35-39 Scratch Race
It was a spectacular finish to this race with German Ariel Lopez of Argentina winning the gold with a late surge that saw him go clear of the rest to celebrate long and loud the victory. Behind though there was the most spectacular of crashes as Andy Stuart fell heavily as his front wheel was taken out and he slide across the line in 9th place.
There was better luck though for his teammate Jason Streather who managed to find a clear run through the melee to take the bronze medal just behind France's Julien Muselet in second.
Men’s 40-44 Scratch Race
There was no let up in the brutal nature of the speed of these scratch races with plenty of riders keen to get away rather than leave it to a bunch kick. That was how it ended though with Britain's John McClelland adding to his sprint medal a rainbow jersey.
With his own personal fan club screaming out his name from the stands, the long time rider of track leagues and opens in Britain took up the running after Gerry Bowditch had started the sprint in earnest three laps out.
With the bell ringing, McClelland was already on the front ready to launch the second kick as Diego Rozie came alongside him in the home straight to challenge for the gold but a final throw at the line was enough to make the rainbow jersey McClelland's with Bowditch getting some reward for his effort on the front with the bronze.
Men’s 45-49 Scratch Race
A bunch sprint with four riders all vying for the medals across the track was the spectacular ending to a nonstop attacking race in the 45-49 category. Riders well accustomed to the track leagues in Britain were fighting for air over the closing laps when the gas was lit and the speed sky rocketed as the dash to the line came ever closer.
The win by a few centimetres went to Argentinian rider Gerardo Gomez who was heard celebrating for the next two laps of the track, arms in the air showing just what that victory meant to him. He edged the win from Luis Vegetti also of Argentina whilst the bronze went to Britain’s Nick Abraham.
Men’s 50-54 Scratch Race
If all the other finishes were tight sprints, this was perhaps the tightest of them all with Colin Parkinson leading the bunch kick out from a lap to go with most of the peloton spread out behind him around the track.
Only the fastest of the fast could hold the speed and in the home straight, Canadian Michael Lacouline made his move down the outside of Parkinson with Scotland's Ivor Reid on the outside of him. With the last throw of the race, Parkinson just held on to win from Lacouline and Reid.
