REVOLUTION UK

The Revolution is now getting ready for it's fifth season in the UK and with more star riders and a unique feel to each event it continues to attract capacity crowds to the Manchester Velodrome. Revolution is already laying the foundations for the future with its future stars series and with the new Future Revolution event at the Newport Velodrome and with Revolution Australia, in Melbourne, the Revolution is only getting bigger.

In December 1898 a young bicycle mechanic, by the name of Tom Finnegan, won from a handicap of 220-yards, holding off the backmarkers with a foot to spare. The prize money of 240 sovereigns enabled him to establish a suburban bicycle shop, Malvern Star Cycles, which later became a household bicycle brand.

Many famous names appear on the "Austral" honor roll. World Champions, Gordon Johnson (1973) and Steele Bishop (1982) both had the distinction of winning from scratch. Jack Fitzgerald won from scratch in 1922. Tassie Johnson (1944) won from 30 yards. The great Sid Patterson (1962 and1964) and Laurie Venn (1979 and 1981) have both won the event twice from scratch.

Tasmanian, Danny Clark, has had three wins off the scratch mark, in 1977, 1986 and 1990. However, the record now belongs to the consistent Victorian all-rounder, Stephen Pate with four victories, in 1988 from scratch, in 1991 from -10 metres, in 1993 from -20 metres and in 1999, again from scratch.

In 2000, Gary Neiwand, one of Australia's greatest sprinters, was liberally handicapped on 70-metres for the millennium edition of the event, and won comfortably.

In recent times the race has been won by the likes of Mark French, Ben Kersten and emerging youngster Zak Dempster.

The 110^th edition promises to live up to the reputation with big names set to light-up the world’s oldest, and Australia’s most famous, cycling race.