In a night that began with a pitch black stadium and rider introductions under spotlight, the inaugural Southern Hemisphere edition of Revolution track cycling brought together the cream of Australian cycling at Melbourne’s Vodafone Arena.
The highlights of Revolution 1 included:
A shock loss to Olympic champion Anna Meares in the women’s sprint, with Dutch rider Yvonne Hijgenaar making the most of a four week training camp with Meares in Adelaide to pull off a surprise win.
A strong return after the disappointment of the sprint loss - with Meares claiming victory in the keirin.
An impressive and gutsy sprint win to Ryan Bayley who said his preparations for Beijing were ahead of schedule. He backed up to score an even more impressive win in the keirin.
A winning double to Australian points race champion Belinda Goss with wins in the women’s scratch and points races.
Wins to 2004 world champion Greg Henderson of New Zealand in the team elimination and Geelong teenager Leigh Howard in the motor paced scratch event.
A thrilling madison with Henderson and Howard battling it out in the final lap, with Howard outlasting the New Zealander to secure victory for himself and teammate Glen O’Shea.
NAB Women’s Sprint
Kerrie Meares was a late withdrawal due to illness, leaving sister Anna as the red-hot favourite to take out the NAB women’s sprint. Meares comfortably won her ‘sudden-death’ heat with her main rival, Dutch rider Yvonne Hijgenaar, also impressive in winning her heat, edging out Liz Georgouras.
In the final, the duo began at a dawdle with Meares content to lead before allowing Hijgenaar to take the front position after the opening circuit. The pace quickened with two laps to go with Hijgenaar still leading at the bell. The Dutch rider, a world championships silver medallist in the team sprint, opened a two-length lead down the back straight.
“I was surprised, I thought she was coming. Best for me is a long sprint, not a short sprint, so I did my own race, but I was surprised,” said Hijgenaar, who has spent the past four weeks in Adelaide training alongside Meares.
Meares put the shock loss down to a heavy week of training and tiredness from last weekend’s trip to New Zealand for the Oceania championships.
“I’m a little surprised. Coming down the back straight I went to accelerate and nothing happened.”
Meares said the loss wouldn’t dent her confidence going into next weekend’s crucial UCI World Cup in Sydney.
“Different day, different race. You’re not going to win every match up,” Meares said.
NAB Men’s Sprint
In the Bicycle Superstore men’s sprint, dual Olympic champion Ryan Bayley claimed the first heat, joined by VIS rider Jason Nibblett, Australian track stars Ben Kersten and Mark French, Malaysian Josiah Ng and world junior champion Shane Perkins as the men to move to the next round.
Bayley defeated Niblett in the opening semi final to be the first man through to the decider. Semi two was a classic duel between French and Kersten, with a fast but tactical battle playing out over the four laps. Kersten, the Commonwealth Games time trial champion, led at the bell and the pair dueled down the back before hitting the front straight, and subsequently the finish line, locked together. Kersten winning by a tyre width. In the final semi, Ng and Perkins were forced into a restart after both riders held a mid-race sit in, neither rider prepared to make a move, forcing the commissaries to call for a second attempt. In a feisty sprint, Perkins got the better of Ng with 200m remaining to set up a classic final.
In the decider, Bayley, Kersten and Perkins put on a blockbuster, with the Olympic champion taking it out from the front in a long dash for home. He looked gone down the back straight when challenged by Perkins and then Kersten but held on to win. The result a repeat of his victory over Perkins at the Oceania championships last weekend.
“The three up final is very different. Each of us has our secret tricks, mine was to get to the front and stay in front and the front tactic worked very well.”
“I’m very happy with the way my preparation is going. I feel like I’m in front of where I was leading into Athens. We have been doing lots of racing recently and it’s good to blow out the cobwebs ahead of the Sydney World Cup.”
Red Island Women’s Keirin Final
Meares returned after the disappointment of the sprint to take out the Red Island women’s keirin final. The reigning Australian champion in the event was too strong for the talented field, burning off Hiigenaar and training partner Liz Georgouras to take out the eight-lap event.
Red Island Men’s Keirin Final
The men’s keirin final was another showdown between Bayley, Kersten and Perkins, along with Mark French who qualified for the final after a strong heat win. If Bayley was impressive in the sprint he was sublime in the keirin, bursting to the lead with just under two laps remaining. Displaying his growing confidence, the dual Olympic champion was able to hold off French and Perkins to score his second win of the night.
Brunetti’s Team Elimination
Jayco Herald Sun Tour winner Matt Wilson looked set to claim the opening event, in his first foray onto the boards in over a decade, however his teammate in the Brunetti’s elimination race, Hilton Clarke, was the last to cross the line when the battle came down to the final three pairings. In the final circuit of the 28-lap affair, it was a high quality battle between the last remaining pairing - New Zealanders Greg Henderson and Hayden Roulston, against Sydney Olympic Games champion Brett Aitken and teammate David Pell. Befitting the quality of the assembled cast, it was the 2004 world 15km track champion Henderson who claimed the opening event.
San Benedetto 30-lap Motor Paced Scratch Race
The San Benedetto 30-lap motor paced scratch race, the first man to be dropped was Astana’s Aaron Kemps, a three-stage winner at this year’s Jayco Herald Sun Tour. From that point, with six-laps remaining, the field was quickly reduced until the motor bike left the track with three laps to go. Fittingly Canadian Zach Bell led at the bell, but was hauled in by Geelong teenager Leigh Howard. The world junior teams pursuit gold medallist a popular winner ahead of Athens Olympic madison champion Graeme Brown.
The Swantson Hotel 25km Madison
With team elimination and motor paced scratch race placings providing points for the overall Swanston Hotel madison title, Leigh Howard and Glen O’Shea along with New Zealanders Greg Henderson and Hayden Roulston shared the lead going into the 100-lap (25km) final. Henderson tookthe opening points in the final, and along with teammate Hayden Roulston the duo controlled the early stages of the final. However Leigh Howard and Glen O’Shea maintained touch by collecting the second sprint. The remainder of the 100-lap affair was a battle between the New Zealanders and the Victorian teenagers with Howard holding off Henderson on the final lap to claim double points and the win.
The Square Group Women’s Scratch Race
In the 20-lap The Square Group scratch race, VIS rider Peta Mullens attempted to pinch the race with three laps remaining but was claimed at the bell by world junior Skye Lee-Armstrong who held the lead down the back straight, before being claimed by Belinda Goss on the final turn. Goss, the Australian points race champion, managing to hold off the strong field to win by half a length.
NAB Women’s Points Race
Mullens and Goss continued the battle in the NAB women’s points race with Goss taking the victory with 23 points to Mullen’s 14.
2XU Future Stars Events
The Future stars program is designed to assist the development of Australia’s best young riders by providing the opportunity to rub shoulders with the senior stars.
In the opening Future Stars event, the 2XU double kilo dash, it was Victorian Ben Sanders, the son of veteran VIS head cycling coach Dave Sanders, who claimed the win. In the women’s double kilo eight-lap dash it was Victorian Carly McCoombe who desperately held on to her lead in the final straight to deny Netasha Pearse of NSW a victory.
Victorian Jamie Cass took out the Future Stars elimination with fellow Victorian Shannon McCurley shading McCoombe to win the women’s elimination.
Sanders returned to win the men’s scratch race, with McCurely also claiming a second win in the women’s scratch event.
The next event in the Revolution series will be held in Melbourne on Wednesday 19 November.
Full results and Future Stars standings to come...