October Festival of Racing at Hillingdon

Saturday 3 October, Youth & Women’s races

Palmer Park Velo carried off the £150 first prize for the club with most points in the three youngest age-related races at Hillingdon on Saturday: for Under 8, Under 10 and Under 12 riders.

The 18 youngsters from the Reading-based junior cycling club were a force to be reckoned with, racking up an unassailable tally of 175 points. The performance was a credit to Shane Benson, the PPV coach, who stimulates a huge ongoing interest in competitive cycling in his home town.

“If only others could match him, cycling would be so much a richer sport in the future,” said John Leitch, organiser of the Festival of Racing on the Hillingdon circuit.

A new sponsor had to be found as a result of financial pressure in the housebuilding sector and this year it was Meica, a mechanical and electrical construction group who stepped forward to ensure that the prize list ran to £300. VC Londres carried off the £40 prize for second team, inching ahead of Welwyn Wheelers who took home £30.

It was the first time the event had excited the interest of VC Londres’ riders who were particularly strong in the Under 10 race with no less than six of the 18 riders in that section.

“All in all we had representatives from nine clubs in these races, so a particular thanks to the riders who took part and to parents for providing them with a universal free taxi service,” said Leitch. “The judges said they had a far harder task than previously as this year even at these young ages, riders were managing to stay competitive to the very end and so take part in a mass finish.”

Individual prizes in the Under 14 race went to George Withers (Palmer Park Velo) and Bethany Hayward (Welwyn Wheelers), each taking home £20 as winner of their section of this race (boy and girl).

Hillingdon Slipstreamers came into its own in the boys Under 16 event where Tanveer Mann ruled, crossing the line ahead of team-mate Charlie Fawke. Another Slipstreamer who found herself a major talking point (sadly) was Kirsten Savage, the victim of a crash in the Under 12 race.

Taken to hospital with injuries that included a fracture shoulder, the news is encouraging and Kirsten is reported to be hoping to be riding again in a few weeks. Tony Savage, her father, said that he wished to thank the riders who stopped and helped.

In the following women’s race the result went to the wire as the lead group was slowly whittled down to just five. In the uphill sprint to the line, Janet Birkmyre, XRT-ElmyCycles, turned on the gas to take the win by a narrow margin from Cheryl Owens, GS Metro.

These two renowned sprinters were given quite a challenge, however, by three of the newer faces to women’s racing: Emma Pattinson (London Dynamo), Jayne Paine (Willesden CC) and Team Talent youth rider Natalie Hill (Hillingdon Slipstreamers).

Inter-club competition…based on points won by riders in the first three age-related age groups: Under 8 Under 10 and Under 12

1 Palmer Park Velo
2 VC Londres
3 Welwyn Wheelers
4 Hillingdon Slipstreamers
5 Redhill Raiders
6 VC Meudon
7 Team Milton Keynes
8 CC Ashwell
9 Beds Road CC

U14 race – boys
1 George Withers Palmer Park Velo
2 Oli Plumley Welwyn Wheelers
3 Max Steoman Palmer Park Velo

U14 race – girls
1 Bethany Hayward Welwyn Wheelers
2 Laura Cheeseman Palmer Park Velo

U16 race – boys
1 Tanveer Mann Hillingdon Slipstreamers
2 Charlie Fawke Hillingdon Slipstreamers
3 Frazier Carr Palmer Park Velo

Women’s race
1 Janet Birkmyre XRT-ElmyCycles
2 Cheryl Owens GS Metro
3 Emma Patterson London Dynamo
4 Jayne Paine Willesdon CC
5 Natalie Hill (youth) Hillingdon Slipstreamers
6 Cassie Gledhill XRT-ElmyCycles
7 Ann Marshall South Western RC
8 Wiesia Kuczaj Twickenham CC
9 Marianne Clark dnf – private rider

Men’s 4th Cat race - Saturday 3 October - Hillingdon circuit
1 Mark Phillips London Dynamo
2 Steven Noble London Dynamo
3 Tyler Denmead Cambridge CC
4 Lubomir Belak private member
5 Gordon Spencer Team Milton Keynes
6 Ian Leeding Crawley Wheelers
7 William Platt Kingston Wheelers CC
8 Richard Coppinger Lichfield CC
9 Paul Hamnett ACU
10 Tanveer Mann (youth) Hillingdon Slipstreamers