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Report: Revolution 28

Report: Eddie Allen | Images: Larry Hickmott

Although it was the last Revolution meeting of the 2009/10 season, Revolution 28 was also a night of firsts. It was the first time that a cycling event had been recorded in 3D, with Sky's high tech HD 3D cameras capturing the breathtaking action. It was the first time that the Revolution had been an all-day event, incorporating as it did, the National Madison Championships as the centrepiece of the afternoon session. It was a first indication of our GB athletes' form prior to the World Track Championships in Copenhagen in just a few weeks time. And finally it was also the first time anyone had seen shorts quiet like German rider Robert Forsterman's!

Images by Larry Hickmott

The racing itself was also numero uno, with massive performances across the board and some of the most thrilling contests in the Revolution's history.

The keystone of the event was the sprinting, with a fully fledged sprint, team sprint and keirin competition for the elite male and female riders. Predictably enough, Sir Chris provided the meeting's highlight, producing a breathtaking performance in the Men's Sprint. Hoy dominated the entire event, laying down the only sub 10 second 200 metre time of the evening and then producing two unforgettable rides to overcome first Edgar in the Semi Finals and then Jason Kenny in the most incredible match sprint that most of the audience had ever seen.

Hoy and Kenny have history in finals, most memorably in the Olympics where they went head to head for silver and gold. Anyone would have thought a similar prize was at stake tonight, with Kenny pushing Hoy all over the track with some terrifying switches of line. But the big Scot's awareness, reactions and speed where just sublime, and he overhauled Kenny on the line and punched the air emphatically, as the crowd erupted. Awesome, spine tingling stuff.

Above: Amid his busy sprinting schedule Chris Hoy presented the eponymous ‘Chris Hoy Award' to City of Edinburgh's promising young sprinter John Paul, in the presence of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

Sir Chris, speaking afterwards said that in describing his sprint final against his Beijing Olympic final opponent, Jason Kenny, in a word, it was ‘hairy’ adding ‘but safe’.

“I haven’t been feeling great which is quite funny when I did a 9.9 this morning” he explained from his pen in the track centre during the Revolution meeting and after Jeff Banks had run over to congratulate him.

“You’d think that I’d be over the moon and going really well but I have been feeling a bit under the weather since I returned from Perth (Australia) so to come here, not 100 per cent, and do a 9.9, and just beat Jason and just beat Ross, I am delighted with that. The crucial thing now is to rest up properly and get the taper right and be in 100 per cent form for Copenhagen.”

Asked about how it felt in a race that from the outside looked ever so physical and like sprint matches of old, he said “well, I enjoyed it! It was a bit hairy and I think Jason was a bit disappointed not to win but the crowd enjoyed it too and as long as its safe, then I think that is what it is all about, 100 per cent full on racing.”

In the women's sprint, the evening's other sprinting star turn, Victoria Pendleton, was impressive in a totally different way - Vicky was simply untouchable with even the powerful former BMXer Willy Kanis, which whom she's had numerous encounters, providing little in the way of serious opposition.

The Team Sprint provided a thrilling climax to the evening, with the qualification rounds producing GB versus Germany finals in both the men's and women's editions, in both cases the GB teams emerging victorious. Once again Queen Victoria, this time with help of Jess Varnish, reigned supreme. We were definitely amused. Jokes aside - in the realm of the sprint, things are looking good for the Worlds...

DHL Future Stars winners Owain Doull and Emily Kay celebrate the spoils of a season long campaign

Due to a packed sprinting schedule, the sensible decision was made to run the Men's and Women's keirin events without the sprint finalists, which gave riders other than the usual suspects of Hoy and Pendleton a chance to shine. Predictably, Matt Crampton powered his way to the win in the men's event, while victory in the women's keirin went to German rider Kristina Vogel, with Becky James running her a close second.

Above: The GB trio of Crampton, Hoy and Kenny get underway in the Team Sprint Final

The Elite Endurance racing was no less exciting, the highlight being the National Madison Championships in the afternoon - a thrilling encounter with more twists than a bestseller, eventually won by Luke Rowe and Mark Christian (you can read the full report here). The other elite endurance victories were spread amongst a number of victors, a testament to the competitiveness of the racing. Andy Tennant took the win the Devil Scratch, while Erick Rowsell lapped the field twice to claim victory in a one of the most bewildering points races the Revolution has seen. Even points maestro Chris Newton looked confused. Steven Burke stole the narrowest of victories from Ed Clancy in the Scratch, while in the Madison 1km TT (not strictly an Endurance event, but nonetheless contested mainly by the endurance guys) it was newly crowned Madison Champion Luke Rowe partnered by Craig Maclean who stunned everyone with a sub 57 second ride.

Above: Hoy and Kenny in an unforgettable sprint final.

As in the men's sprinting, the Future Stars boys racing was a tale of utter dominance - with series leader Owain Doull wrapping up the DHL Future Stars title by winning a brace of races and finishing second, by a whisker, in another. Doull missed the Future Stars Madison to mix it with the big boys in the National Madison Champs. In his absence the young guns' Madison was dominated by the pairing of Sam Lowe and Alistair Slater. Doull's ability to read a race and time his moves to perfection is only matched by his leg-speed. In short, another Future Stars protégé to follow in the footsteps of Burke and Harrison before him.

Above: Owain Doull signals victory - just one of his dominant performances on the night

And finally in the Future Stars Girls competition, the title was practically sewn up in Revolution 27 by Emily Kay, meaning that the compact Halesowen rider could sit back, complete her races and watch the other riders scrabble for the lesser places. This however, didn't stop Kay finding herself winning the Devil, while the strong and versatile Hannah Barnes cleaned up elsewhere and made safe second position overall in the Future Stars Girls rankings.

At the end of the night's racing, the overall series scores were totalised and it was the Slicks team, captained by sprint legend Craig Maclean, that emerged victorious. The team format of the 2009/10 Revolution series has added an extra dimension to the racing, allow spectators to get behind one of the six teams of Rollers, Forza, Tempo, Slicks, Vitesse and Dynamo, each of which contained a mixture of sprinters, endurance riders and Future Stars riders, both male a female. Well done Slicks and well captained Craig!

So another season of Revolution racing has come to an end, and the extended, bumper edition, thrill packed finale of Revolution 28 was exactly the right way to end - on a high.

Full results

Men's Sprint

200m Qualification

1. Chris Hoy - 9.995
2. Jason Kenny - 10.070
3. Matt Crampton - 10.156
4. Ross Edgar - 10.191
5. Robert Forstermann - 10.231
6. Carsten Bergeman - 10.233
7. David Daniell - 10.247
8. Stefan Nimke - 10.264
9. Rene Enders - 10.360
10. Michael Siedenbacher - 10.413
11. Pete Mitchell - 10.435
12. Tobias Wachter - 10.468
13. Craig Maclean - 10.497
14. Teun Mulder - 10.549
15. Roy Van Den Berg - 10.561
16. Roberto Chiappa - 10.817

Round 1

Heat 1
1. Stefan Nimke
2. Rene Enders

Heat 2
1. Michael Siedenbacher
2. David Daniell

Heat 3
1. Pete Mitchell
2. Carsten Bergeman

Heat 4
1. Tobias Wachter
2. Robert Forsterman

Heat 5
1. Ross Edgar
2. Craig Maclean

Heat 6
1. Matt Crampton
2. Teun Mulder

Heat 7
1. Jason Kenny
2. Roy Van Den Berg

Heat 8
1. Chris Hoy
2. Roberto Chiappa

Through to Quarter Finals

Chris Hoy
Jason Kenny
Matt Crampton
Ross Edgar
Tobias Wachter
Pete Mitchell
Michael Siedenbacher
Stefan Nimke

Quarter Final

Heat 1
1. Ross Edgar
2. Tobias Wachter

Heat 2
1. Matt Crampton
2. Peter Mitchell

Heat 3
1. Jason Kenny
2. Michael Siedenbacher

Heat 4
1. Chris Hoy
2. Stefan Nimke

Through to Semi Finals
Ross Edgar
Matt Crampton
Jason Kenny
Chris Hoy

LOSERS' SIX LAP DASH

1. Rene Enders
2. Robert Forsterman
3. Teun Mulder
4. Roy Van Den Berg
5. Peter Mitchell
6. David Daniell
7. Carsten Bergeman

SEMI FINAL

Heat 1
1. Jason Kenny
2. Matt Crampton

Heat 2
1. Chris Hoy
2. Ross Edgar

Through to Final
Jason Kenny
Chris Hoy

FINAL

1. Chris Hoy
2. Jason Kenny

Women's Sprint

200m Qualification

1. Victoria Pendleton - 11.163
2. Willy Kanis - 11.263
3. Kristina Vogel - 11.508
4. Jess Varnish - 11.534
5. Becky James - 11.557
6. Yvonne Hijgenaar - 11.662
7. Miriam Welte - 11.693
8. Christine Muche - 11.848

ROUND 1

Heat 1
1. Jess Varnish
2. Becky James

Heat 2
1. Kristina Vogel
2. Yvonne Hijgenaar

Heat 3
1. Willy Kanis
2. Miriam Welte

Heat 4
1. Victoria Pendleton
2. Christine Muche

Through to Semi Final
Victoria Pendleton
Willy Kanis
Kristina Vogel
Jess Varnish

MINOR FINAL

1. Becky James
2. Christine Muche
3. Yvonne Hijgenaar
4. Miriam Welte

SEMI FINALS

Heat 1
1. Willy Kanis
2. Kristina Vogel

Heat 2
1. Victoria Pendleton
2. Jess Varnish

Through to Final
Willy Kanis
Victoria Pendleton

FINAL

1. Victoria Pendleton
2. Willy Kanis

DHL Future Stars Madison - Boys

1. Sam Lowe/ Alistair Slater 15 +2
2. Robbie Westwood / Matt Cross 8 +2
3. Oliver Rossi / Tom Gallagher 8
4. Jordan Hargreaves / Rob Lampton 4

DHL Future Stars Madison - Girls

1. Hannah Barnes and Lucy Garner 12 pts
2. Amy Roberts and Amy Hill 8 pts
3. Jess Anderson and Melissa Bury 6 pts

Cycling Weekly Devil Scratch Race

1. Andy Tennant TEM
2. Franco Marvulli ROL
3. Ed Clancy TEM
4. Chris Newton ROL
5. Luke Rowe SLI
6. Jon Mould TEM
7. Tom Murray VIT

Future Stars Girls 6 Lap Dash

1. Hannah Barnes FOR
2. Amy Roberts SLI
3. Eleanor Barker SLI
4. Emily Kay DYN
5. Harriot Owen FOR

Team Sprint - Women

Qualification

Heat 1
1. GB (Pendleton/Varnish) 33.719
2. Mixed (C Muche/B James) 35.323

Heat 2
1. Germany (M Welte/K Vogel) 34.012
2. Holland (W Kanis/Y Hijgenaar) 34.437

FINAL

3rd and 4th Place Final
1. Holland (Kanis/Hijgenaar) 34.621
2. Mixed (James/Muche) 35.218

1st and 2nd Place Final
1. GB (Pendleton/Varnish) 33.863
2. Ger (Welte/Vogel) 34.332

Team Sprint - Men

Qualifying

First 2 to final, 3rd and 4th to Minor Final

1. GB1 (Hoy/Kenny/Crampton) 43.919
2. GER1 (Bergeman/Forsterman/Siedenbacher) 44.282
3. GER2 (Nimke/Enders/Wachter) 44.521
4. GB2 (Mitchell/Daniell/Edgar) 44.828
5. World (Mulder/Van Den Berg/Maclean) 45.647

FINAL

3rd and 4th Place Final
1. GER 2 (Nimke/Enders/Wachter) 44.601
2. GB 2 (Mitchell/Daniell/Edgar) 44.729

1st and 2nd Place Final
1. GB (Hoy/Kenny/Crampton) 43.793
2. GER (Bergeman/Forsterman/Siedenbacher) 43.997

Future Stars Boys Scratch 5km

1. Owain Doull SLI
2. Alistair Slater PAC
3. Jordan Hargreaves ROL
4. Sam Lowe PAC
5. Rob Lampton DYN
6. Jack Penrice VIT

1km Madison Time Trial

1. Luke Rowe/Craig Maclean SLI 56.269
2. Ed Clancy/Andy Tennant TEM 56.351
3. Chris Newton/Franco Marvulli ROL 58.372
4. Andy Fenn/Andrew Magnier DYN 58.751
5. George Atkins/Steven Burke PAC 59.481
6. Rob Hayles/Erick Rowsell FOR 1.00.146
7. Tom Murray/Pete Williams VIT 1.01.385
8. Dean Downing/Mark Christian FLY 1.01.800

Future Stars Girls Elimination

1. Emily Kay DYN
2. Harriot Owen FOR
3. Hannah Layland VIT
4. Lisa Daly FLY

Men's Points 15km

1. Erick Rowsell 22 pts
2. Andy Magnier 19 pts
3. Dean Downing 18 pts
4. Steven Burke 16 pts
5. Franco Marvulli 15 pts
6. Tom Murray 14 pts

Women's Keirin

1. Kristina Vogel
2. Becky James
3. Miriam Welte
4. Jess Varnish
5. Yvonne Hijgenaar
6. Christine Muche

Men's Keirin

Qualification

1st three qualify for final

Round 1
1. Matt Crampton
2. Michael Siedenbacher
3. Peter Mitchell
4. Craig Maclean

Round 2
1. David Daneill
2. Rene Enders
3. Teun Mulder
4. Tobias Wachter
5. Stefan Nimke
6. Roberto Chiappa

To Final
Matt Crampton
Micheal Siedenbacher
Peter Mitchell
David Daniell
Rene Enders
Teun Mulder

FINAL
1. Matt Crampton
2. Rene Enders
3. Peter Mitchell
4. Michael Siedenbacher
5. Dave Daniell
6. Teun Mulder

Future Stars Boys 6 Lap Dash

1. Owain Doull
2. Rob Lampton
3. Josh Papworth
4. Jordan Hargreaves
5. Sam Lowe
6. John Paul

Future Stars Girls Scratch

1. Hannah Barnes FOR
2. Melissa Bury VIT
3. Harriot Owen FOR
4. Amy Hill SLI

Future Stars Elimination Boys

1. Jordan Hagreaves
2. Owain Doull
3. Jake Ragen
4. Rob Lampton

Men's Scratch 10km

1. Steven Burke
2. Ed Clancy
3. Chris Newton
4. Luke Rowe