Location: Gosling Sports Park, Welwyn, Hertfordshire
Event: 9 September 2011
Report: Pete Waghorn/Snowdon Sports
The final meeting of this year's Welwyn Track League saw a good number of seniors and youth riders all keen for a good evening's racing and the distribution of the season's prize money payout at the end of the meeting.
This concluded another successful season at Welwyn track - one of the encouraging signs being the increasing number of youth riders, their enthusiasm and the quality of their racing. Track Taster Days, plus track training sessions for a wide age and ability range both help to boost numbers at Welwyn.
In the opening 12-lap scratch for the Senior A group, Alex Anderson (Welwyn Wheelers) broke away with just over a lap to go and when the chasers eventually set off Alex was just able to hold on from Simon Lewis (Team Elite) and John McClelland (Agiskoviner.com).
A small group got way in the 15-lap points race and amassed enough points before being caught to give Lewis Atkins the win from fellow breakaway rider Tom Gallacher (Welwyn Wheelers).
A new event, the 6-lap dash, was won by Welwyn's Mark Smith in a close finish from five other riders.
In the Senior B Group Joe Fry (Welwyn Wheelers) was again on good form, taking the 12-lap scratch and the 15-lap points race as a warm up for the following day's GHS Championship time trial final.
The 10 mile started off at a leisurely pace with no real break away successes and it was down to the final few laps that a small group opened up a lead - Tony Gibb (Cycle Premier-Metaltek), Lewis Atkins (Twenty 3C-Orbea) and Tom Gallacher who led the field home in that order with John McClelland taking the bunch sprint for fourth place.
As the Youth groups went into the final meeting, James Parrish (Lee Valley YCC) was five points behind series leader Jordan Mooney in the BC group.
Parrish won the 4-lap scratch to reduce the lead to just two points, and next time out in the Block Handicap, although Mooney kept a watch on his rival, Parrish won again with Mooney second and the gap dropped to just one point.
As they got up for the last race - a 4-lap combined ABC handicap - Parrish was still one point down and looked to be out of it as the leading group were well ahead as they went into the last 200 metres. But a do or die effort took Parrish to third place with Mooney nowhere to give Parrish a well earned series win in the BC group.
In the CDE group Welwyn Wheelers riders were in top form with series leader Will Raymond winning the scratch event, while Tom Street won the 3 and 4-lap handicaps to boost his points total.
Results:
Overall:
Senior: Tony Gibb (Cycle Premier-Metaltek)
Youth AB: Chris Hodges (Welwyn Wheelers)
Youth BC: James Parrish (Lee Valley YCC)
Youth CDE: Will Raymond (Welwyn Wheelers)
Final Meeting:
Senior A:
12-lap Scratch:
1 Alex Anderson (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Simon Lewis (Team Elite)
3 John McClelland (Agiskoviner)
15-lap Points:
1 Lewis Atkins (Twenty 3C-Orbea)
2 Tom Gallacher (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 John McClelland (Agiskoviner)
6-lap Dash:
1 Mark Smith (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Tony Gibb (Cycle Premier-Metaltek)
3 Simon Lewis (Team Elite)
10-Mile:
1 Tony Gibb (Cycle Premier-Metaltek)
2 Lewis Atkins (Twenty 3C-Orbea)
3 Tom Gallacher (Welwyn Wheelers)
Senior B:
12-lap Scratch:
1 Joe Fry (Welwyn Wheelers)
=2 David Scott (Welwyn Wheelers)
=2 Ben Smith (Welwyn Wheelers)
15-lap Points:
1 Joe Fry (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Ollie Plumley (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Henry Farrell (Welwyn Wheelers)
6-lap Dash:
1 Colin Hodges (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Ben Smith (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Gareth Richards (Arbis)
Youth A:
5-lap Scratch:
1 Chris Hodges(Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Luke Morgan (CC Luton)
3 Harry Bellars (Spalding CC)
Youth B:
5-lap Scratch:
1 James Parrish (Lee Valley YCC)
2 Will Street (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Mitchell Powell (Chelmer CC)
6-lap ABC Block Handicap:
1 James Parrish (Lee Valley YCC)
2 Jordan Mooney (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Fran Morgans (Lee Valley YCC)
4-lap ABC Handicap:
1 Sam Dossett (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Connor Woodford (Hillingdon)
3 James Parrish (Lee Valley YCC)
Youth C:
3-lap Scratch:
1 Will Raymond (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Tom Durkin (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Tom Street (Welwyn Wheelers)
3-lap H'cap A:
1 Tom Street (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Tom Durkin (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Will Raymond (Welwyn Wheelers)
4 lap H'cap:
1 Tom Street (Welwyn Wheelers)
2 Will Raymond (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Michael Parry (Welwyn Wheelers)
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
