Saturday 9th May saw racing at Palmers Park (Southern Region) and Lee Valley Velodrome (London Region) for Round 2 of the Regional Youth Track Omniums, with riders from PPYCC and VC Jubilee representing their clubs at both venues.
Palmers Park was a day of two halves weather-wise, cold and windy in the morning and glorious sunshine in the afternoon. Riders were able to complete the full schedule of races.
Luke Goodwill competed in Youth D category for PPYCC and his father, Paul, writes,
“Luke finished 7th out of a large field of 19 so 1 better than last time. He only just missed out being able to finish higher. Positions 5-9 were separated by less than 1 sec in the TT. As he finished 9th this affected his Keirin ranking meaning he could then finish no higher than 7th. A great example of how important getting every last 10th second out in the TT is in the overall result. Luke will be really going for it this weekend!”
Well done Luke, this is his first series of Omniums, and his increasing experience and confidence are showing already!
Youth A Boys and Girls in the Southern Region have seen some very strong and competitive riding. In this group, PPYCC riders Izzy Stone and Olivia Chadwick have been riding well and gaining valuable experience. Izzy writes,
“I raced in the southern region for the regional omniums this year and I was very shocked! From racing in the London series last year I now realise how strong some girls are! There were some very strong girls resulting me coming 10th in the TT, 8th in the devil, 10th in the scratch, 11th in the kierin and 10th in the points. Leaving me 9th overall. I would have liked to have done much better, from racing in a much easier and slower series last year I now realise how much I need to step up my game! Nonetheless it is always great experience racing. I would have liked to qualify for the Nationals but unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be good enough.”
Olivia was placed 14th overall, and writes,
” On Saturday 9th may I competed at Palmer Park Youth Omnium, an out door track in Reading.
VC Jubilee members George Sloan riding in Youth B was placed 3rd, whilst Archie Sloan came 5th overall in Youth C category. Former PPYCC member Nick Gill was placed 10th in Youth A boys.
Meanwhile, over at Lee Valley Velodrome, riders had the luxury of not worrying about the weather (which was very windy with odd showers!) as they were inside at the 1st Youth Omnium to be held at this venue, and the 2nd round of the London Region. The location, track and facilities are amazing, and riders were excited to be competing, many for the first time at an indoor velodrome, at a track which has seen Olympic and World Championship action! Unfortunately, there were some technical issues with the time keeping and photo finishes, which meant that the racing schedule took longer than anticipated, and Youth B girls, and Youth C boys and girls, were unable to complete all their races. However, riders were able to compete in TT, Elimination, Scratch and Sprint races. There was strong competition in all age groups, which made for exciting (and nail biting!) viewing for spectators. The Youth A boys Elimination round was amazing to watch from the stands, very fast and technically impressive!
PPYCC had 5 riders competing in the Youth C boys group. Lukas Nerurkar, Rahul Fortescue Talwar, Freddie Newman, Archie Raynard and Josh Golliker. Archie and Josh are riding in their first year of this group, a big step up from the younger age group, with more riders in a stronger and more experienced group. They both showed some great competitive and tenacious riding throughout, and looked confident on the track, especially in the front of the bunch in the Elimination round! Josh finished 14th overall, whilst Archie was placed 21st.
Lukas, Freddie and Rahul, in their second year of Youth C, rode strongly, using their skill, speed and tactics to produce some excellent results. Lukas and Freddie rode their TT at the same time, speeding after each other round the track to be placed 2nd (Lukas) and 5th (Freddie) after the first round. It was great to see their names and times up together on the big screen! Even after a long, tiring day, the boys still performed brilliantly in their sprint heats, with Lukas powering through his group to take 1st position in this round! Rahul, having recovered from illness which affected him in the first round at Welwyn, was much happier with his performance at Lee Valley, managing better speed and endurance throughout. Their overall positions were Lukas, 3rd; Rahul 5th and Freddie 9th.
Georgina Burnett rode in the Youth B girls group. Her previous experience in the Track league at Lee Valley during the winter showed in her tactical use of the track, and she rode with style and confidence, with an excellent Elimination round, finishing 4th in the race. Overall, Georgina was placed 7th.
All the PPYCC riders showed fantastic sportsmanship and support to their team mates and their fellow riders. There were highs and lows throughout the day and everyone was there for each other, it is brilliant to be part of such a supportive and encouraging community. Thank you and a big Congratulations to all the riders!
Good luck to everyone competing in the 3rd and final round of the Regional Youth Track Omniums this weekend, Bournemouth on Saturday 16th, and Herne Hill on Sunday 17th.
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