With Great Britain taking five gold medals on Day 3 of the European Masters Track Championships and France two, it was all change at the top of the medals table, with the hosts heading the list for the first time this week. Joining them in the table is Austria, after Wolfgang Kotzmann’s Points Race masterclass in the 40-44 Men’s category.
Sprint
Men 30–34
Vincent Kerfourn of France set the fastest time in qualifying – his time of 11.159 seconds beating second placed Ben Elliot of Great Britain by half a second. Elliot withdrew from the competition before the first round of Sprint heats, giving Nigel Withington a ride over to move through to round 2.
Kerfourn, last year’s Bronze medallist, beat newcomer Miles Stovold of Great Britain in two in the Semi-Finals. The other Final place went to Herne Hill Good Friday regular Cristian Bettenelli of Italy, who beat Neil Withington, again without the need for a third match.
The two final rides were entertaining and Betinelli put up a spirited fight, but Kefourn’s last lap power was phenomenal and he took the title with two comfortable wins. The Bronze went to Stovold who beat fellow GB rider Neil Withington, again in two rides.
GOLD Vincent KERFOURN FRA
SILVER Cristian BETTINELLI ITA
BRONZE Miles STOVOLD GBR
Men 35–39
2008 Champion – and recently crowned British National Sprint champion – Lee Povey qualified fastest and looked favourite to retain his title after comfortably despatching Keith Meghen of Ireland in his first round match. Olaf Schnaar of Germany looked mighty as he demolished Marlon Moncrieffe to join Povey in the second round and John McClelland – Silver medallist at Newport a few weeks ago – beat Christos Rantos of Greece to join them. Meghen won the Repechage to complete the Semi-Final line-up.
Povey faced Meghen again in the semis and relegated the Irishman to the Bronze Medal ride-off in two controlled rides. The other Semi, though, went to three with the big, powerful Schnaar overcoming the lithe, endurance specialist McClelland in the first ride, only for the Briton to take the second – and the decider.
McClelland took the first race – using his speed to accelerate away from Povey, who couldn’t quite make up the deficit. In the second, McClelland got the jump on Povey off turn four on the bell lap and took a comfortable second win and a well deserved title. Schnaar took the Bronze, beating Ireland’s Keith Meghen.
GOLD John McCLELLAND GBR
SILVER Lee POVEY GBR
BRONZE Olaf SCHNAAR GER
Women 30–39
Alison Chisholm of Great Britain dominated the Women’s 30-39 sprint, qualifying fastest in a new European Record time of 12.543 and beating eventual Bronze medallist Caroline Gammell in two races in the Semi Finals.
She was joined in the Final by France’s Christelle Ribault who saw off Sabrina Hucks of Germany in two evenly matched rides. Despite a crash in the second ride, she improved on her 2008 Bronze and comfortably beat the outgoing champion.
The Bronze went to Hucks who only needed two matches to beat Gammell.
GOLD Alison CHISHOLM GBR
SILVER Christelle RIBAULT FRA
BRONZE Sabrina HUCKS GER
Points
Men 40–44
Reigning 35-39 Champion Wolfgang Kot
zmann of Austria delivered a Points Race master class in his first ride in the 40-44 category. Kotzmann didn’t score in the first two sprints but from then on he took every sprint and two laps to amass an impressive 70 points by the finish.
France’s Jean-Philippe Meret played the role of junior partner as the two flew round the track sweeping up points – Meret’s 63 would have been impressive under normal circumstances! Giueseppe Ravasio of Italy took the Bronze, as he did last year, 33 points behind.
GOLD Wolfgang KOTZMANN AUT
SILVER Jean-Philippe MERET FRA
BRONZE Giueseppe RAVASIO ITA
Men 45–49
The bunch seemed content to let Colin Parkinson of Great Britain go when he went off the front a third of the way through the 45-49 race and he took full advantage, collecting enough points before he was finally swallowed up by the bunch to secure the title.
Fellow Britain Steve Clayton was just two points behind Parkinson at the end and claimed the Silver, 1 point ahead of France’s Sylvain Abadie.
GOLD Colin Parkinson GBR
SILVER Sylvain Abadie FRA
BRONZE Claus Christiansen DEN
Pursuit
Men 50–54
Graham Barclay qualified fastest in the 2km pursuit, setting a blistering pace and recording a time of 2:24.5. Fellow Brition Jimmy Rutherford joined him in the final with a qualifying time almost five seconds slower. The Bronze medal ride-off was a more even looking contest between Italy’s Andrea Neri who set a qualifying mark of 2:31.7 and Dider Ramet of France who posted 2:32.2.
As expected, it was Barclay who took the title, recording a time just 2 tenths slower than in qualifying, with Rutherford size seconds off the pace this time. Ramet took the Bronze for France as Neri faded towards the end of his ride.
GOLD Graham Barclay GBR
SILVER James RUTHERFORD GBR
BRONZE Didier RAMET FRA
Men 55–59
Ian Humphreys of Great Britain set a new European Record in qualifying, but his time of 2:25.6 was just four tenths ahead of fellow finalist, compatriot Steve Davies. Andy Laing missed out on a repeat of the epic battle he had with Davies at the Nationals and had to settle for the Bronze medal ride off against Patrick Samson of France.
The Final couldn’t match the pace of the qualifying rides. Humphreys’ 2:27.7 was two seconds off his time from earlier in the day but it was Davies who’d kept just enough in reserve – setting a time of 2:26.7 to take the title. Laing took the Bronze with a comfortable 3 second margin from Samson.
GOLD Steve DAVIES GBR
SILVER Ian HUMPHREYS GBR
BRONZE Andy LAING GBR
Men 60–64
Another European record went in qualifying for the 60-64s with France’s Gerard Louis Robert setting 2:26.9 – just off Steve Davies’ title winning pace in the younger category. Reigning Champion Kevin Gill of Great Britain guaranteed himself a Silver when he joined Robert in the final, but his time of 2:34.4 looked a long way off the Frenchman’s pace. The Bronze Medal ride-off was another Anglo-French affair between Graham Truelove and Michel Briat.
This time qualifying provided a strong hint at the outcome of the Final, with Robert just over half a second down on his time from the morning session – clocking 2:27.6 and taking a worthy victory over Gill who was also very close to his qualifying pace with a 2:35.5. Truelove took the Bronze with 5 seconds to spare.
GOLD Gerard Louis Robert FRA
SILVER Kevin Gill GBR
BRONZE Graham Truelove GBR
