The final round of the 2015-16 Revolution Series took place in Manchester on the 23rd of January and saw top class fields in the Men’s Sprint and Endurance events and the Women’s Endurance – as well as the usual high intensity riding from the Hoy Future Stars Boys and Girls. With the Elite Men’s team title and the Future Stars titles to be decided, there was a sell-out crowd at the National Cycling Centre.
Full results and gallery
Men’s Sprint
The afternoon kicked off – as has become traditional – with the qualifying 200m Time Trial to seed the Sprint competition. With 14 riders taking to the track and the competition going straight to the Quarter Final Stages, there was a real danger that some established riders wouldn’t make the cut.
The two visitors from the French development squad – Melvin Landerneau and Thomas Copponi – were either side of the line when the session ended – Landerneau less than a hundredth outside the qualifying time, Sebastien Vigier 7th fastest on 10.295 – just a couple of hundredths quicker than the final qualifier Ryan Owens.
Thomas Scammell was just ahead of them on 10.268 with Sandor Szalontay of Hungary eight thousandths ahead in fifth on 10.1260. Germany’s Robert Foerstemann was only fourth fastest on 10.191 – beaten by the returning Theo Bos. The Dutch rider – who switched to the road after the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – has returned to the track with the aim of taking a place in the Team Sprint squad in Rio. A couple of titles – Sprint and Kilo – in the Dutch National Championships showed that it’s a realistic ambition – and a third place here with a 10.163 showed that the progress is continuing.
Matt Rotherham was just seven thousandths quicker than Bos – but six hundredths behind the eventual winner Lewis Oliva, who clocked 10.097 to set up a ride against Owens in the Quarter Finals.
200m Qualifying
1 OLIVA, Lewis GBR 10.097
2 ROTHERHAM, Matthew GBR 10.156
3 BOS, Theo NED 10.163
4 FORSTEMANN, Robert GER 10.191
5 SZALONTAY, Sandor HUN 10.260
6 SCAMMELL, Thomas GBR 10.268
7 VIGIER, Sebastien FRA 10.295
8 OWENS, Ryan GBR 10.323
9 LANDERNEAU, Melvin FRA 10.332
10 COPPONI, Thomas FRA 10.360
11 CARLIN, Jack GBR 10.502
12 CECI, Davide ITA 10.530
13 BOS, Yorick NED 10.730
14 JOLIFFE, Alex GBR 10.913
Three of the Quarter Finals went to form with Oliva knocking out Owens, Rotherham beating Vigier and Bos easing past Scammell – the only ‘shock’ came, as it often does, in the final heat with Foerstemann losing out to Szalontay.
Quarter Finals
Heat 1
1 OLIVA, Lewis GBR
2 OWENS, Ryan GBR
Heat 2
1 ROTHERHAM, Matthew GBR
2 VIGIER, Sebastien FRA
Heat 3
1 BOS, Theo NED
2 SCAMMELL, Thomas GBR
Heat 4
1 SZALONTAY, Sandor HUN
2 FORSTEMANN, Robert GER
Szalontay’s progress ended in the Semi-Finals, however, with Oliva cruising through in two to take his place in the final. Those expecting another showdown with Rotherham, however, were to be disappointed – if ‘disappointed’ is the right word – as the young rider from Bolton went out to the majestic Bos.
Semi Finals
Heat 1
1 OLIVA, Lewis GBR **
2 SZALONTAY, Sandor HUN
Heat 2
1 BOS, Theo NED **
2 ROTHERHAM, Matthew GBR
Minor Final
5 FORSTEMANN, Robert GER
6 VIGIER, Sebastien FRA
7 SCAMMELL, Thomas GBR
8 OWENS, Ryan GBR
Winning the third place Final in two straight rides over Szalontay will have been some consolation for Rotherham – and it provided the opportunity to watch a master at the art as Bos took the win over Oliva. In truth, the Dutch rider’s match sprinting ability wasn’t really tested as he used his unique combination of track and road sprint
heritage to lead out and hold on. And he wasn’t finshed there.
Finals
1 BOS, Theo NED **
2 OLIVA, Lewis GBR
3 ROTHERHAM, Matthew GBR **
4 SZALONTAY, Sandor HUN
The morning session finished with the Longest Lap for the Sprinters which was unusual in terms of the number of Sprinters who faltered before the start – including Bos, who proved that he is human after all. Just six made it away on the gun and it was Owens who led home the field with Rotherham and Oliva behind.
Longest Lap – Sprinters
1 OWENS, Ryan GBR
2 ROTHERHAM, Matthew MAL
3 OLIVA, Lewis USN
4 COPPONI, Thomas FRA
5 CARLIN, Jack GBR
6 VIGIER, Sebastien FRA
Keirin
With three through from each of the two, seven-up Keirin heats, the odds got easier in heat one when Owens succumbed to a puncture. Foerstemann missed the cut – pipped by Oliva for third place – with Jack Carlin in second and, of course, Bos taking the win. The second heat saw Rotherham victorious with Scammell in second and Copponi third.
First Round
Heat 1
1 BOS, Theo NED
2 CARLIN, Jack GBR
3 OLIVA, Lewis GBR
4 FORSTEMANN, Robert GER
5 VIGIER, Sebastien FRA
6 CECI, Davide ITA
DNF OWENS, Ryan GBR
Heat 2
1 ROTHERHAM, Matthew GBR
2 SCAMMELL, Thomas GBR
3 COPPONI, Thomas FRA
4 JOLIFFE, Alex GBR
5 SZALONTAY, Sandor HUN
6 LANDERNEAU, Melvin FRA
7 BOS, Yorick NED
With eight riders in the Minor Final the track was pretty crowded but Vigier and Landerneau found a way through to seal a French 1-2 ahead of Foerstemann. Oliva and Rotherham have dominated the Revolution sprint series this winter, but could only manage third and fourth with Copponi taking second behind – inevitably – Theo Bos.
Minor Final
7 VIGIER, Sebastien FRA
8 LANDERNEAU, Melvin FRA
9 FORSTEMANN, Robert GER
10 OWENS, Ryan GBR
11 SZALONTAY, Sandor HUN
12 BOS, Yorick NED
13 CECI, Davide ITA
14 JOLIFFE, Alex GBR
Final
1 BOS, Theo NED
2 COPPONI, Thomas FRA
3 ROTHERHAM, Matthew GBR
4 OLIVA, Lewis GBR
5 SCAMMELL, Thomas GBR
6 CARLIN, Jack GBR
