Tuesday 24th February is Pancake Day but it is also Round 4 of the Wattbike Youth League at Friary Grange Leisure Centre. A field of Lichfield based riders mixes it with riders from Newcastle under Lyme and Birmingham. As they prepare for the first of the evening races.
Friary Grange Wattbike Youth League R4
The 500metre Time Trial takes Imogen Crooks 38.57 seconds to complete, 2 seconds ahead of Paige Millward in 40.01 in 2nd place. Sallie Birchall crossed the line in 3rd place with a 43.67 second ride. Group 2 riders were poised and ready for action as the “GO” signal was given. Jacob Kelly took first place with a ride completed in 33.55 seconds which was 2 seconds faster than the previous week. Sam Birchall came 2nd in 35.70 and a finish time of 36.63 seconds gave Alison Holmes third. Veteran and Under 16 years riders mixing it in group 3 sees age versus youth. Phil Kelly wins it for the Veterans in 30.32seconds followed by veteran Nick Selibas in 31.20.
The next event of the evening was the “Win & Out”. In this race the first rider to reach 200m wins the race and plays no further part in the event as the other places are contested. With the subsequent 2 further places decided using the same principle it becomes a desperate challenge for riders to reach the 200m line before anyone else. A few seconds recovery between each contest means the final contest between the last 3 riders over 400m is a real test of spirit, endurance and determination. Sallie Birchall wins in group 1 with Paige Milward 2nd and Imogen crooks 3rd. Jacob Kelly clearly back on form wins in Group 2 with Birchall in 2nd and Alison Holmes in 3rd place. Phil Kelly wins in group 3 and maintains family honour; Ben Hendon wins the 2nd sprint and Selibas the 3rd sprint.
The team sprint saw Sallie Birchall and Imogen Crooks paired up and taking victory in Group 1, followed by Emily Capewell and Isabelle Clarke. Group 2 had an odd number of riders and so Sallie Birchall of group 1 rode again and paired up with Jacob Kelly. They took 2nd place behind Alison Holmes and Luke Selibas. Birchall did well to ride so soon after her own group’s event and should be proud of achieving 2nd place with Kelly. The pressure was clearly present in Group 3 and the pairing of Bertie Newey and Phil Kelly was relegated to 2nd place behind Selibas and Steve Clarke. Clarke had been drafted in for this race from the spectators as Ben Hendon was feeling unwell after his efforts in the earlier events.
The 4th event of the evening for the Group 1 riders was “The Devil”. Last man, (or woman) across the 200m line is eliminated and this process continues until 3 riders are left. Paige Millward wins in group 1. Emily Capewell takes 2nd place and Sallie Birchall takes 3rd place. Group 2 was once again dominated by Jacob Kelly with Sam Birchall 2nd and Alison Holmes finishing in 3rd place.
Group 3 however were down to just 3 riders and their event became a Course de Primes. This race sees riders competing for points in 4 sprints in order to take overall victory. Youth however took its revenge and Bertie Newey took the honours in the group with Kelly and Selibas having to settle for 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Group 1’s final event was the 500m handicap. In this event riders are set off at different intervals depending on their earlier times in event 1. Isabelle Clarke won in 45.41 with Emily Capewell 2nd in 46.13 and Imogen crooks with a 46.17 second ride claiming 3rd place. Overall in the evenings races, Paige Milward was 1st followed by Capewell and then Imogen Crooks. Taking his 4th win of the evening Jacob Kelly completed the distance in 42.21. Alison Holmes finished in 42.94 and Sam Birchall took the third spot with a time of 44.84 seconds. Kelly therefore won overall in group 2 with Sam Birchall and Holmes sharing 2nd place. In Group 3 meanwhile Nick Selibas won in 32.64 seconds with Newey 2nd in 33.41 and Phil Kelly 3rd in 33.43. Kelly however won the group with Selibas 2nd and Newey 3rd.
The overall standings for the league see Lichfield’s Jacob Kelly leading with 59points followed by Paige Millward with 46. Sophie Capewell who had been unwell, and therefore missed the evening’s races falls to 3rd place. Her 41 points, however keep her in contention for 2nd place overall with just 2 rounds left of the league itself.
The final event for the Youth riders is on Tuesday 10th March. The majority of the riders will all be in action at the British Schools Cycling Association National Roller Racing Championships on Sunday 15th March. Emily Capewell is the current Best All Rounder Champion for Under 12 girls and she goes into the event with the aim of defending her National BAR title hopes. Sister Sophie Capewell was placed 2nd in last years national title race for under 10’s and won the regional title. Jacob Kelly is the current under 12’s regional champion but with his move up to the Under 14’s category he is looking to better his national placing whilst retaining his regional title. The event takes place at the Friary Grange Leisure Centre from 10.00am and spectators are welcome, as the event make for fascinating spectating. Call the leisure centre on 01543 308842 for more details.
