2000 Results Results Past winners
by Karen Forman, cyclingnews.com correspondent
The crowd was less than hoped-for and the Davis Cup tennis championships being held next door stole some of the attention, but all in all the first event on the 2001 Cyclists International track cycling program - the Melbourne Cup on Wheels carnival at Vodafone Arena was voted a worthy season opener.
Promoter Barry Langley said he would have liked a bigger crowd to fill the 20,000 seat venue, but was generally happy with the event.
Top-name cyclists including junior world champions Mark French (sprint and Olympic sprint), Jason Niblett (Olympic sprint) and Kial Stewart (Olympic sprint); Oceania sprint champion Jobie Dajka; world keirin champion Ryan Bayley; four-times world kilo champion Shane Kelly; Sydney Cup on Wheels winner Shaun Hopkins and 2000 Olympic spring bronze medallist Sean Eadie mixed it with the local riders in 18 fast paced events.
Despite the presence of the top guns, there were some surprises during the night, most notably the win by frontmarker, Adelaide University student Scott Moller off 160 metres in the title event and the last-place by Bayley in his signature event, the keirin.
Only one crash occurred despite some fast and furious racing, with David Coultas and Dylan Newell coming down in the fifth heat of the wheel race. Neither was seriously injured.
It was a brilliant night for Kristine Bayley, sister of Ryan.
Just back after a successful Junior World Track Championships in Trexlertown, United States, the under 19 national women's sprint champion won the women's scratch race and the women/under 19 women handicap, both times beating former world junior pursuit champion, Narelle Peterson into second place. Peterson, who has just returned to racing after dropping out due to illness, led for most of the 11-rider 15-lap Fosters Light Ice Women's Scratch Race after opening an early gap and looked like she was going to be tough to beat.
She is known as a rider who likes to set a fast pace, but Bayley, who tucked onto Peterson's wheel early in the peace, wasn't to be left behind. At the bell, she moved to take a two-length lead, with Peterson struggling to close the gap. Bayley was a clear winner.
It was more of the same in the six-lap Terry Hammond Cycles Women/W19 Handicap. Front markers Sarah Walker (Blackburn) and Nicole Holt (Blackburn) did a great job of swapping turns at the front, sharing their handicap well to keep the backmarkers at bay until three laps to go. ,p> But the backmarkers including Peterson and Bayley and Tiffany Godfrey (Geelong), all off scratch, were working hard to bridge the gap. Finally at the bell, Bayley went around the outside and make it obvious she intended to claim first prizemoney. Godfrey was third.
"It was a good night, yeah," Bayley said later. "I was pretty happy with it."
Event 1 - Scratch Race 1 Ray Jarratt (CBM) 8.25.717 2 Greg Griffifths (Footscray) 3 Greame O'Neill (Ararat) 4 Steven Flower (Leongatha) Event 2 - Elimintation 1 Scott Moller (South Australia) 6.01.134 2 Richard England (St Kilda) 3 Glen Hutchinson (Footscray) 4 Russell Wolfe (Carnegie-Caulfield) Event 3 - Elimination Race 1 Shaun Collins (Carnegie-Caulfield) 5.07.357 2 Robert Wilson (Footscray) 3 Todd Wilksch (Bendigo) 4 Tim Decker (Bendigo) Event 4 - Sprint Derby 1 Shane Kelly 11.579 2 Shaun Hopkins 3 Anthony Peden 4 Jason Niblett Event 6 - Women's Scratch Race 1 Kristine Bayley (Western Australia) 5.27.594 2 Narelle Peterson (CBG) 3 Tiffany Godfrey (GLW) Event 7 - Invitational M17 Challenge 1 Shane Perkins (Carnegie-Caulfield) 3.18.763 2 Michael Ford (Carnegie-Caulfield) 3 Ben Rix (Bendigo) 4 Simon Clarke (Carnegie-Caulfield) Event 10 - Women / W19 Handicap 1 Kristine Bayley (Western Australia) 1.56.169 2 Narelle Peterson (CBG) 3 Tiffany Godfrey (GLW) 4 Sally Robins (BFD) Event 13 - Invitational M17 Elimination 1 Shane Perkins (Carnegie-Caulfield) 3.20.877 2 Michael Ford (Carnegie-Caulfield) 3 Simon Clarke (Carnegie-Caulfield) 4 Daniel Thorsen (Shepparton) Event 15 - Scratch Race 1 Sean Finning (Castlemaine) 9.20.195 2 Brad Norton (Shepparton) 3 David Lunn (CLC) 4 Nicholas Sanderson (Ararat) Event 17 - Scratch Race 1 Laurie Noonan (BWK) 5.06.031 2 Steven Flower (Leongatha) 3 Graeme O'Neill (Ararat) 4 Neil Peart (Carnegie-Caulfield) Event 18 - Aces Scratch Race 1 Todd Wilksch (Bendigo) 9.19.329 2 Tim Decker (Bendigo) 3 Max Rainsford (Footscray) 4 Robert Wilson (Footscray)