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Australian Madison Championships - CN
Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia, March 17, 2007
Teens take championships
By Mal Sawford
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Only two teams were able to respond, another pair of seventeen year olds, Leigh Howard and Travis Meyer (Baldwin Filters), and the ‘mature' Locker Group team of nineteen year old Cameron Meyer and twenty year old Mitch Docker.
Bobridge and O'Shea held their early lead through the middle part of the race, before proving dominant in the final sprints. The pair eventually built an unbeatable lead before the final sprint and eventually ran out winners by six points over Cameron Meyer and Docker, with Howard and Travis Meyer a further two points behind.
How it unfolded
Three of the top ranked teams consisted of pairings in contention for the Madison berth at the Junior World Track Championships, while Docker and Cameron Meyer, now in Elite ranks, were hoping for a good result to stake their claim to ride at the senior Worlds. While more experienced and better known endurance riders were missing from the start list, the presence of five junior world champions in the field, including the Meyer brothers, the reigning Madison world champions, promised an exciting race.
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Bobridge launched the first attack only ten laps into the 200 lap journey, and after changing with O'Shea urged him to carry on the attack. "I realized some of the strong teams were a bit far back, Trav and Mitch, and Cam and Leigh." said O'Shea. The pair quickly built a half lap lead, with the chasing bunch reduced to just five teams in the scramble to stay in contact with the flying leaders. The leaders maintained their advantage for the next forty laps, and won the opening two sprints, while behind them the eventual minor medalists set a tempo which saw them ride the remaining teams off their wheels.
Bobridge and O'Shea lapped the entire field with the exception of the Meyer/Docker and Howard/Docker teams, who, after a well synchronized chase, also reached the back of the main field soon after the third of ten sprints. With the full field together again for the fourth sprint it was sixteen year old Thomas Palmer (Abalone King Restaurant) who took maximum points, before the only brief period of the race when the pace slackened.
Bobridge and O'Shea timed their change at the next sprint for the finishing straight, but it wasn't enough to hold off Cam Meyer or Leigh Howard. With 100 laps to travel, Bobridge/O'Shea led on 16 points, only one point ahead of Meyer/Docker and two ahead of Howard/Meyer.
O'Shea was a convincing winner of the next sprint, extending their advantage to three points, and took second behind a solo attack from Brad Edmunds and Hamish Taylor (Vero Insurance) - who were trying to take back one of the laps they had lost - twenty laps later. When O'Shea came from behind to overhaul Howard and win the sprint at forty laps to go their lead reached seven points and seemed safe.
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Edmunds and Taylor made a final attempt to regain a lap and were clear again for the penultimate sprint, with O'Shea's second place virtually guaranteeing the win. Docker and Meyer made a final attempt to take a lap on the leaders with fifteen laps to race, but while both Bobridge and O'Shea were clearly suffering, they were able to limit the deficit to under half a lap, allowing O'Shea to celebrate the win as he crossed the finish line with both arms aloft. The fifty kilometers were covered in the very quick time of 58 minutes 24.473 seconds.
O'Shea hoped their winning ride would impress the Australian selectors. "Hopefully that goes a long way towards it. I really want to ride it at worlds, and I think Jack does as well. But when you have the reigning world champion in the squad, well…" Bobridge was also cautiously optimistic, adding "nothings decided yet, but I'm sure that would give us a pretty good look anyway. We'll just have to see what happens."
O'Shea was a dominant winner of the Victorian points race title last month, a race he won with a long solo effort, but it was his sprinting strength that impressed tonight. He attributed his speed to "a lot of hard work" but admitted "it does help when you've got someone putting you in first wheel every lap. That's prime position, and you're always a good chance to win or come second from there."
Cameron Meyer agreed it was one of the fastest races he had ridden. "It was on from the word go, actually. We took off pretty slow, but then after about ten laps they were straight into it and it really surprising and, it was basically a three man race [from there]. Just three of us battling it out the whole time. Glenn and Jack just rode out of their skin tonight and they were just too hard to beat."
It was the first time the Meyer brothers had ridden in opposing teams. "We were out of contention in the last sprint for the win, so we had to try and consolidate second, so we went for a breakaway to try and take 5 points. It was the first time I've got to 'verse' my brother, so that was a bit interesting. And I'm one up on him, just!"
Other racing
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Jobie Dajka's second appearance in Melbourne for the season saw him leave nothing to chance in the sprint events. Dajka missed the Keirin final on Austral night after celebrating a heat 'win' too early, but made no mistake in the opening sprint derby with a strong jump a lap from home to overhaul break away leader Adrian Hanson.
It was a much closer affair in the Keirin final after Dajka set the tempo from the moment the derny swung off. Dajka held up and coming speedster James Langedyk on his hip for the final lap comfortably, but Gary Mueller had patiently held Dajka's wheel for the entire distance and left his surge to the final straight. Both riders threw at the line, with the result too close to call by eye, but the photo finish showed Dajka home by the width of his tyre.
Young riders dominated the endurance events in a forerunner of what would unfold in the Madison, with the Meyer brothers, Cameron and Travis, showing the form that earned them world championships on the boards. Cameron took the win in the Elimination ahead of Travis and Leigh Howard, while the Aces Scratch race saw Howard lead out the dash to the line at two to go.
Sixteen year old Pete Johnstone had claimed Howard's wheel, and produced an impressive sprint to power round his Victorian Institute of Sport team mate to take his first win at Aces level.
Women's racing was dominated by local favourite Tess Downing (Drapac-Porsche Cycling team) and Bendigo based Jessica Berry. Downing was too strong for Berry, coming from behind to win the scratch race, but Berry took revenge in the Keirin with another front running ride.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net
- Travis Meyer leads brother Cameron in the elimination race
- Jessica Berry gets the better of Tess Downing in the keirin
- Azian Alias accelerates during the keirin
- Tess Downing wins the scratch race from Jessica Berry
- Stuart Vaughn lunges for the line in the elimination race ahead of Adam Webb
- Jobie Dajka wins the keirin in a photo finish from Gary Mueller
- Uracca Leow leads a determined bunch with a lap to go in the keirin
- The new Champions, Jack Bobridge and Glenn O'Shea (VIS)
- A huge changeover from the VIS riders
- A tight changeover is watched by Mitch Docker
- Leigh Deluca hurls Warren Knevitt into the fray
- Mitchell Docker on the way to silver
- Cameron Meyer at speed
- Leigh Howard chases in the bunch
- The Champions' jerseys flowers and trophy await the presentation
- Travis Meyer up high and looking for his partner, Leigh Howard
- A change for the Howard / Meyer team on their way to bronze
- Kyle Marwood and Phil Stokes at speed
- It was St Patrick's Day after all, fans watch from the infield bar
- In tandem - changes from the bronze and silver medallists at the same time
- Racing hard from early on helped seal the top three positions early on
Images by Gary Newvine
- Craig brings the riders through on the motorbike.
- Motor pulls off with three to go.
- Stuart Vaughn wins motor paced scratch race.
- One lap to go.
- Adrian Sansonetti wins the scratch race
- This is the place not to be in an elimination race.
- Cameron Meyer celebrates winning the elimination race.
- Invitation men's 17 motor pace.
- Nathan Oman wins in a close sprint.
- Women get the starter's gun in their scratch race.
- Livia Gluchowska rides the scratch race.
- Tess Downing wins the scratch race.
- Patrick Lane warms down after his race.
- Smile as you roll through!
- Men's 17 scratch race.
- Maddison Hammond in front of Micah Leske and Jayden Rippon.
- Women's keirin rolls along.
- Laine Hammons wins ahead of Hannah Bush.
- Ace's keirin heat.
- Heat two lines up...
- ...and starts.
- The first two through to finals.
- Heat three speeds up.
- Eddie Wilson wins the third heat.
- Stuart Vaughn wins his second race: an elimination.
- Motor paced scratch race.
- Adrian Sansonetti in the scratch race.
- Adrian Sansonetti wins the motor paced scratch race
- Aces Keirin with one to go.
- Jobie Dajka wins the Ace's keirin.
- Women's invitation kierin starts.
- The women heat things up.
- Jessica Berry wins in front of Tess Downing.
- Berry is all smiles as she warms down.
- Men stage for the next race.
- West Australian Cameron Meyer.
- Brothers Diego and Oscar are from Columbia.
- Peter Johnston nips everybody at the line.
- The Madison begins.
- Hand slings in traffic are the norm in the Madison.
- The royal blue team work together.
- Riders chasing hard.
- Ewin and Doug work hard
- Third place Leigh Howard and Travis Meyer.
- The Columbian champions were visiting Australia.
- Handslings in traffic.
- You have to be careful riding the Madison.
- Second place team Cameron Meyer and Mitch Docker.
- There were lots of slings in a 200 lap race.
- Numbers one and two watch each other the whole race.
- They may be in magenta... but it's not T-Mobile.
- Part of the winning combo.
- You really need to keep your head up in the Madison.
- The winning combo: Jack Bobridge and Glenn O'Shea.
- Bobridge and O'Shea worked extremely well together.
- The winning pair kept an eye on everyone.
- Blue team tried to steal a lap late in the race.
- The riders gritted their teeth in a tough event.
- Oh yeah!
- Jack Bobridge and Glenn O'Shea: Well done boys!
- The pit board tells the story.
- Bobridge and O'Shea with their national champion jerseys and medals.
- The 2007 Australian Madison podium.
- Interviews went on late into the evening.
Results
2007 Australian Madison Championships
1 Jack Bobridge/Glenn O'Shea (Victorian Institute of Sport) 33 pts
2 Cameron Meyer/Mitch Docker (The Locker Group) 27 pts
3 Leigh Howard/Travis Meyer (Baldwin Filters) 25 pts
One lap behind
4 Thomas Palmer/James Langedyk (Abalone King Restaurant) 5 pts
5 Gary Mueller/Adrian Hanson (Mercure Grand Hotel onSwanston) 4 pts
Two laps behind
6 Josh Gundry/Mark O'Brien (Lockwood Security Products) 1
Three laps behind
7 Brad Edmunds/Hamish Taylor (Vero Insurance) 11 pts
8 Kyle Marwood/Phil Stokes (Assos Cycling Apparel) 4 pts
Five laps behind
9 Peter Johnstone/Jamie Crass (Recall Security Services)
Seven laps behind
10 Leigh De Luca/Warren Knevitt
12 laps behind
11 Ewin Williams/Doug Garley (Vodafone)
DNF Diego Rodriguez/Oscar Rodriguez (Driven Wear)
C Grade Motor Paced Scratch Race
1 Stuart Vaughan (Hawthorn)
2 Lachlan Ritchie (Bendigo)
3 Lewis Fulcher (Horsham)
B Grade Scratch race
1 Adrian Sansonetti (Northcote)
2 Hamish Taylor (Northcote)
3 Kyle Marwood (Bendigo)
Aces Elimination
1 Cameron Meyer (Western Australia)
2 Travis Meyer (Western Australia)
3 Leigh Howard (Geelong)
Invitation M17 Motor Pace
1 Nathan Oman (Echuca-Moama)
2 Pat Lane (Carnegie Caulfield)
3 Joshua Tepper (Bendigo)
Women's Scratch race
1 Tess Downing (Carnegie Caulfield)
2 Jessica Berry (Bendigo)
3 Livia Gluchowska (Carnegie Caulfield)
Aces Sprint Derby
1 Jobie Dajka (South Australia)
2 Adrian Hanson (Coburg)
3 Gary Mueller (Brunswick)
Invitation M17 Scratch Race
1 Maddison Hammond (Northcote)
2 Micah Leske (Camperdown)
3 Jayden Rippon (Camperdown)
Women's Keirin
1 Laine Hammond (Northcote) 0.14.01
2 Hannah Bush (Shepparton)
3 Emma Waldron (Castlemaine)
Aces Keirin Heats
Heat 1
1 Ben Sanders (Carnegie Caulfield) 0.12.18
2 Gary Mueller (Brunswick)
3 Phillip Stokes (NSW)
Heat 2
1 James Langedyk (Geelong) 0.11.76
2 Jobie Dajka (South Australia)
3 Faizal Noh (Malaysia)
Heat 3
1 Eddie Wilson (Brunswick) 0.11.96
2 Thomas Palmer (ACT)
3 Oscar Rodriguez (Columbia)
C Grade Elimination
1 Stuart Vaughan (Hawthorn)
2 Adam Webb (Ballarat-Sebastapol)
3 Troy Sait (Bendigo)
B Grade Motor Paced Scratch Race
1 Adrian Sansonetti (Northcote)
2 Michael Downing (Carnegie Caulfield)
3 Hamish Taylor (Northcote)
Aces Keirin Final
1 Jobie Dajka (South Australia) 0.11.68
2 Gary Mueller (Brunswick)
3 Thomas Palmer (ACT)
Women's Invitation Keirin
1 Jessica Berry (Bendigo) 0.12.49
2 Tess Downing (Carnegie Caulfield)
3 Livia Gluchowska (Carnegie Caulfield)
Aces Scratch Race
1 Pete Johnstone (Chelsea & Peninsula)
2 Jack Bobridge (South Australia)
3 Leigh Howard (Geelong)
