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Queensland State Track Championships - NE
Chandler Velodrome, Australia, January 2-7, 2006
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Race 4 - January 5: Men/U19 Men: Team Sprint, Scratch Race; Women/U19 Women: Team Sprint, Keirin
Top shelf sprinters show their wares
By John Michael Flynn in Brisbane
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Gold medal winning sprint performances from Queenslander Ben Simonelli and Western Australian Scott Sunderland were among the many highlights on the fourth night of racing at the Queensland senior track cycling championships in Brisbane.
Simonelli, who just three weeks ago made the ambitious move from his country home town of Warwick to train under the guidance of former world sprint champion Sean Eadie in Sydney, showed immediate results. "The sprint tonight was my main objective," Simonelli told Cyclingnews as he warmed down on the rollers. "I came here to do well in the sprint and achieved that. I did the best 200 (qualifying) time that I've ever done - about one tenth faster than my p.b," he added.
It was by no means one way traffic for the now Sydney based sprinter, who was matched up against Townsville talent William Draffen in the best-of-three gold medal ride off. Although a decider wasn't required, it was still a case of 'only just' for the gold medal winner, with both sprints decided by the narrowest of margins. "Probably didn't ride the smartest races I've ever ridden," the sprint gold medalist admitted, before explaining that, "My legs were struggling a bit towards the end."
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The result may well be a taste of things to come from the Queensland talent, who is using the state titles campaign as a build up to next month's national championships in Adelaide. Simonelli is presently residing with coach Eadie's parents in the harbour city, where he is hitting the boards under the watchful eye of one of the track's original hard men. "Sean is really good; he's great with tactics and got a lot of experience from Athens and winning world's," Simonelli said of his new coach. "It's just great to have tips for racing in your ear - he's good at the gym, great for training and he's pretty tough."
The final of the the under 19 men's sprint was also something to savour, with two national champions in action in the form of Rockhampton's Jeremy Hogg and Western Australian Scott Sunderland. Good mates off the track [having trained and competed together for Australia at junior world championship level], it was the first time the two riders had come head to head in the sprint discipline. "It's a bit different I suppose, racing your friend," Sunderland said. "It's pretty good - [we're] very similar racers; he does the kilo I do the kilo, so we can both go out long," he continued.
In the end a decider wasn't required in the clash between two of Australia's young gun track sprinters, with Sunderland proving too strong for Hogg this time around and setting the scene for a likely showdown between the two at next month's national track titles in Adelaide. "Hopefully I can win a few titles this year," Sunderland said of his goal for the national championships. "Basically the keirin and the sprint and the kilo are the main focus for me, and to get selection again into the junior world's team," he added.
Hogg on the other hand was happy to get a look at the form and style of his key rival heading into the national championships. The result - confirmation there is still work to be done. "It just came down to tactics and that Scottie's a smarter rider," Hogg admitted.
Success for Hogg in scratch race
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The disappointment of getting beaten in the final of the sprint was more than made up for when Jeremy Hogg brought it home in the penultimate event of the night, the under 19 men's ten kilometre scratch race. Hogg managed to avoid a sickening crash with two laps to go which took out two of the contenders and bring it home in the final sprint, coming over the top of Malcolm Rudolph and Byron Davis.
In the elite men's scratch race, the Rockhampton club's galaxy of stars was on show once again in what turned out to be the race of the night. Working together, Grant Irwin and Miles Olman executed their race plan to perfection. Olman, the former point score world junior champion, blew the field apart with a series of brutal attacks. "Mid race, I just lifted it up a bit to get rid of what's just hanging around," Olman said after the finish. "I finished it pretty good, and through the race just made sure to look out for each other, cover the moves..." he added.
One of the bravest moves of the race came from Brisbane's Matthew Wood, who took his chances with a bold solo effort mid-race, before running out of gas. With a handful of laps remaining the two Rockhampton cyclists played their final card, breaking away together and smashing what remained of the field. Irwin, who earlier in the night led the Rockhampton club to victory in the team sprint, produced another burst to win the gold in a photo finish against his club mate. "It worked out well, and hopefully come nationals it'll be the same story," Irwin said of the team effort in the scratch race. "The legs weren't feeling really good; they were jelly with a lap to go, but I just dug in and had nothing more left."
Macpherson wins the keirin
In the least surprising result of the night, Mackay's Chloe Macpherson kept the gold rush coming for the regional Queensland cyclists, with the junior keirin world champion making easy work of the elite women's keirin, as fellow competitors fought for her wheel. The result made it three gold medals for the Q.A.S. cyclist at these championships, with Brisbane under 19 rider Courtney Le Lay picking up the silver and masters world champion Julie Barnett claiming bronze.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by John Flynn/Cyclingnews.com
- Julie Barnett and Danielle Pollock in action on the tandem
- Scott Sunderland pulls away from Jeremy Hogg in the under 19 men sprint final
- Ben Simonelli prepares to motor past William Draffen in the elite men sprint final
- Scott Sunderland buries himself as Jeremy Hogg gives chase in the under 19 men sprint final
- The Hamilton Pine Rivers team lines up for the women's team sprint
- The NRG women's team sprint gets it together
- Joel Lewis driving hard for Kangaroo Point in the men's team sprint
- Lindsay McMaster, Jay Callaghan and Grant Irwin produce a winning ride for Rockhampton in the mens team sprint
- Grant Irwin riding to gold in the team sprint
- Julie Barnett lines up for the Keirin
- Courtney Le Lay steps up to race the senior women in the keirin
- Julie Barnett piloting the tandem
- Junior keirin world champion Chloe Macpherson ready for action
- The starting grid for the women's keirin
- Courtney Le Lay sits on the wheel of Chloe Macpherson
- Queueing up to be on the wheel of Chloe Macpherson in the Keirin
- Ben Fleming of Hamilton Pine Rivers makes an early break in the under 19 men scratch race
- Joel Lewis in the under 19 scratch race
- The elite men ride their scratch race
- Miles Olman and Grant Irwin working well together
- Kyle Bateson makes a daring solo move
- Miles Olman launches another attack
- AWB cyclist Danielle Pollock
- Going for it! Brendan OConnell Miles Olman and Grant Irwin break away
- Matthew Wood charges off the front
- Miles Olman and Grant Irwin keep watch on the solo attack in the mens scratch race
- Matthew Wood running out of gas in the scratch race
- The final attack from Miles Olman
- Grant Irwin and Miles Olman blow the scratch race apart
- Grant Irwin beats Rockhampton team mate Miles Olman in the sprint
- Gold and silver to Miles Olman and Grant Irwin in the mens scratch race
- Ben Simonelli and coach Sean Eadie on the start line
- Ben Simonelli rolls out in the men's sprint finals
- Scott Sunderland on the rollers
- William Draffen playing cat and mouse in the sprint finals
- Ben Simonelli in action
- Scott Sunderland is ready to unleash the fury
Results
Elite women team sprint qualifying 1 Jane Trotter (NRG) Kristin Gilbert (NRG) Erin Stoklasa (NRG) 2 Liz Young (Lifecycle) Nicole Hanssen (Lifecycle) Josie Loane (Lifecycle) 3 Joanna Von Berky (Hamilton Pine Rivers) Jacqui Klowss (Hamilton Pine Rivers) Melinda Symon (Hamilton Pine Rivers) Elite women keirin 1 Chloe Macpherson (Mackay Cycling Club) 2 Courtney Le Lay (Balmoral Cycle Club) 3 Julie Barnett (Broncos) Alexandra Bright (Rockhampton Cycle Club) Theresa Elmes (Ffast Cycle Club) Terese McAuliffe (Balmoral Cycle Club) Loren Rowney (C.A.T.S.) Elite men team sprint qualifying 1 Grant Irwin (Rockhampton) 1.05.94 Jay Allaghan (Rockhampton) Lindsay Mcmaster (Rockhampton) 2 Chris Wilson (Kangaroo Point White) 1.06.82 Byron Davis (Kangaroo Point White) Joel Lewis (Kangaroo Point White) 3 Jeremy Hogg (Rockhampton Juniors) 1.07.03 Tyler Wright (Rockhampton Juniors) Lachlan Plane (Rockhampton Juniors) 4 Ben Simonelli (Victor Broncos) 1.08.34 Ben Holmes (Victor Broncos) David Reid (Victor Broncos) 5 Daniel Rynne (Kangaroo Point Black) 1.08.77 Cameron Ward (Kangaroo Point Black) Matt Wood (Kangaroo Point Black) 6 Murray McClymont (University CC) 1.08.79 Paul Jackson (University CC) Nigel Kee (University CC) Final 1 Rockhampton Seniors 1.05.75 2 Kangaroo Point White 1.07.00 3 Rockhampton Juniors 1.06.49 4 Victor Broncos 1.09.80 Junior Under 19 men 10km scratch race 1 Jeremy Hogg (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 2 Byron Davis (Kangaroo Point C C) 3 Malcolm Rudolph (Maryborough & District CC) 4 Joshua Edwards (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 5 Benjamin Fleming (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) 6 Hayden Josefski (Maryborough & District CC) 7 Joel Lewis (Kangaroo Point C C) 8 Darcy Rosenlund (Broncos) 9 Tarquin Wallace (Balmoral Cycle Club) dnf Matthew Ledilly (Club Bikeline) dnf Lachlan Plane (Rockhampton Cycle Club) dnf Tyler Wright (Rockhampton Cycle Club) dnf Kane Anderson (C.A.T.S.) dnf David Keevers (Maryborough & District CC) Elite men 15km scratch race 1 Grant Irwin (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 2 Miles Olman (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 3 Daniel Mcculloch (Ffast Cycle Club) 4 Kyle Bateson (C.A.T.S.) 5 Stephen Storer (Gold Coast Goldstars C C) 6 Matthew Wood (Kangaroo Point C C) 7 Murray McClymont (Ffast Cycle Club) dnf William Draffen (Townsville Cycle Club) dnf Kurt Dutton (Broncos) dnf Paul Jackson (Uni Cycle Club) dnf Jay Callaghan (Rockhampton Cycle Club) dnf Timothy Chiverton (Broncos) dnf Todd Dawson (C.A.T.S.) dnf Alistair Hartley (Kangaroo Point C C) dnf Benjamin Holmes (Broncos) dnf Lindsay Mcmaster (Rockhampton Cycle Club) dnf Brendan O'Connell (Broncos) dnf Christopher Simonelli (Broncos) dnf Christopher Wilson (Kangaroo Point C C) dnf Craig McLennan (Mackay Cycling Club) Men's sprint Semi Finals Heat 1 1 Ben Simonelli 2 Wade Cosgrove Heat 2 1 David Miller 2 William Draffen Final For Gold 1 Ben Simonelli 2 William Draffen For Bronze 3 Wade Cosgrove 4 David Miller U19 Men's Sprint Semi Finals Heat 1 1 Jeremy Hogg 2 Lachlan Plane Heat 2 1 Scott Sunderland 2 Byron Davis Final For Gold 1 Jeremy Hogg 2 Scott Sunderland For Bronze 3 Lachlan Plane 4 Byron Davis A.W.D. Tandem sprint Final For Gold 1 Ben Holmes (Broncos) Ben Macfie (Broncos) 2 John Eder (Broncos) Lorin Nicholson (Broncos) Junior U19 Women - 1 Lap Standing Time Trial 1 Courtney Le Lay (Balmoral Cycle Club) 0.27.46 2 Terese Mcauliffe (Balmoral Cycle Club) 0.29.94 3 Elicia Pretorius (Sunshine Coast Cycling Club) 0.30.46 Elite Women - 1 Lap Standing Time Trial 1 Chloe Macpherson (Mackay Cycling Club) 0.25.54 2 Julie Barnett (Broncos) 0.26.83 3 Alexandra Bright (Rockhampton Cycle Club) 0.27.00 4 Jacqui Klowss (Broncos) 0.29.50
