Gavin’s Page

Gavin’s very own pages where he uses his insight into all things Preston Park to comment on various aspects of the season. Check out his previous musings on the menu on the left.


(see also Euro Lee, Who’s Laughing, Dramatic Season End and B League Winner )

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN – PRIZES TIME!

The biggest event of the Preston Park calendar will soon be upon us – the AGM and Prize Presentation on Saturday 17 October. It’s the culmination of the year’s efforts by all the riders in every category from the under-8s to the seniors.

The action begins with the (no doubt very short) AGM chaired by Rob (Mr Lightning) Fuller. Then, after a break featuring Andrea’s award-winning refreshments, it’s down to the real business of the evening with the distribution of all those prizes listed in the league programme booklet.

The special trophies, the championship medals and the league awards will be given out to the various winners. And let’s not forget the small matter of nearly £1,200 in cash prizes to be dished out as well!

Please note that all riders in the youth leagues who attended at least six meets will receive an award – not just the first six in each category as listed in the programme booklet.

No prizes (cash, trophies, plaques or medals) will be sent on to riders. Prize-winners who cannot attend should please make arrangements for someone else to collect them on their behalf.

Last year over 150 riders, parents, officials and supporters attended this event, which is the undoubted highlight of the Preston Park year and is not to be missed at any cost. Let’s make it at least 200 people this year.

Whether you are an award-winner or not, please make every effort to attend and applaud all the riders who entertained us this season. Start-time is 8.00pm at St Mary’s church hall in Surrenden Road, opposite the track, on Saturday 17 October. (Expected finish time: 9.30pm)

LEE POVEY WINS EURO MASTERS GOLD

Preston Park’s very own sprint champion Lee Povey put up a typically brilliant performance at Manchester velodrome to grab gold in the European Masters (35-39-years) Team Sprint Championship on Saturday 1 August 2009.

Lee and his team-mates reserved their best performance for the final, where they all improved their own times and – together - posted a superfast time of 48.8sec to take the title. Lee was riding with Ben Elliot and his coaching partner Dave Le Grys, all competing under the Team Terminator banner, and they beat the French squad by nearly 1½ seconds.

Three days before, Lee had taken the silver medal in the individual sprint championship behind John McClelland whom he had recently beaten in the British Masters championship. “To be fair to him he rode really well”, said Lee, “and I just had an off day sadly!” That “off day”, though, did include an amazing qualifying time of 11.381 for the 200m TT when conditions at the track were generally thought to be slow.

Preston Park legend Lee’s 2009 Euro Masters gold and silver medals will now join all the other awards he has won over the years.

He began racing at Preston Park at the age of 13, in the days when there were only about 4 or 5 under-16s competing here. Asked what brought him into bike-racing, he replied: “Watching my dad thinking he was good, someone needed to show him otherwise!” As a youth (or “juvenile” as they were then known), he soon showed his talent for racing and in particular for sprinting.

He tried his hand at several cycling disciplines, but his favourite by far has always been the track. “Spectators can watch the whole race and not just a brief glimpse. I love the speed and tactics too. And of course we don’t have brakes and we don’t have to do it in the rain!”

Over the years, Lee has won countless Sussex sprint titles as well as the Preston Park league on many occasions. But it is only more recently that he has hit the bigtime. In 2006, he took sprint gold and kilo bronze at the National Masters Championships. Two years later, the silver medal in the Welsh Open Sprint Championships came Lee’s way, and he followed up with another silver, in the National Masters Sprint Championships. Lee then notched up an even more commendable achievement, taking the 2008 European Masters Sprint title.

Now, of course, European Masters team sprint gold and individual sprint silver have just been added to his palmarès, and those latest medals will take their place in Lee’s well-filled trophy cabinet.

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THIS IS GETTING BEYOND A JOKE!

Gavin laments yet another rained-off meeting on 29 July

The meeting scheduled for Wednesday 29 July was rained off - the fifth time this season we have had to cancel a meet due to the weather. In 2007, four meets were completely rained off and two more were curtailed due to rain, so you could argue we are so far more or less on par with two years ago. Then again, if either of (or both) the remaining two meetings are rained off, this will be the worst season weather-wise in living memory.

In the ten years the Smiths have been attending Preston Park, I think the average number of cancelled meets is usually 2 – so we are doing particularly badly this year.

Of course, this has an effect on the various league tables. Those who are at the top of their league are sitting pretty, as their rivals have no chance of overtaking them. In the Senior “A” league, which is on a knife-edge, the final result may well depend on who can attend both the remaining meets.

A little birdie tells me that two of the main contenders might each have to miss one meet. As with all leagues, though, if you miss a meet you take your chance that either it will be rained off or that your main rivals won’t notch up too many points in your absence. I’m sure that if you look at the results over the last few years, you’ll find that the various winners have nearly always been among those who have attended most often.

Preston Park News was due out this week, and it was duly printed, stapled and ready to be read by all! It will be available of course next Wednesday (5 August), when we fervently hope to be able to have some racing action – without a hint of rain.

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LET’S BRACE OURSELVES FOR A DRAMATIC END TO THE SEASON

(17th July 2009)

Who on earth could have forecast the present overall situation in the A league? With just four meets to go Felix English, who was rocketing away with the league title earlier this year, has been diverted by his national aspirations and is now holding on to a slender lead. Early contender Lee Povey is concentrating on the defence of his European Masters Sprint title later this month. Jean Spies, who was challenging Felix strongly back in May and June, hasn’t been seen at PP for a while and has subsequently dropped down the rankings.

Felix has won the A-league title for the past two seasons already and was the firm favourite at the start of the season. The super-talented youngster is still at the top of the table, but just four points behind him sits Mark Burgess. Mark has been racing at PP for several years and he has the strength, trackcraft and determination to win the league. Indeed, he would love to win it.

But beware! Currently in third place lies Charlie Heffernan, last year’s B-league winner, only six points adrift of Mark’s tally. Charlie has improved no end already this year, boosted by his national youth race win a few weeks ago. And last Wednesday he was almost unstoppable, riding away with the league points championship and also taking two other smart victories.

Preston Park hasn’t seen a more exciting season end for years – if ever. Every meet, every race will be crucial and these three stars will be marking themselves silly. And, who knows, it might all go down to the wire and be decided in the last meet – even the last race or even the last sprint - of the season. Whatever you do, don’t miss the action in these last four vital weeks!

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B-RILLIANT BAILEY

(17th July 2009)

Where did he come from? Richard Bailey was a newcomer at PP this season, and hence an unknown quantity. He looked good from the very first meet, but he wasn’t notching up many points. Indeed, it was some time before he made his mark and scored his first win. Andy Parle was romping towards the B title with four wins (five are needed) and it looked like he had it all sewn up. Richard had other ideas and kept plugging away. Andy was twice within half-a-wheel of winning the league but was both times thwarted by Richard’s quick kick. Then last Wednesday - week no. 13 of 17 - it all came down to an elbow-to-elbow sprint between the two main men, which Richard took by that half-wheel margin.

Richard now leaves the Bs behind and joins the elite in the As. But Andy wasn’t dejected when I spoke to him after last week’s meet. “Richard has improved no end tactically these past few weeks”, he conceded, “and I just didn’t have enough to win”.  What is almost certain, though, is that Andy will very soon get that fifth win and join Richard in the A league.

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