Oxford's cyclists click into gear
Oxford University Cycling Club topped the medal table again at BUSA Track Cycling Championships with Alexander Rowe (Queen's) bringing home the medals.
This triumph crowned a successful year following team medals in every BUSA road cycling event and a comprehensive win over a lack-lustre Cambridge in the Varsity competition.
The Track Championships include various specialist events, contested using special bikes with a single fixed gear and no brakes on a banked oval velodrome.
Rowe took the bronze medal in the 200m Sprint event, having qualified fastest into a blustery headwind. Friendship was pushed aside in the one-on-one racing when Rowe's success pushed team-mate Mike Cubison into fourth place.
Cambridge's no-show did not dampen Oxford's ruthlessness with UMIST being dispatched in the three-man Team Sprint. Miles Waring (Catz) set a scorching pace, handing over the lead after the requisite 50 metres to John Tuckett (Worc) and Rowe. Tuckett showed a great turn of speed over the next half lap, setting Rowe up perfectly to power home for the gold medal, clear of the competition.
Rowe also took the silver in the 40-lap Points Race and won gold in the Crucible of the Keirin, where riders reach up to 40mph in a specially adapted moped before being unleashed to contest a fierce sprint to the line.
Rowe judged his tactics meticulously, winning gold after positioning himself perfectly in the pack to make full use of the slipstream available at those speeds. His acceleration and line through the final bend made it impossible for riders behind to come past him without going high around and banking into the wind. An excellent win given the presence of a Russian International Sprinter in the pack.
Special mention must go to Katharine Smart (St Anne's), who competed in the women's events but due to BUSA rules regarding lack of entries was denied medals in each event she entered.
Smart, in her first season of competition, showed excellent determination and courage racing against seasoned track cyclists, including a full Welsh international.
This represents a superb year for Oxford University Cycling, who dominated in the university-based BUSA competition, comprehensively beat Cambridge in the Varsity and achieved great success in National and Regional level cycle races. A paticular highlight was Daniel Axford's 12th place in the recent National 25-mile Time Trial Championships.
14th Oct 2004