The first round of the Season 3 Future Stars competition kicked off at Revolution 9 back in October with Welsh cyclists dominating the top three places in both the girl’s and the boy’s competition. Only Peter Kennaugh, who leads the boy’s competition, prevents it from being a Welsh clean sweep. Isle of Man rider Peter won all three Future Stars races leaving Rhys Lloyd and Luke Rowe in second and third places respectively. With such great form confidence is riding high for the competition leader,

“I was so hyped up with the crowd and the big event when I was on the track I felt unbeatable. I found myself in the right position in most of the races and then just came up with the goods on the last lap. I am quietly confident after Revolution 9. I have got a good lead although you don’t know what can happen in the forthcoming Revolutions so I am taking nothing for granted. I would say my biggest challengers are the Welsh in the form of Luke Rowe and Rhys Lloyd, they have a good set up and know how to ride as a team.”

Indeed, second placed Lloyd rode well at Revolution 9 and is confident he can mount a challenge, “Peter is a classy rider; we know each other well and have always had a strong rivalry. I trained with him last week at the Olympic Development Program camp and he is going really well. I think I can stop him – it’s just a matter of getting it right on the night.”

In the girls competition Cardiff based rider Lucy Richards leads by only three points over Welsh team mate Alex Greenfield with another Welsh rider, Katie Curtis in third place. Richards showed her class but was surprised to come away with the leader’s jersey,

“It was my first time racing at Revolution so I didn’t really know what to expect from it, I just went there to have fun and enjoy the racing, so to come away as series leader was quite unexpected. The crowd at Revolution is really good; they really get behind you and support you and they create a great atmosphere. It’s the biggest crowd I’ve ridden in front of and I really enjoyed it.”

With such dominance in the Future Stars racing the future is looking bright for Welsh Cycling, but where has this success come from? “I think it’s down to the success of the local youth clubs like Maindy Flyers in bringing on the youngsters. The Talent Team programme has been very well run and the coaches are excellent. At this moment in time I think our set up is the best” commented Lloyd.

Lucy Richards agrees highlighting the importance of local facilities, “I think that local clubs like Maindy Flyers at Maindy cycle track has always encouraged children to try cycling and with the opening of Newport Velodrome even more children have been given the chance to have a go. We also have great coaches in Wales who’ve helped and supported us.”

The Welsh will be back in action in the Manchester Velodrome at Revolution 10 on Saturday November 19th with all the leaders looking to defend their positions but as we have seen in the past at Revolution anything can happen.

The Future Stars Competition
For Season 3 both the male and female racers will compete in the Future Stars Series fighting it out to be the Raleigh Future Stars Champion. At each Revolution event points will be awarded to the first 12 finishers in each of the races. The races at each event will be:

Devil Endurance
?1 Mile Dash
?5km Scratch Race

At the end of each Revolution meeting the rider with the largest number of points will be awarded the Raleigh Future Stars Series Leaders Jersey which they will wear at the next Revolution. If the points are tied the rider who finished ahead in the final Scratch Race will take the leaders jersey. At the end of the Series the rider with the most points will be crowned the Raleigh Future Stars Champion.

Current Standings:
Boys Competition
1) Peter Kennaugh – Manx RC – 45 points
2) Rhys Lloyd – Wales – 31 points
3) Luke Rowe – Wales – 23 points

Girls Competition
1) Lucy Richards – Wales – 39 points
2) Alex Greenfield – Cardiff Ajax – 36 points
3) Katie Curtis – Wales – 25 points

Season 3 remaining Dates
• Event 2 (Revolution 10) – 19th November 2005
• Event 3 (Revolution 11) – 21st January 2006
• Event 4 (Revolution 12) – 18th February 2006

Details

When?: 19th November 2005
Where?: Manchester Velodrome
What time?: Doors open at 5.30pm – racing starts 7pm ends at 10pm

For all the news and latest announcements, take a look at www.cyclingrevolution.com.

As ever, tickets are available to purchase in advance from www.cyclingrevolution.com or by calling 0700 594 2579 or the Velodrome on 0161 223 2244 and selecting option 3. Tickets will also be available on the door.