Revolution 23 kicked off with an Italian pursuit captained by rugby stars Dennis Betts and Mike Forshaw. The teams were made up of Olympic medallists, Future Stars and elite men and women. The competition was fierce and very close; however Ed Clancy just managed to get the edge over Darren Kenny in the final lap, giving Betts’ team the victory.
The unquestionable star of the evening was Victoria Pendleton, MBE. Appearing for the only time at Revolution this season, she stole the show! Victoria started with a standing ovation and then laid down the gauntlet with an impressive 11.2 in the 200m TT. She continued to outclass the rest of field throughout the evening’s omnium, winning all her races in style.
The Madison TT was another crowd pleaser as Ed Clancy and Steven Burke attempted to break the record set by Chris Hoy and Arnaud Tournant at Revolution in 2008. Geraint Thomas and Jason Kenny, who paired up just a few weeks ago, were also keen to take the title. Success narrowly eluded both teams and the record remains intact. Clancy and Burke finished just a tenth of a second short and are sure to be back to try again soon.
Thrills and spills were the name of the game in the Future Stars with three big crashes delaying the racing and shaking up the field. Sam Harrison’s absence allowed Simon Yates to take the leaders in the boys’ competition and Ruby Miller was once again on fantastic form, and now has a clear lead over the girls’ field.
