Close action in British season opener

Laurence Mapp (160) and Warren Bancroft (4) (Image credit: British Cycling)

Cheddar was a fitting venue to launch in to the Relentless National Series 2007. Judging from the general attitude and buzz around the pits, the 2007 season should be a good year for British BMX. Clashing with a European UCI race in the Czech Republic is never desirable, so losing riders of the calibre of Kelvin Batey, Liam and Charlie Phillips and Joey Gough could have been negative, however the other elite riders didn't see it that way. Whatever the case, the racing didn't suffer in the absence of the top riders.

Redline's Shanaze Reade, the golden girl of BMX, isn't a fan of the Czech facilities so turned up at Cheddar to lock horns with the Elite Men. Reade undoubtedly has awesome track speed and has proved that she can beat men consistently last year. The move to Elite could have proved a step too far physically for the Brit, as when there are male egos to be bruised, they won't hold back. Nonetheless, Reade came within a whisker of making the Elite Men's final on Sunday, but made amends on Monday. In the end, both days came down to two riders: Warren Bancroft (Alans BMX/Shimano DX) and Laurence Mapp (Revell Bikes).