This year's American Velodrome Challenge (AVC) had the best of Northern California competing with the many of the best US track riders and international guests featuring World and National Champions and World Cup riders.
Hundreds of spectators came out to San Jose's Hellyer Velodrome to watch and cheer making AVC 2009 one big party.
Some very fast men lined up for the Men's Keirin. US National Champion Jimmy Watkins, 2008 Ominum World Champion Hayden Godfrey, local power house Pete Billington qualified for the final. So did up-and-coming rider Daniel Walker, who sent Olympian Giddeon Massie to the reps.
Massie made the decisive move in the final and won the $1000 purse, local fast man Steve Pelaez held off Hayden Godfrey.
1 Giddeon Massie 2 Steve Pelaez 3 Hayden Godfrey 4 Jimmy Watkins 5 Daniel Walker 6 Jason Allen 7 Pete Billington 8 Stephen McLaughry
Veritas Women Keirin
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Proman teammates finished 1st and 2nd in the Women's Keirin with US National Champion Cari Higgins taking the win and US enduro track star Shelley Olds taking second. Jen Featheringill completed the podium.
1 Cari Higgins 2 Shelley Olds 3 Jen Featheringill 4 Elisabeth Williams 5 Cristin Walker 6 Andrea Fisk 7 Laura McCaughey
Concept Cyclery Women Points
The Women's Points Race came down to a battle between Aussie Scratch Champion Laura McCaughey and US National Champ Shelley Olds. It came all down to the final sprint which was neutralized due a crash involving Cari Higgins. The race was re-started with 5 laps to go and Laura McCaughey took the opportunity and sealed the deal. Cari Higgins was up and riding again after her bike was fixed.
1 Laura McCaughey 2 Shelley Olds 3 Cari Higgins 4 Jennifer Triplett 5 Elizabeth Newell 6 Amara Boursaw
Breakless Men Madison 20k (60k laps)
The Men's Madison race was the last race of the night and certainly one of the high-lights. Very quickly it became clear that this would be a battle between the Garmin team of Dan Holloway and guest rider, Bissell's Ben Jacques-Maynes and the New Zealand Subway-Avanti team of the world champs Hayden Godfrey and Jason Allen. It all came down to one point which was battled out in the last sprint when the Kiwis took the victory.
The Men Miss 'n' Out saw a huge field of 35 racers. The pace was very high right from the gun. Many of the sprinters didn't last for long and some of the big names got eliminated early. Pro-riders Ben Jacques–Maynes (Bissell), Roman Kilun (OUCH) and Iggy Silva (Rock Racing) nearly made it to the end. The final came down to Jame Carney, Dan Holloway and Dave McCook. But it was really Carney and Holloway who took the sprint to the line with Carney nosing out Holloway.
1 Jame Carney 2 Dan Holloway 3 David McCook 4 Benjamin Jacques-Maynes 5 Roman Kilun 6 Iggy Silva
Nicerpage.com Masters Miss 'n' Out
The Master Miss 'n' Out turned into a local Hellyer affair with the final five all from Hellyer. Finally, Briggs and Peterson sprinted it out, with Briggs taking it by inches.
1 Patrick Briggs 2 Brian Peterson 3 Michael Hernandez 4 Doug Hall 5 Andrew Nevitt
Testarosa Master Scratch Race
Local Eliot Logan was taking it long with four laps to go, creating a 100m gap but he was caught with 150 m to go by the charging field. Former Olympian Mark Whitehead crossed the lined first.
1 Mark Whitehead 2 Patrick Briggs 3 Sean Watkins 4 Brian Peterson 5 Alden Tanaka
