Cavendish storms to track win

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A sell out crowd at the Manchester velodrome witnessed an action packed evening at Revolution 34, with Mark Cavendish, Rob Hayles and Ed Clancy all topping the bill.

But it was the world road champion, Mark Cavendish, who stole the show, competing in his first track event since the 2009 World Championships.

“It’s good to be back, I’ve missed it! The Revolution was hard; more intense than what I’m used to at this time of year. The reception I had was amazing. It’s packed here again tonight, and it’s great,” Cavendish said.

The HTC-Highroad sprinter was given a noisy standing ovation as he was introduced to the sell-out, 4,000-strong crowd. Although he lacked a little sharpness, he was in the thick of the racing all night, raising the roof every time he hit the front, especially in the final event of the evening, the scratch race, which saw him score a hugely popular win.

At the end of the night though it was Team UK Youth who came away with the biggest rewards, putting in a number of strong performances to take a commanding lead in the Revolution Championship.

The opening event of the night saw Steven Burke of Team UK Youth pull out an impressive win in the Motor Paced Scratch Endurance Race.

Rapha Condor Sharp’s Ed Clancy and Andrew Tennant were victorious in the 1km Madison Time Trial, with the team also taking the spoils in the Team Elimination race.

Team Sky’s Peter Kennaugh won the intriguing Australian Pursuit. But it was the Scratch Race which really got the crowd going; early breaks by Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas and Alex Dowsett looked promising, but World Champion Mark Cavendish positioned himself perfectly to execute a win from the front.

In a poignant moment at the National Cycling Centre, the historic career of Revolution-favourite Rob Hayles was recognised, with the recently-retired British rider receiving a standing ovation from the 4,000-strong crowd. Hayles was joined by the elite riders and friend Mark Cavendish, who showed their appreciation to a fantastic career.

In the DHL Future Stars, Emily Kay further-proved her dominance in the Girls’ event, and maintains her overall lead. In the Boys’ events, Jake Ragen moved up the standings and took the overall lead.

Team UK Youth’s win from Steven Burke and consistent performances throughout the night means that they lead the Revolution Championship with 314 points, ahead of Rouleur with 293.

Those who missed Revolution 34 will be able to watch the hour-long highlights packaged, featuring Mark Cavendish, shown on Monday 21st November on ITV4 at 7pm.

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