Revolution Season Finale - Revolution 24 Event Report
Words by Adam Tranter

Revolution 24 lived up to the expectations of the sell-out crowd on Saturday (21stFebruary), and was platform for the spectacular last race from Arnaud Tournant. Revolution series six came to a close for the season, with the race enjoying sell-out crowds in every single event held.

The night kicked off with the Elite Team Devil Scratch, after the Madison-style elimination section of the race, those left in the race continued to inject more pace for a fantastic finish. Rising star Peter Kennaugh and established endurance specialist, Rob Hayles were the only riders to mount a challenge to the pro team combination of Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins, who finished ahead in the standings. Thomas just managing to come off better in the sprint from Kennaugh.

It's no surprise riders were pulling some amazing times out of the bag with a full capacity cheering on the Revolution sprinters. Many of the riders were carrying some form from the recent Copenhagen World Cup. Matt Crampton proved to be star of the show when he produced a time of 10.131. A familiar face to some, 400 metre runner, Iwan Thomas also had a go around the track in a respectable 13.079.

The Future Stars Girls 5 Lap Dash was won by Hannah Barnes, with series leader Ruby Miller nowhere to be seen. But Ruby quickly got back on track and won the 5km Scratch Race and Points Race. In the boy's event, John Paul won the Future Stars Boys 5km Scratch. The Future Stars Points Race was won by eventual series winner Simon Yates, with Josh Papworth winning the 6 Lap Dash.

Dave Daniell took the win in the Revolution Sprint Final despite excellent form earlier in the evening from Matt Crampton. Daniell took the race from the front but Crampton used the banking to his advantage, his final rush not quite enough to come past the powerful Daniell.

The 12.5km Points Race also had a team aspect, with each partner completing half of the race. We know Chris Newtonis pretty proficient in points races, and his young partner Luke Rowe added some value too as they took the win with 21 points. Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins were narrowly behind with 18 points and David Muntaner and Unai Elorriaga were third with 14 points.

The 1km Madison Time Trial is always a popular event at the Revolution. Ed Clancy and Steven Burkehad already proved to be formidable in the earlier Team 1 Lap Flying Time Trial. The 1km event was no different, and they achieved a superb time of 54.779. Jason Kenny and David Daniell could have been contenders, but Daniell suffered a crash during the change leaving him with a DNF.

The Isaac Galvez Memorial Elite Madison was the last endurance event of the evening, with a lot of the competitors having competed in the national championships that afternoon. Rapha Condor team mates Chris Newtonand Luke Rowe, representing O2, had the edge on track specialists David Muntaner and Unai Elorriaga.

It wouldn't have been right to have so many British and French sprinters without having a showdown between the two nations. English pride was maintained in the form of Jason Kenny, Ross Edgar and Jamie Staff in front of the home crowd. The French received an excellent reception and thoroughly enjoyed their evening in Manchester. Arnaud Tournant, in particular, received a fantastic send-off from the riders and crowd, to the tune of ‘Allo ‘Allo!

Revolution series will be back later on in 2009, and will have some exciting new prospects that Revolution fans can look forward to. Keep visiting www.cyclingrevolution.com for news, updates and the full event report. Highlights of Revolution 24 will be broadcast on Channel M TV. Timings and online streaming will be available on www.channelm.co.uk

ENDS

For full results and images please contact James Pope - 07968 264 196 - james@facepartnership.com

The Cycling Revolution
Revolution was created in 2003 by Face Partnership and the Manchester Velodrome to provide a new style of cycling event in the UK, a style that would increase spectator appeal and change the way people think about the sport.

With the creation of an action packed alternative race programme featuring international road and track stars presented with a slick, modern style the Cycling Revolution was born. The racing is fast and the atmosphere is electrifying with music and lighting effects creating a superb night of entertainment for cycling and non-cycling fans alike.

Revolution is supported by
Manchester City Council - Manchester Evening News - Cycling Weekly - Science in Sport - DHL - JW Lees - Champion Systems

Kind Regards,

Adam Tranter

Fusion Media Services Limited
On behalf of Face Partnership

effective media services:
websites, journalism, photography and promotion.