The Elite Women raced for 30 minutes (plus two laps) with Kirsty never looking stretched. The pace in the race varied considerably with Kirsty both testing the field and chasing any break aways. Caught a little back in the field with about 400m to go, Kirsty move quickly past the majority to close a small gap and be third wheel coming out of the final bend. Kirsty maintained her momentum and let fly to sail past her competitors and take the Gold!
The Elite Men raced for 60 minutes (plus 5 laps). In the first lap Richard England set the scene for the race, breaking away and holding the lead for several laps. For the entire race the attacks kept coming with many riders not wanting to let it come down to a final sprint. Richard road an awesome race, attacking several times and chasing down others - always near the front.
But, it was the self control and patience of the more experienced who conserved his legs and bided his time until the last lap! Barry Woods moved up the field covering Richard in about 3rd wheel as they came around the final long sweeping bend into the straight. The sprint was on with Barry looking to have the advantage over Richard with the rest of the field right on their wheels. However right at the line Richard gave an almighty throw of the bike which had the judges studying the camera footage for what seemed an eternity.
The final result? Barry by less than a tyre!