Gary Kristiansen MBA raced to a comfortable victory in the Regional Pursuit competition in the AW Cycles Track League at Palmer Park on Monday night.

Kristiansen blasted round the track to set the fastest qualifying time of the night, and local favourite Tim Bedingfield, who is enjoying a great season, held second until the final heat where Steve Legg pipped him by two seconds to book his place in the final.

But Kristiansen took an early lead and steadily built on it by a second a lap to win by a comfortable margin.

The seniors had opened their evening with a warm-up 10-lap Hare & Hounds event with the Senior A’s group catching the B’s with four laps to go.

David Jack made the last-lap attack, but was pipped on the line by Sam Serruya.

The main event of the night was the ‘Sunrise Keirin’, where a Derny track cycling motorbike led the group of riders round for 5½ of the six laps, raising the pace until they are riding at close to 40mph, then pulling off the track on the back straight to leave a sprint finish.

The Senior A final had three very fast finishers – Sam Sturgeon, Ian Greenstreet and Sam Serruya – and one unknown in Tristan Natolie.

Sturgeon was tucked immediately behind the Derny and he powered away to win comfortably from Greenstreet and Natolie.

Gavin Spiers won a much closer Senior B's race.

The Senior Women’s race was more tactical and it was Dani King who jumped first down the back straight, but Janet Birkmyre saw the move, accelerated and won by half a bike length.

The AW Cycles 20km event was shortened to 20 laps, and Sturgeon was the main aggressor.

He attacked from the gun to string out the field, but an attack from Steve Legg, Jack, Greenstreet and Sturgeon failed to get away.

With four laps to go Sturgeon and under-14 rider Stephen Bradbury broke clear and  Sturgeon held on to take the win. 

Earlier, the youths began their evening with a traditional six-lap block handicap.

And four fairly regular winners at the league – (U16 Girls) Harriet Owen, (U16) Matt Gittings, (U14) Stephen Bradbury and (U12) Daniel Maslin – all won their age categories.

Gittings continued his good form winning again in the Sunrise Keirin, while Cameron Swarbrick showed some great speed to win the under 14s and Daniel Maslin took the Under 12s.

RESULTSYouth Block Handicap (6 laps): Cat A: 1 M Gittings (Palmer Park Velo); 2 E Wyatt (High Wycombe CC); 3 M Dawkins (Hillingdon Slipstreamers).Cat B: 1 S Bradbury (PPV); 2 J Paul (PPV); 3 R Barlow (PPV). Cat C: 1 D Maslin (Hillingdon Slipstreamers); 2 G Withers (PPV); 3 H Watson (Velocity - The Exercise Deck). Girls: 1 H Owen (PPV); 2 R Serruya (PPV); 3 N Hill (Hillingdon Slipstreamers).
Youth Sunrise Keirin: Cat A: 1 M Gittings, 2 M Dawkins, 3 E Wyatt. Cat B: 1 C Swarbrick (PPV); 2 S Bradbury, 3 B Bailey (Team MK). Cat C: 1 D Maslin, 2 G Withers (PPV), 3 H Watson.
Senior A & B Hare and Hounds (10 laps):
Cat A: 1 S Serruya (AW Cycles), 2 D Jack (Twickenham CC), 3 S Sturgeon (Team Terminator).
Youth Points Race (5 laps): Cat A: 1 M Gittings, 2 E Wyatt, 3 M Dawkins. Cat B: 1 S Bradbury, 2 B Bailey, 3 R Barlow. Cat C: 1 D Maslin, 2 G Withers, 3 J Pitt (PPV). Girls: 1 H Owen, 2 R Serruya, 3 E Hogge (PPV).
Regional Pursuit Competition: Cat A: 1 G Kristiansen (, 2 S Legg (RT 316), 3 T Bedingfield (AW Cycles).
Sunrise Keirin: Cat A: 1 S Sturgeon, 2 I Greenstreet (Newbury RC), 3 T Natolie (AW Cycles).
Cat B: 1 T Bradbury (Reading CC), 2 R King (Reading CC), 3 G Spiers (Reading CC).
Ladies: 1 J Birkmyre (Planet X - SheCycles), 2 D King (i-team), 3 R Battison (
AW Cycles Endurance (20km): Cat A: 1 S Sturgeon, 2 S Legg, 3 T Natolie. Cat B: 1 G Spiers, 2 R King, 3 T Bradbury.