Hoy secures national sprint title

Track Champs day four photo gallery by Andy Jones>>

Sir Chris still has the blistering speed, reckless desire and stage presence to beat a rival and bring the velodrome to its feet. Floating round the track like a futuristic, black-clad destroyer, Hoy remains the man to beat.

Jason Kenny dumped Hoy out at the semi final stage of the national sprint competition last year, as well as at February's Manchester World Cup.

But he was back in the role of pretender on day four of the national track championships, found badly wanting in the men's sprint.

Instead, Hoy's closest adversary was surprise package David Daniell (Motorpoint). Thirteen years Hoy's junior at 21, he showed his impressive form and hunger by pushing the Scotsman close in the final.

The man dubbed "the next Chris Hoy" by head track coach Shane Sutton in early 2009 could yet make a late surge for a team sprint spot at the London Olympics.

Having qualified sluggishly, Kenny felt the raw disappointment of a semi final exit, as Daniell edged the third heat of their pulsating semi final in a photo finish.

Kenny dispatched Mitchell for bronze, but it's been an inauspicious start to the track season for the man many believe will push Hoy close for that lone Olympic sprint berth.

On this evidence, rather than catching up with Sir Chris, Kenny has consolidation of his own position to do. That expected showdown will have to wait.

Men's sprint podium

Women's team sprint

The surprise wasn't Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish's landslide victory, but the blistering time they set in the team sprint final.

Clocking 33.541, the pair were mere fractions off the time they set for the silver medal in February at the world track championships.

Varnish has stepped up in the past twelve months to make her start consistently quicker and the woman one position her own.

Injury to BMX star Shanaze Reade deprived Becky James of a partner and a challenge here. Both look unlikely to usurp Varnish.

In her only hit-out at what she wistfully called her "last nationals as a sprinter", Pendleton was on form too.

It's a promising base to build on for the forthcoming European track championships, although the Australians remain the realistic, formidable, opponents for that all-important Olympic gold medal.

Winning team: Varnish and Pendleton

Women's scratch race

Lizzie Armitstead (Garmin-Cervelo) was too good for the rest of the field, adding the scratch race crown to her national points race title.

Laura Trott (100% ME) instigated the race-winning split with twenty-five laps to go, bringing Dani King, Armitstead, Corrine Hall and Harriet Owen with her. The quintet went on to lap the field, before waiting to decide the race at the sprint.

Armitstead had to give her all to hold off the charge of rivals Trott and King in the home straight.

In one of the only track events where Great Britain is lacks qualifying clout, her and teenager Trott will be charged with the responsibility to scoring important points at the Astana and Cali World Cup events.

Lizzie Armitstead won the women's scratch race

Men's team pursuit

In the closing event of the night, the youthful quartet of Hargroves Cycles rode to team pursuit victory ahead of scienceinsport.com, with an impressive time of 4-16.

Their line-up included recent junior world championship competitors Owain Doull and Jon Dibben.

Hargroves Cycles on their way to team pursuit victory

Results

Men's sprint

1. Sir Chris Hoy (Team Sky)

2. David Daniell (Motorpoint)

3. Jason Kenny (Team Sky)

4. Peter Mitchell (Unattached)

5. Matt Crampton (Team Sky)

Women's team sprint

1. Victoria Pendleton / Jessica Varnish (North West Region) 33.541

2. Kayleigh Brogan / Jenny Davis (City of Edinburgh RC) 35.300

3. Janet Birkmyre / Cassie Gledhill (XRT Elmy Cycles) 37.457

4. Marianne Britten / Adel Tyson-Bloor (VC St Raphael A) 39.782

Women's scratch race

1. Lizzie Armitstead (Garmin-Cervelo)

2. Laura Trott (100% ME)

3. Dani King (Horizon Fitness)

4. Harriet Owen (Motorpoint)

5. Corrine Hall (Team Corridori)

Men's team pursuit

1. Hargroves Cycles 4-16.202

(Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Peter Dibben, Alistair Slater)

2. Scienceinsport.com 4-19

(Adam Duggleby, Alistair Rutherford, Adam Yates, Gary Adamson)

3. CyclePremier.com-Metaltek

(Tony Gibb, Matt Rowe, Jason White, Simon Wilson) 4-22.789

4. GWR Team

(Llwellyn Kinch, Doug Dewey, David Sinclair, James Hawkins) 4-26.999

5. VC St Raphael A

(Chris Bush, Ben Elliott, David Heald, Barney Storey, Jack Green) 4-29.318

Related links

Day four photo gallery by Andy Jones National Track Championships 2011, day three round up

National Track Championships 2011, day two round upNational Track Championships 2011, day one round up