Plean Sub Zero 'Cross

Scottish Cyclocross Series - Round 8.
Sun 30th November '08, Plean Country Park, Stirling
Report: Andy Wardman
Pics: Trina Ritchie

Anja McDonald (winner of the women's race) and Jon Meredith (spot prize winner for best beard....again!)

For Round 8 the Scottish Cyclocross Series decamped to a classic 'cross venue - Plean Country Park near Stirling. With temperatures stubbornly sticking below zero it was a decidedly chilly affair, ok a flipping freezing affair! With much of the course totally frozen, riders were treated to fast rolling surfaces but also many super slippy turns, frozen ruts and icy patches, leading to sketchy moments all round and for most riders at least one crash during the race!

The good folk at Stirling Bike Club made the course quicker still this year by reversing the route from that used for the Scottish Champs race in 2007 and replacing some of the more technical singletrack sections and muddy grass bits with dirt road and path. This more euro-esque course included lots of dirt road, some nice flowing singletrack sections, a fast frozen mud rut descent, short steep run up, a long, gradual climb as well as a couple of short, steep descents. The course went down very well with riders and made for some close and exciting racing.

Youths, 11am

27 riders braved the elements for Race 1 - Youth boys and girls. Coming through in the lead at the end of lap 1 and looking very fast was downhill mountain biker Sam Flockhart, with Grant Ferguson next through a few seconds back, then a small gap to Patrick Galbraith and Charles Fletcher, who in turn were followed through by a larger group of riders.

By the end of lap 2 however, Galbraith had moved up to take the lead with a 5 second gap over Ferguson in 2nd and Flockhart in third. Over the ensuing laps Galbraith continued to ride strongly at the front extending his lead to take the win, his second in successive weeks, in fine style. Behind, Ferguson came in 27 seconds later to take second spot, despite frozen cables limiting his choice of gears! Flockhart rounded out the podium with an excellent ride in only his second cyclocross race.

Bex Reilly took the win in the Youth girls just ahead of Yuka Gallagher in 2nd and Louise Borthwick in 3rd spot.

Senior Men/Women/Vets/Juniors, 12.30pm

Start of the open race, Gallagher, Nimmo and Wardman lead off

A healthy field of 68 riders lined up for the start of the Open race, with 55 minutes of racing plus 1 lap ahead. With temperatures still below zero, full winter kit was the order of the day for most but a hardy few chose to race in normal race kit! They breed 'em tough in Scotland!

From the gun Iain Nimmo got the holeshot into the first fast downhill turn with the field lined out behind. Things soon started to fragment though thanks to some strong early attacks from Paul McInally. A lead group containing McInally, Nimmo, Hamish Creber, Kenta Gallagher and Andy Wardman soon formed at the front of the race. The lead group was quickly down to four though, as an unlucky Gallagher snapped his seatpost whilst remounting at the top of the run up. He would go on to ride the next few laps sans saddle before pitting to put in a new one!

By the start of lap 2 the leading group was down to three with Wardman dropping off the pace. The leading trio stayed together for the next couple of laps before Creber then dropped back a little. McInally and Nimmo continued to power along together at the front for a time before a crash by Nimmo gave McInally the opportunity to take sole lead of the race.

Eileen Roe took 2nd in the women's race

Alone out front, McInally continued to ride hard and for a while it looked like the race was his. However, behind Creber was on a charge and with around a quarter of the race to go, managed to bridge back up to McInally. With neither able to create a significant gap on the other, a sprint finish was looking ever more likely before Creber crashed overtaking a backmarker with just over a lap to go! This gave McInally all the gap he needed, which he duly held over the final lap to take a well deserved win, his first of the 2008 series. Creber came in just 11 seconds later to take second spot. Greig Walker rode a brilliant race to take 3rd place, ahead of Iain Nimmo in 4th and Andy Wardman in 5th.

Hamish Creber riding strong on his way to 2nd place in the open race

Creber's excellent second place also gave him the win in the Junior category from Kenta Gallagher in 2nd and Andrew Leith in 3rd. Iain Nimmo's 4th place ride in the Open Race also gave him another win in the Vets category. Steve Nicolson took 2nd (and a fine 7th overall) ahead of James Melville in 3rd.

McInally and Nimmo locked together at the front of the race

Open race winner McInally out front and on a mission

In the Women's race Anja McDonald had another fine ride to take her eighth straight win of the series. Eileen Roe took 2nd spot ahead Maddy Robinson in 3rd. Possibly the most impressive ride of the day was by Jac Strachan who managed to finish the race in 6th spot despite being the unfortunate victim of 5 crashes. Bravo!

Open race podium, Walker, McInally and Creber (L to R)

Womens podium - Robinson, McDonald & Roe

IslaBikes U12's races

All the under-12 riders recieved medals and goody bags

The www.islabikes.co.uk race was the final race of the day on a short but fun circuit that looped around the start/finish area. 20 riders lined up to tackle 10 minutes plus 1 lap of racing. U10 rider Jamie Willoughby was quickest off the mark and led the field for a while before being gradually overhauled by Adam Hughes and Connor Nally. These two battled it out for the lead with Hughes gaining the edge in the latter stages, only to be pipped by a fast finishing Rory Mellis on the final lap.

Hughes took 2nd spot in the U12's with Nally in 3rd. In the U12 girls Catherine Angus took the honours with a great ride that placed her 5th overall. Jamie Willoughby came in 4th overall and also won the U10's category from Calum Shackley in 2nd and Andrew Merry in 3rd. Cameron Mellis won the U8's with Ariana Willoughby in 2nd and Luke Adams on a singlespeed in 3rd.

Despite the bitingly cold conditions all the kids enjoyed the racing and each received a medal and a goody bag at the prize presentations for their efforts, courtesy of Stirling Bike Club. Well done all!

Prize Giving

With the chuck wagon doing a roaring trade, riders, spectators and officials huddled together around the start/finish for the prize presentations. First up were the U12's, with the top three in each age category receiving prizes and a trip to the podium. The top three's in the other categories also received additional prizes from race sponsors www.rockandroadcycles.co.uk , www.pedalpower.org.uk and Asda Distribution centre. Some spot prizes were also given out including a bar of soap to Jon Meredith for 'best beard'!

A very well done to Stirling Bike Club for putting on a great, well organised race with an excellent course. The marshals too were stars for not only standing in the freezing cold but also offering great encouragement all race long.

Race Pics

Trina Ritchie and others donned their winter woollies to capture the action from around the course - lots of great images are at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/scottishcyclocross/pool/

Next Up - Scottish Cyclocross Champs, Dundee, Sun 7th December
This Sunday Caird Park in Dundee is the venue for the Scottish Champs. An excellent undulating, fast parkland course awaits. With a strong field assembled, racing is sure to be close and exciting. No entries on the day for the championship races unfortunately but if you are an U12, entries will be taken on the day for this race. We'll have a full report next week.

Series Prizes

This year Bontrager are providing many fantastic prizes for the series overalls, including a set of Race Lite wheels for the Open Men's and Women's category winners. Other prizes will include workstands, tyres, trackpumps, cablesets and bar tape. Endura will also be providing some of their fine clothing for prizes. Updated series standings will be posted at www.scottishcyclocross.com soon.

Alongside www.bontrager.com and www.endura.co.uk these other fine folk are supporting the series:
www.islabikes.co.uk | www.bikelove.co.uk | www.glengormcastle.co.uk | www.swc.co.uk | www.hardie-bikes.com | www.cycle-aid.co.uk

SCX 8 - RESULTS

1 McInally Paul Rock & Road Cycles 1.07.17
2 Creber Hamish Sandy Wallace Cycles (J) at 11s
3 Walker Greig ERC at 1.01
4 Nimmo Iain Squadra Porcini (V) at 1.46
5 Wardman Andy VC Moulin at 2.21
6 Couper Stephen Dunfermline CC at 4.01
7 Nicholson Steve Dunfermline CC (V) at 4.06
8 Gallagher Kenta 777 MTB Racing (J) at 4.16
9 Melville James Glasgow United CC (V) at 7.05
10 Kentley Kenny Velo Ecosse (V) at 7.49
11 Dryden Neil Bike Works At 1 Lap(s).
12 Turnbull Andy Falkirk BC At 1 Lap(s).
13 (Unreadable) Alan Glasgow United CC (V) At 1 Lap(s).
14 Roe Brendan Leslie Bike (V) At 1 Lap(s).
15 Sheridan Steve Glasgow Ivy CC At 1 Lap(s).
16 Leith Andrew Discovery JCC (J) At 1 Lap(s).
17 Clark Ewan Drumlanrig.com (J) At 1 Lap(s).
18 Nally Mick Dunfermline CC (V) At 1 Lap(s).
19 Dow Alistair Bicycleworks (V) At 1 Lap(s).
20 Sabiston Kevin VC Azzuri (V) At 1 Lap(s).
21 Cutler Matt Glasgow Ivy CC (V) At 1 Lap(s).
22 Macdonald Tom Lomond Roads At 1 Lap(s).
23 Meredith Jon Telly Savalas Players Club At 1 Lap(s).
24 McDonald A VC Moulin (V) At 1 Lap(s).
25 Gannicote Arran - (J) At 1 Lap(s).
26 Cameron D. VC Moulin At 1 Lap(s).
27 Dickson Gordon Rockhard (V) At 1 Lap(s).
28 Ball Matthew National Clarion (V) At 1 Lap(s).
29 Thomson Drew Walkers Cycling At 1 Lap(s).
30 Field Steve Stirling BC (V) At 1 Lap(s).
31 Maclean Hamish Bicycleworks (V) At 1 Lap(s).
32 Marquis Chris Telly Savalas Players Club At 1 Lap(s).
33 Roe Eileen Swift Racing (J) At 1 Lap(s).
34 Durnan Gordon Bellahouston Road Runner (V) At 1 Lap(s).
35 Herbert Jonathan - At 1 Lap(s).
36 Keeley Michael Stirling BC At 1 Lap(s).
37 Brown Greg Glasgow Nightingale At 2 Lap(s).
38 Griffiths Adam - (V) At 2 Lap(s).
39 Russell Scott Walkers Cycling (V) At 2 Lap(s).
40 Lockhart Steve Walkers Cycling (V) At 2 Lap(s).
41 Wallace Sandy Sandy Wallace Cycles (V) At 2 Lap(s).
42 Muir Simon Bike Works At 2 Lap(s).
43 Williamson Mark VC Moulin At 2 Lap(s).
44 Graham Davie Glasgow United CC (V) At 2 Lap(s).
45 Robinson Maddy ERC At 2 Lap(s).
46 Forshaw Scott Glasgow Ivy CC (J) At 2 Lap(s).
47 Perkins Howard - (V) At 2 Lap(s).
48 McCluskey Stuart Glenmarnock Wheelers At 2 Lap(s).
49 Tovey Sian g3r At 2 Lap(s).
50 Burgess Jay Stirling BC At 2 Lap(s).
51 Taylor Andrew Drumlanrig.com (V) At 2 Lap(s).
52 Baugh Mark Stirling BC At 2 Lap(s).
53 Strachan Jac VC Moulin At 3 Lap(s).
54 Stewart Alister - At 3 Lap(s).
55 Nimmo Julie Walkers Cycling At 3 Lap(s).
56 Lapsley Craig Stirling BC At 3 Lap(s).
57 Hazlett J Glasgow Ivy CC (V) At 3 Lap(s).
58 Harris Anna Angus Bike Chain At 4 Lap(s).
59 Wilson James Falkirk BC (V) At 4 Lap(s).
60 Walker Fiona Walkers Cycling At 4 Lap(s).

 

Youths
1 Patrick Galbraith Velo Ecosse 40.18
2 Grant Ferguson Dooleys Cycles at 27s
3 Sam Flockhart Unreadable team/club at 46s
4 Charles Fletcher Cairngorm CC at 1.38
5 Sam Matthay? Edinburgh Racers at 1.48
6 Greg Brown Glasgow Nightingale at 1.55
7 Lewis Buchanan mtbcut/ oranges at 2.22
8 Mark Scott All terrain cycles at 2.33
9 Ross Green Stewartry Wheelers at 3.35
10 Stuart McCluskey Glenmarnock Wheelers at 4.06
11 Jack Taylor Drumlanrig at 4.55
12 Cameron Balfour PCC at 6.15
13 Fraser McGlone All terrain cycles at 6.49
14 Callum Chirnside Discovery JCC at 7.34
15 Kyle Yates Edinburgh Racers at 8.02
16 Joe Connell Kona/ Nissan at 8.48
17 Stuart Balfour PCC At 1 Lap(s).
18 Bex Reilly CD Bikes W At 1 Lap(s).
19 Yuka Gallagher 777 MTB Racing W At 1 Lap(s).
20 Richard Scales Stewartry Wheelers At 1 Lap(s).
21 Louise Borthwick Edinburgh RC W At 1 Lap(s).
22 Emma Atkinson 777 MTB Racing W At 1 Lap(s).
23 Joe Evans Edinburgh Racers At 1 Lap(s).
24 Rebecca Leith Discovery JCC W At 1 Lap(s).

Under-12
1 Mellis Rory Carnegie Cyclones U12
2 Hughes Adam Team Breakpad U12
3 Nally Conor Carnegie Cyclones U12
4 Willoughby Jamie Drumlanrig U10
5 Angus Catherine Carnegie Cyclones U12
6 Callander Robbie Wallace Warriors JCC U12
7 Brett Ian Wallace Warriors JCC U12 At 1 Lap(s).
8 Shackley Calum Glasgow Riderz U10 At 1 Lap(s).
9 Perkins Kyle Carnegie Cyclones U12 At 1 Lap(s).
10 Field Emily Wallace Warriors JCC U12 At 1 Lap(s).
11 Tunstall Thomas ERC U12 At 1 Lap(s).
12 Sean Noon - U12 At 1 Lap(s).
13 Merry Andrew Discovery JCC U10 At 1 Lap(s).
14 Mellis Cameron Carnegie Cyclones U8 At 1 Lap(s).
15 Callander Rhona Wallace Warriors JCC U12 At 1 Lap(s).
16 Willoughby Ariana Drumlanrig U8 At 1 Lap(s).
17 Field Ross Wallace Warriors JCC U12 At 2 Lap(s).
18 Paterson Andrew Wallace Warriors JCC U10 At 2 Lap(s)