It might be dreich outside but there was plenty of racing action to get stuck into over the weekend, with Lauren Bell leading a number of Scots in Portugal as well as CX and BMX racing at home.
Anadia
A number of Scots were racing in Portugal at the UCI Class 1 Troféu Internacional de Pista Artur Lopes Track event in Anadia.
Lauren Bell didn’t take long to get her 2023 started, claiming the win in the 500m Time Trial with a 34.872. The gold against the clock followed the Forres rider’s silver in the Women’s Sprint, only narrowly missing out to fellow GB rider Katy Marchant.
Bell’s time in qualifying for the sprint of 10.888 for 200m, has provisionally broken her own Scottish national record, subject to ratification.
While Jack Carlin was also returning to action, winning silver in the Men’s Keirin, and finishing seventh in the Sprint. In the endurance events, Ross Birrell finished in 15th place with Josh Charlton in the Men’s Madison, as well as a 23rd place finish in the Omnium.
All round, it was perfect preparation for next weekend’s British Track Championships in Newport.
Keep your eyes peeled on Scottish Cycling’s social channels for our preview of the British Champs over the next few days.
Kirroughtree CX
Kirroughtree Forest is no stranger to the Scottish MTB XC community, but it played host to a regional Cyclocross race on Sunday, organised by Galloway Hillbillies.
Results will be available on the link below, once published.
Broadwood BMX
It may have been sodden on Sunday in Cumbernauld but the Scottish winter didn’t stop 54 riders from Cumbernauld Centurions, plus 14 from other clubs, taking part in the latest round of their Winter Series.
Full results are available on their Sqorz page, which can be found by clicking below.
RACE National
This weekend saw the Scottish Cycling performance staff deliver a RACE National weekend for the Cross Country Mountain Bike riders.
The riders were given a masterclass from Scottish Institute of Sport (SIS) psychologist Dr Misha Botting on the importance of sport psychology, with examples on how changes to mindset can improve performance. The athletes were also put through their paces with a range of strength-based exercises with Sprint Lead Ryan Lateward as an introduction to Strength and Conditioning.
The afternoon saw SIS nutritionist Dr Nikos Jakubiak provide a talk on nutrition myths and how to fuel as an athlete, before a physiology masterclass from SIS’s Tom Bridge, with a focus on monitoring effort and training zones. The riders then finished the day with a rollers session.
Sunday saw some cross-training for the athletes with a BMX session at Knightswood, and a chance to try out some slightly smaller bikes.
