Report: Scotland's Juniors!

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Report: Scotland's Juniors!

Posted on: 14th June 2011

Article by: Mark McKay

Sunday March 20th saw 4 Scottish juniors racing in the Cadence Junior Road Race, south Wales in round 1 of British Cycling's National Junior Road Race Series. Grant Ferguson (Boardman Elite), Stuart McCluskey (Team Leslie) and Jack Barrett (Stirling BC) travelled south together on the Friday evening to reccy the course on the Saturday whilst Taylor Johnstone (De Vere) being London based, travelled west on the Sunday morning.

The main race report is here

http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20110321-Report-Cadence-Road-Race-0

The Scottish view:

After the whole race spent in the leading group, Jack Barrett rode to a brilliant 4th place, just failing by a wheel to claw himself into a podium place on the tough finishing hill. Earlier, Jack had used his developing racing guile to slot comfortably into a move in the first half lap. This attack was soon mopped up, however Jack was keen to keep trying and after following many forward moving wheels, he eventually found himself in a group of 9 moving steadily off the front of the bunch. After a few splits in this break they soon settled into a rhythm that would take them all the way to the line some 60 miles later - eventual winner and ODP rider, Jon Dibben, the only other rider to get up to them!

This was super tough national level junior racing and back in the bunch, both Taylor Johnstone and Stuart McCluskey were part of many skirmishes that tried but failed to get across to the leading group. With some top rate bunch sprinting though, they both managed to finish the race in the top 20.

Grant Ferguson, just back from an ODP warm weather training camp seemed to be suffering from "training camp legs", eventually sitting up and saving himself for another day. Meanwhile Jack, deciding to leave his sprint late on the final 1km uphill drag, just couldn't get past the slowing Ali Slater and had to settle for 4th place equalling the best recent junior national level performance by Robbie Hassan who managed 4th on stage 4 of the 2009 Junior Tour of Wales.

More to come from these guys in 2011 we think! Watch this space...