It hardly seems a year since our aspiring young cyclists came to the line and competed for Scottish national glory…but it’s almost exactly that! Some faces have moved on into the senior ranks and there is a new batch of riders coming through…but it’s been great to see the evolution of some of the riders that we’ve become used to seeing. For some, it’s their last year at the level and they were all keen to get everything from these Championships.
We started with Round 1 of the Junior Men 3000m Individual Pursuit…the event that would top and tail this Friday evening of the Championships. The talk was of Matthew Burke (Team Backstedt/Hotchillee) as the hot ticket and he didn’t disappoint, covering the distance in a time of 3.32.620. This was 3 seconds quicker than Dylan Hughes (Spokes RT) in second spot to set up the ride-off for Gold. Alexander MacRae (Pro Vision Scotland) lost out to Burke in the heat but was quick enough to set up the ride-off for Bronze with Calum Shackley (Glasgow Cycle Team).
In the Bronze ride-off Calum Shackley couldn’t hold off Alexander MacRae and MacRae took Bronze in a time of 3.37.310.
In the final, Dylan Hughes ended with a time of 3.35.400 but there was no holding Matthew Burke who came home in a time of 3.26.620 to take Gold, all but catching his man before the line.
In the Junior Women 500m Time Trial Lauren Liversidge (Deeside Thistle CC) was first up and set a time of 43.480. The next race saw the experienced Lusia Steele (Glasgow Cycle Team) up against the equally experienced Jenny Holl (Team Jaden-Weldtite), multi-champions both. Steele would come out on top despite missing the bell and posted a time of 37.820 to Holl’s 38.160 to take Gold.
Next we had the Youth A Girls 500m Time Trial with three riders taking part. Georgia Young (East Kilbride RC) went first and set a time of 43.120. In Heat 2 we had teammates Abby Stewart and Anna Shackley (Glasgow Riderz) and it was Abby Stewart who came out on top with a time of 40.810 to her teammate’s 41.070 to take Gold.
The first mass-start event was the Youth B Boys and Youth B Girls 8k Scratch Race and it was a spirited affair. First across the line by a clear two lengths was Daniel Kain (Ythan CC) to take Gold. Next to finish was Callum Reid (Speedflex RT) to take Silver but third spot overall went to Imani Pereira-James (East Kilbride RC) to win the Girls race and take Gold. Bronze in the Boys race went to Keir Roberts (East Kilbride RC) and Eva Young, finishing closely behind Pereira-James took second in the Girls event with Morven Yeoman rounding out the podium in third.
The Youth A Boys 12k Scratch Race had high drama and had to be stopped halfway through due to a crash. Alfie George (Discovery Juniors) was in attacking mood and was setting out to gain a lap. There was a touch of wheels in the pack behind him and suddenly bikes were being catapulted through the air, in imminent danger of coming over the barriers. Luckily that didn’t happen but it took some time to clear the track of riders and bikes. They were all walking wounded and, after a short break, the race could be restarted.
Immediately, Jamie Penny (Discovery Juniors) attacked which was all the more remarkable as he’s been suffering from a hamstring injury. He held out for a few laps before finally being reeled in and it was his teammate Alfie George who once again took up the reins. Attacking and counter-attacking, eventually he and Kyle Thomas (Edinburgh RC) had a lead coming into the last lap. Onto the home straight and he easily took the sprint with Thomas coming home for Silver. Closer though was the sprint for third, and the Bronze medal, with Jack Cruden (Glasgow Cycle Team) fighting it out with Matti Dobbins (Johnstone Wheelers CC). Dobbins took the sprint by the narrowest of margins and in doing so gained the Bronze medal.
With the women taking to the track for the Junior Women and Youth A Girls 10k Scratch Race it quickly came down to a sort-out between Rhona Callander (Team Jaden-Weldtite), Gemma Penman (Glasgow Cycle Team) and Anna Shackley (Glasgow Riderz). All three set off and quickly gained a lap on the field which began to fragment into small groups, Georgia Mansfield (RT23) being the only rider to resist for any length of time. As soon as they’d gained the lap, Rhona Callander went out on her own but the other two eventually brought her back with 10 laps still to go. Looking lively, Callander thought about going again but decided to hold off for the final sprint. With a lap and a half to go, Callander led from the front with Penman staying with her. Anna Shackley had more than held on until this point, all the more remarkable as she is in the Youth A category.
Coming onto the home straight it was touch and go as Penman and Callander sprinted it out, with the Team Jaden-Weldtite rider narrowly taking the win and the Gold. Gemma Penman took home the Silver with Anna Shackley coming home in third spot to take her group Gold and the Bronze overall. Finishing behind her Abby Stewart took second in the Youth A’s with Georgia Young taking third spot.
This ended the first day of three in these Championships so if anyone wants to come and see top class competition the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome is the place to be. Racing commences tomorrow at 10:30am.
Find out how Day 2 and Day 3 went.
