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Race Reports 2009 |
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ELGIN CYCLING CLUB |
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Established 1981 |
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Early Season Races - March/April After the cold months of winter training Elgin Cycling Club riders started their 2009 racing season in fine style with results that show promise for the season ahead. Young David Hutcheson travelled South twice during March but due to mechanical problems was unable to finish either of the events he entered. Kevin Lackie was next to start at the end of March where a large field gathered for a 16 mile hilly Garlogie/Echt course and finished 12th in a time of 39mins 49secs, the winner being Ray Wilson of Sandy Wallace Cycles (36.14). George Findlater, Kevan Sturgeon & Kevin Lackie then represented the Club in the Bob Souter memorial 10 mile time trial at Garlogie on Sunday 5th April. A strong field rode the event on a windy but dry day with the event being won by Peter Ettles of Forres Cycling Club in an excellent time of 21mins 48secs ahead of Jon Copp Sandy Wallace Cycles (22.04) and Norman Skene of Granite City Racing Team (23.07). Lackie secured a top10 placing with a time of 24.12, Sturgeon and Findlater were also well up the order with 25.01 and 26.41 respectively. With the cobwebs now blown away these Elgin riders will be targeting more events locally and across Scotland as the year progresses.
Makie Tankard 25 - 12 April, Garlogie 25 - 18 April & Elgin 10 - 19 April 2009 Elgin CC has been well represented around the country over the last couple of weekends in early season races as the riders search for their racing form. Kevin Lackie travelled to Freuchie in Fife on the 12th April representing the Club in the Mackie Tankard 25 mile time trial and produced a solid performance to finish in the top half of a high quality field in a time of 61mins 43seconds. The event was won by Forres CC rider Peter Ettles in an excellent time of 54m 43secs. On Saturday 18th three riders headed to Garlogie near Aberdeen for the Spring Bunny 25 mile TT and all three had excellent times on a very testing course, Lackie was the best placed on the day in a time of 60.30 for 5th place with Kenny Philpot (60.51) & Kevan Sturgeon (62.21) placing well up the field, the event was won by Fife rider Ray Wilson in a time of 55.26. Sunday 19th saw Elgin’s own Sheriffston 10 mile TT with a large contingent of local riders taking part. There were some excellent rides by local riders on a very bright but cold morning in the event which was won by Deeside Thistle’s Ian Humphries in a time of 22mins 31secs. First Elgin rider was Kenny Philpot (23.55) for a top ten place from a very strong field. One of the best rides of the day came from young David Hutchison who produced a tremendous time (25.14) to get within 1 second of his personal best at the distance to finish as the fastest junior - David will undoubtedly go on to challenge at junior level across the country. The other home riders were Kevin Lackie (24.01); Ian Cruickshank (26.01); Kevin Hardman (26.03); Frank Barron (27.57) and Peter McLean (28.02).
Jason McIntyre Memerial 10, Culloden 10 & APR - 25/26 April 2009 Elgin Riders have once again been to the fore in races around the country over the weekend. Kevin Lackie was first to start on Saturday with a long trip to Fort William where he competed in the 10 mile Memorial Race for Jason MacIntyre. Jason was the reigning national time trial champion and was killed while training in a collision with a lorry while training in anticipation racing at the Bejing Olympics. Lackie finished highly placed in a very large field with a time of 23mins 40secs in the event won by Jim Cusick of Glasgow Couriers (21.33). On Sunday the races were closer to home at Culloden Moor, first up was a 10 mile time trial won by Michael Nicolson of Glasgow based Dooleys Road Team (22.31) with Elgin riders showing their developing early season form on a very challenging course. Kevin Lackie (24.18); George Findlater (26.01) and young David Hutcheson (26.03) were Elgin’s representatives and all three were in the prizes in their relevant age groups, David 2nd Junior, George 2nd Vet & Kevin 3rd Vet on age standards. Sunday afternoon saw the first group racing in the North of Scotland and this saw an exciting event of 5 laps around a 6 mile circuit which included a brutal climb. The event was an Australian Pursuit Race where groups start at handicapped times based on previous results. Elgin were represented by Kevan Sturgeon, Kenny Philpot, David Hutcheson and George Findlater on a sunny & windy afternoon Matthew Hamilton (Discovery Juniors) from group 2 rode away on his own from the start and was never seen again winning by almost 3 mins. Elgin riders were placed in groups 2, 3 & 4 and worked hard to get all three groups together and catching all except Hamilton. The hard work told on Philpot who was the back marker from Elgin in group 4 and he was dropped on lap 4, young David Hutcheson feeling the effects of the morning race rode well for 3 laps before also being dropped. Findlater and Sturgeon used all their skills and experience and rode strongly throughout, working extremely hard to stay ahead of the fast men from group 5 finishing in 6th and 7th position and picking up prizes for 2nd & 3rd Vets.
Forres TT Weekend - 2/3 May 2009 Elgin Cycling Club riders had a busy weekend with three races around Forres on Saturday and Sunday with several having their first outing of the year. Saturday afternoon saw a 10 mile time trial from Kinloss to Roseisle and back and the wind made this very fast to Roseisle with many riders hitting speeds of 35+mph but extremely hard on the return leg with riders struggling into the strong head wind. The event was won by Moray Firth’s rising star Peter Alexander from Inverness in a time of 22mins 15secs, an excellent ride by Kenny Philpot saw him as the best placed Elgin rider in 24.34 for a top ten placing with strong rides by other Elgin riders Kevin Lackie (24.48), George Findlater (26.28) and Peter Mclean (29.39). Sunday morning then saw a 25 mile time trial on the Newton Toll – Forres - Roseisle course and with no reduction in the wind speed there should have been no fast times. This was proven wrong when the reigning Scottish 25 mile champion Mark Atkinson from Sandy Wallace Cycles rode an amazing 54mins 28secs to win by 3 mins. Elgin riders mounted a stiff challenged to other top riders on the demanding morning with Philpot again returning the fasted Elgin time (61.56), followed by Lackie (62.30), Kevan Sturgeon (64.00), Kevin Hardman (68.15), Ian Cruickshank (70.21) & Frankie Barron (73.02). The looks of achievement and relief on the faces of the riders as finished highlighted the pain that had been endured during the ride with the long leg into the wind to Forres and there was still more to come. The afternoon saw a 17 mile hilly time trial from Forres – Dallas – Pluscarden – Forres and two Elgin riders faced the starter, Lackie completing his weekend’s races and Martin Flynn a rider who relishes the challenge of these non-standard events. The field was split into classifications based on previous results with both Elgin riders finishing 4th in their classification. There is also a competition for all three races which saw Lackie finishing in 5th position with a combined race time of 2hrs 16mins. Elgin’s own time trial race league commences on Wednesday. The league is designed to allow the racing and fun riders to compete with each other on a handicapped basis and to introduce new riders to the sport.
Scottish 10 & Ross-Shire Roads 25 - 16/17 May 2009 Elgin riders carried on their busy season of racing with far travelling veteran Kevin Lackie heading to Newton Mearns on Saturday to represent the club at the Scottish 10 mile time trial championship. Lackie produced a strong ride on a very windy day on a challenging hilly course to return a time of 23mins 59 seconds to rise just above the 25mph average speed for the distance and finish well into the top half of the field of over 100 competitors. The event was won by pre-race favourite Arthur Doyle of Dooleys Road Team from Glasgow (20.46), but the shock of the day was produced by 45 year old Moray man & track specialist Peter Ettles from Forres CC finishing second (20.56) to narrowly miss the gold medal and only riding the race as part of his preparation for his years track programme. Sunday saw four Elgin riders travel to Invergordon for a 25 mile time trial and all four produced excellent rides to make the trip North worthwhile. The race was one by former Scottish Champion Carlos Riise from Shetland Wheelers in a time of 55 minutes, Kenny Philpot was the fastest of the Elgin riders with a time of 60mins 3seconds for 8th place, closely followed by Kevin Lackie (60.50) 9th, Kevan Sturgeon (61.54) 13th and young David Hutchison (64.11) 17th overall and winning the junior prize in what was a new personal best for the distance. The Elgin riders are now searching for their racing form with the North of Scotland 10 mile championship on Saturday during Elgin’s May Montage racing weekend. The Montage sees riders compete at 2 events at Pluscarden on Saturday and a further 2 on Sunday at Duffus. Locally the Wednesday evening club time trial league is in full swing with 2 events completed and the riders are enjoying this competitive but friendly series.
Moray May Montage & Drumlithie 25 - 23/24 May 2009 Elgin Cycling Club hosted the Moray May Montage last weekend, a series of 4 different events over the two days. First up was a 10-mile time trial that was also the North of Scotland Championship on the Pluscarden course. Elgin riders faired well amongst tough competition with Kenny Philpot in 5th spot in 23.26 and Kevin Lackie close behind in 8th recording 23.43. They were joined by Kevin Hardman to win the team championship, who’s 25.07 was a personal best. Peter McLean was another with a lifetime best. He pulled out all the stops to record 27.10. Also impressing was Al and Julie Sutton on the tandem. Their 26.48 set a new Scottish mixed veterans record. Jimmy Boyd, in his first competitive outing was unfortunate to puncture after 3 miles. Peter Ettles, Forres CC, fresh from his silver medal at the Scottish championship won the event in a new course record of 21.16 from Peter Alexander, Moray Firth CC (22.28) and David Black, Sandy Wallace Cycles (22.34). With only a couple of hours rest the riders were back in the saddle again for the Pluscarden 18-mile hilly taking in the infamous Califer hill. Peter Alexander was the victor in 49.57 from Gregor Grant, unattached, 52.12. Elgin times were Kenny McIver (58.44) and Jimmy Boyd (1.02.48). Sunday’s events were based at Duffus and the first was a 2up team time trial. A small entry saw several composite teams although the main awards are for Club pairings. The winners of this category were Scot Tares and Toby Green of Perth United in a time of 38.08 for the 14 miles. The final event was a handicap road race based on the same circuit but an extra lap and a half took the distance up to 28 miles. Elgin rider Martin Flynn took full advantage of his good handicap grouping and spent the whole race out in front on his own. He looked certain to win with 3 miles to go but in true Tour de France style he was caught by the fast moving scratch group in the last 100 metres and faded to 4th spot. Peter Alexander crossed the line first for the win which also netted him the overall Montage Trophy. Jim McLoughlin, Forres CC and Ivor Reid, Clachnacuddin CC were 2nd and 3rd respectively. Meanwhile Kevan Sturgeon and Kenny Philpot travelled to Drumlithie for a 25-mile time trial on the course to be used for the Scottish championship in a few weeks time and both turned in excellent performances. With a rising and blustery southerly head wind to contend with for the outward leg, times were never going to be fast but Philpot’s 1.00.09 and Sturgeon’s 1.01.12 placed them well to the front of the field. Peter Ettles won his second event of the weekend with a polished 54.37. Second place went to Chris Smart, Glasgow Couriers (55.33) from Jon Copp, Sandy Wallace Cycles (55.50).
Forres 10, 25 & 30 APR - 6/7 June 2009 Last weekend saw some good hard racing in the Forres area with three events run by Forres CC. Saturday had a 10 mile time trial at Kinloss which was run in very windy conditions and a four Elgin riders took part. Kenny Philpot continued his recent good form with a time of 23mins 29secs for 5th place in the race won by Mark Atkinson from Sandy Wallace Cycles in a remarkable time of 21.05. Other Elgin riders were Kevin Lackie (24.09); George Findlater (25.09) and long distance specialist Peter Mclean making a rare outing in the short distance race (27.34). Sunday morning’s event was a 25m TT run in torrential rain and the riders that turned out had to fight hard to complete the course. Peter Ettles from Forres showed his national level form winning the event in a time of 54.26 with Kenny Philpot the best placed Elgin rider in 6th place (61.07). Other Elgin times were Kevin Lackie (61.34) and Kevan Sturgeon (63.41). The final event was a handicap road race with riders allocated to groups based on previous performance and George Findlater was the Elgin representative in the race. Todays event was won by Mark Murray Moray Firth CC who won by 2 minutes escaping the first group and keeping the chasing riders at bay until the finish. Findlater rode strongly throughout and in a hard fought finish he claimed third place.
Scottish Cycling 25 Championship - 21 June 2009 Three Elgin Cycling Club riders were on their travels again on Sunday 21st June when they competed in the Scottish National 25 mile time trial championship on the A90 dual carriageway course from Fordoun – Strathcathro. The event was won by Arthur Doyle of Dooleys Cycles (51.33) continuing his tremendous form and adding to the 10 mile TT championship he won in May. Kevan Sturgeon was the earliest of the Elgin starters in a the large field and he set a high standard for his team mates to follow with a time of 59mins 14secs going “under the hour” for the first time in some years and proving that dedication and hard work pay off. Kenny Philpot was the next of the Elgin riders and posted the fastest time of the trio maintaining his good form (58.23) just edging out Kevin Lackie (58.34) to take the Elgin honours and lead the Elgin team to a high placing in the team event with a time of 2hrs 56mins 11secs. It is very unusual for three members of North Cycling Clubs to post sub-hour rides at this distance in a single event and the trio hope to repeat this as the warm summer days aid faster racing.
Scottish Cycling 50 Championship & Vets 25 Championship - 11 July 2009 Last weekend saw many Elgin riders take to the roads competing at the national 50 mile time trial championship at Invergordon and the Scottish Veteran’s (SVTTA) 25 mile time trial championship at Stirling. Saturday saw the national 50 mile TT championship which also incorporated the North of Scotland Championship (NOSCA) with three Elgin riders competing and reaping rewards for their efforts. The national event was won by Michael Nicholson from Glasgow Wheelers in a time of 1hour 51m 16s and Elgin riders turned out excellent performances on a hard windy evening, overcoming mechanical problems and winning an individual bronze and the team gold in the NOSCA championship. Fastman Kenny Philpot was the quickest of the Elgin riders and although he suffered slightly in the latter stages for a very fast early pace he maintained his composure to record a time of 2.07.18 to win the individual NOSCA bronze and then backed by Al Sutton who overcame a broken handlebars (2.24.51) and long distance specialist Peter McLean turning out his second best ever 50 (2.27.35) led the team to the NOSCA gold. Sunday saw Kevin Lackie represent the club at Stirling and finishing in the top 12 of the SVTTA “25” in a time of 58m 39s, the event being won by Graeme Cockburn from Glasgow (54.52).
Caithness 25, 10 & 11 Hilly - 18/19 July 2009 Thurso in Caithness was the destination for a small contingent of Elgin CC riders at the weekend and the long trip proved worthwhile over a busy weekend of racing. First up on Saturday was the North of Scotland (NOSCA) 25 mile time trial championship held on a very wet and breezy Thurso to Wick Course. Kenny Philpott rode very strongly to win a bronze medal to match the one he won the previous week in the 50 mile championship in a time of 60mins 36secs and once again lead Elgin to the NOSCA team gold with Kevin Lackie (60.52) and Al Sutton (68.28) completing the team. The event was one by the Ian Black of Sandy Wallace Cycles in a marvellous time of 55.39. Sunday saw Al Sutton remain in Caithness to brave similar conditions to Saturday with a 10 mile time trial in the morning (26.17) and a hilly 11 mile time trial in the afternoon (34.33). The events were both won by Peter Alexander of Moray Firth CC from Inverness (21.59 & 25.47). Sutton’s consistently over the 3 events were rewarded with a top10 placing for the overall weekend competition with a combined time of 2hours10mins 18seconds.
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As reported in The Northern Scot |