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SCU
XC 02 Round 3 - Contin
The low cloud and constant rain showers meant that the start
to the day was looking extremely grim. Those races that started
at 11am had to endure these, which made the already technical
course extremely greasy.
The course involved long sections of fire roads with even
longer sections of rough undulating singletrack. The small
pieces of 'Northshore' bridges over burns and logs caught
many riders out in the early part of the day, while the long
steep descents towards the later sections of the course claimed
Catherine Niblock (Riks Bike Shed) who had to pull out of
her junior race with a sprained wrist.
The upwards journey from Stirling had added interest when
we got to Aviemore where I remembered that I had left my Camelbak
behind and had to purchase a bottle and cage from the local
bike shop. With only 750ml of flattened Coca Cola to last
three laps of the 6-mile course, I had to make sure to spread
this out since I normally would drink 500ml per lap.
The junior race got off to a fast start with Douglas Shearer
(Wheels of Callander / Stirling Bike Club) following David
Wardell (Sandy Wallace Cycles) up the first climb. David's
younger brother Robert soon caught the pair and continued
to make headway on first place. David abandoned at the end
of the first lap, leaving his younger brother to take the
top honours. Steven Paterson came close to catching Shearer
in the later stages of the race, but a fast second half lap
put two minutes between them on the descent. Robert Wardell
finished first, Douglas Shearer second, and Steven Paterson
in third.
The now drier course caught out many of the sport riders
who at the last minute had decided to change their semi-slick
tyres for a mud specific tyre which although more sure on
the muddy parts of the course, its extra weight and drag meant
that it was slower on the drier sections. Some sections were
still so muddy that the faster riders were running them, and
the slower ones were using them as a chance to rest around
the gruelling course.
In the elite race again had lowered entry numbers as many
of the riders were in England competing at the Commonwealth
qualification race. This gave Chris Murley (Sandy Wallace
Cycles) the perfect chance to take a surprise win over series
leader, Craig Hardie (Hardie Cycles).
The expert race had a blistering start that left many of
the riders blown apart in the wake of Stephen Martin (Riks
Bike Shed) who came in second behind Kenny Kentley (Velo Eccosse).
Thanks go to:
- My dad, for the chauffeuring me to and from the race.
- Bothy Bikes, Aviemore, for being open.
Douglas Shearer.
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