Words Mark McGhee | Photos The Press Room
The opening round of the 2015 ScottishPower Youth Road Series was hosted by Edinburgh road club this weekend at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston. It was a cold start to the series ; 2 degrees C but with a stiff breeze making it feel more like -5, and a headwind up the finishing straight to test the riders.
Not that you’d have noticed from the performances these up and coming racers produced. In the morning’s A race all of the running came from Steven Dent (Nevis Cycles RT) who was pushing at the head of a break of four containing Joe Nally (www.Hardie-Bikes.com), Sean Flynn from the host club Edinburgh Road Club and Struan Pryde (Deeside Thistle CC). The rest of the field was strung out with Charlie Johnston (Team Thomsons Cycles) leading the chase.
Three laps from home and Nally attacked only to be eventually clawed back by Flynn leading the others up to his wheel. They stayed together until the finishing straight with Steven Dent getting the better of Joe Nally and Struan Pryde. In the afternoon race on the extended circuit Nally comprehensibly got his own back, earning the ‘Most Combative Rider’ prize in doing so.
Dent forced the pace early on once again and strung the field out. This time however Innes Johnston (Glasgow Riderz) took a flier and led the field for a lap. Nally wasn’t about to let anyone get away though and pushed the group in pursuit. We then had a lead group of six riders followed by chase group of four with three more trying to get back on terms. Altogether once again as they approached the prime sprint and Dent was looking good as he took the line just ahead of Nally. The pair pushed on but within half a lap Nally had left Dent to drift back to the group and set about forging a lead.
Each time around the gap was bigger and it soon became clear that he wouldn’t be caught. By the time he crossed the line he had over a minute’s lead and could enjoy the finish. The sprint for second was taken out by Dent from Alexander MacRae (Marton Race Team) with Flynn coming home in fourth.
In the Girl’s A race Jenny Holl (Stirling BC) was in a class of her own taking off and leaving her Stirling BC teammates to chase. She easily took the win in both races leading home a Stirling BC 1-2-3 ahead of Amber King and Emily Field in both events.
In the B races Alfred George (Discovery Junior CC) proved unstoppable in both events. In fact both events finished in the same order with George taking the wins ahead of Jack Cruden (Glasgow Riderz), Alexander Dent (Nevis Cycles RT) and Jamie Johnston (Team Thomsons Cycles).
In the second event, George took the prime and then he and Cruden tried to get away as they had done in the morning but this time the chase group led by Johnston had clawed them back by the bell. With the main players watching each other it came down to the home straight where George used his superior power to see off Cruden and Johnston.
In the Girl’s events, the racing was kept more even with the main players sticking to each other for most of both races. Both wins were taken by Anna McGorum (Peebles CC) and in fact we had a full podium of Annas as Anna Flynn (Edinburgh RC) took second in both events with Anna Shackley (Glasgow Riderz) in third spot.
In the C races Callum Reid (Rock and Road Cycles) was a worthy winner even taking to the grass at one point in the first race when he overcooked a corner. In the Girl’s event it proved to be a profitable weekend for the McGorum family as Elena McGoram (Peebles CC) took both events and the prime. In both races second spot went to Imani Pereira-James (Glasgow Riderz) with Elidh Shaw (Royal Albert CC) in third.
It may have been a freezing cold day but the racing proved to be red hot.
Roll on Round 2 at Glasgow Green on the 28th March. Get entered today
