Images: Steve Murphy
Date: 11th April 2022

The first Scottish Cycling National Championships of 2022 did not disappoint, as the junior men and women did battle on the roads of Fife to be crowned national champions, with Eilidh Shaw and Elijah Kwon victors on the day.

Shaw already has a burgeoning reputation as part of British Cycling’s Junior Academy, with some top-level results to her name, including victory at the Junior Tour of Mendip in 2021, whilst Kwon upgrades the bronze medal he won as a first year junior last summer.

The ladies led the way, the Scottish Junior Women’s Road Race Championships incorporated into the Eileen Roe Road Race, hosted by Dunfermline CC who once again did a sterling job of organising a national championships, something that wouldn’t happen without a team of brilliant volunteers.

As the flag dropped a field of strong women headed out for seven laps of the Lathalmond Circuit, which totalled 62km with 2,300ft of climbing. The small but strong field stayed together for the most part, but in the latter stage the hills really thinned things out before the attacks started.

Eventually a group of seven proved stronger than the rest, and they worked well to build a gap over the final couple of laps that would be almost two minutes by the finish line. As said line and the chequered flag approached, the attacks started in earnest, with Awen Roberts, Grace Lister and Shaw edging clear for a three-up sprint to the line. Roberts would take it, from Lister and Shaw, but the latter was first Scot home and secured the Scottish champion stripes for the next 12 months. Deeside’s Evie White would finish fourth, just six seconds back, to take the Scottish junior silver medal.

Wearing number one, you could have said the writing was on the wall for Shaw, who reflected:

“The bunch narrowed down on the hills throughout the first few laps then a group of 5 or 6 of us stayed away. We all worked well together with some through and off to keep the gap. It came down to a final sprint up the last climb into a headwind and it was pretty close to the line between us.

“It’s really cool to get my first Scottish champs jersey, especially on some familiar training roads!”

An hour later it was the men’s turn to duke it out, this time contesting the Jack Murray Junior Trophy over nine laps, some 77km that included nearly 3,000ft of elevation gain.

Unlike the women’s race, a group of five went up the road early on in proceedings, establishing a gap of almost one minute before the peloton started to take it seriously, get themselves organised and start to bring the riders out front under closer order.

By halfway it was back together, the peloton whittling down as the natural ebb and flow of racing, and the rolling course, did it’s job. With four to go came the next attack that would stick, as last year’s bronze medallist Elijah Kwon went on the offensive, and was joined by senior rider Marcin Kirsz.

Working well together, that pair quickly put time into the bunch, as Kwon’s The Cycling Academy teammates did a great job of controlling things and keeping the rest of the bunch together. By two laps to go the leaders had a gap of 45 seconds and it was starting to look like their long-range escapade had a decent chance of succeeding, and so it did.

Coming to the line together to contest the sprint, with the bunch having made no real inroads into their gap, Kirsz led it out, but the diminutive figure of Kwon showed his power to come round him in the final few metres, a perfectly timed sprint.

Speaking post-race, Kwon said:

“The race started out pretty hard, as after the first break went, which we had a rider in, it was our job to cover attacks, which there were many of. After a hard first hour the break was brought back and I made my decisive attack on the climb, bringing Marcin with me, and we quickly got to work establishing our gap. We worked well to build a margin to the peloton and any chasers.

“Coming into the finish I knew I had the Championship wrapped up but I still wanted the win and I had the legs to come round Marcin at the very end.

“I’ve been chasing a Scottish Championship for several years now and after my medal last year I knew I’d be able to win this year if I got it right. I’ve worked hard over the winter so to pull the win off means a great deal and it’s an incredible feeling looking at that jersey and the trophy!”

Once the victory was secured, his teammates could play their own cards, Finn Mason jumping away from the bunch to take silver, third across the line, with Calum Moir of Zappi next home to secure the junior bronze medal at the end of a brilliant day of racing.

Fell results can be found here