The final weekend of November was full of racing action with Scottish elite track riders smashing it on the continent as well as the latest round of the SCX series taking place on Sunday in Kinneil.
Kinneil X
The seventh round of the Scottish CX Series took place yesterday with the Kinneil X, run by Falkirk Junior Bike Club.
In the combined Women’s race, Daisy Taylor produced another excellent ride to cross the line first and win the Junior race – it’s three wins in the past four rounds for the Royal Albert CC rider. Series leader Isla Easto (JRC-Interflon) was able to consolidate her series lead as the second junior ride to cross the line, with Aileigh Easton (Discovery Junior CC) in third.
Second across the line was Jane Barr (Velocity 44), who claimed the win in the Seniors by one and a half minutes from Natalie Munro and Lauren Johnston who round out the podium spots. The victory for Barr, her third in the past four rounds, extends the Velocity 44 rider’s lead over Munro in the series standings to 55 points. Sian Tovey finished in sixth place and won the Vet 40 race.
There was a great tussle in the Senior Men’s race as newly crowned national champion Gary MacDonald (Nevis Cycles RT) battled with Neil Scott (Deeside Thistle) for the victory. After swapping the lead in the midpoint of the race, national champion and series leader MacDonald was able to ride away from the Deeside rider in the final few laps. While Ronde Cycling Club’s Grant Scott was able to claim third place, his best result of the season.
In the Junior Men’s, Ruan Vorster (West Lothian Clarion) continued his strong form to claim his second win of the season. While home rider Cameron Archibald (Falkirk Junior BC) produced his best ride of the season, only finishing 11 seconds behind Vorster to finish second – his first podium of the series. Sam Barbour (SteppingStanes) was not far behind them both in third.
Track Champions League
The fast-paced UCI Track Champions League headed to France with the third round taking place at the Velodrome National de St-Quentin-En-Yvelines – which will host the track action at the 2024 Olympics.
Katie Archibald was coming off the back of taking maximum points in Berlin and continued in the same vain with another excellent victory in the elimination race as well as a second place in the scratch race. It leaves Archibald heading into the final two rounds this weekend in London at LeeValley Velopark, just a point off the American Jennifer Valente at the top of the standings.
For Mark Stewart it was another solid showing, the Dundonian stays in contention in the Men’s Endurance league with a fifth place in the elimination and ninth place in the scratch leaving him in fourth place, 12 points off leader Claudio Imhof with 80 to play for in the final rounds in London this weekend.
4 jours d’Genevé
As well as winning the Braveheart Trophy at the Scottish Cycling Awards, Kate Richardson was having a great weekend in Switzerland at the Four Days of Geneva.
On Thursday, Richardson partnered with Maddie Leech in her first ever Madison and claim the victory, before following it up with a second in the Madison chase and a fifth in the Flying Lap. A solo ninth place in the Scratch Race would also come the Alba Development rider’s way.
Friday saw the pair win the Madison chase and Madison elimination to lead in the General Classification. A brace of second places on the final night saw the duo claim second place in the overall. Not a bad result for a debut madison.
