Ythan rolls out first Grampian road race of the season
On the evening of Thursday 18thApril Ythan CC hosted the first of the Grampian evening road races, held on a demanding course comprising three loops of the Kinharrachie, Ythanbank, Raxton, Ardlethen circuit.
From 4:30 onwards, YCC took over the Ellon Community Campus as around 60 riders set up bikes and turbos and started warming up, full of anticipation – and maybe some trepidation – for the race ahead.
The riders were escorted through the centre of Ellon by the safety car to the right turn at Kinharrachie. Once the race convoy was en route to Ythanbank, and the commissaire was satisfied, the flags were dropped and the race was on.
Fast-paced from the off, a group made a break-away before the race reached Raxton for the first ascent. Raxton would prove to be a deciding factor on all 3 laps, with the race breaking into smaller groups during each lap.
At the end of lap 1 a group of around 15 riders had forged a break of about 1 minute from group 2. By the end of lap 2 this lead had extended to 1:40, but Raxton would further reduce the group to 12 riders, with the others dropping back to group 2. Four female riders had also grouped, and were contesting their own race.
What was noticeable between group 1 and the other groups was the way they were working as a chain gang, with a very organised rotation, minimising the amount of time each rider spent at the front. Hence the average speed of the group was high.
On the 3rdand final lap, as group 1 approached Ardlethen, the pace slowed as the riders conserved energy for the final sprint. A game of cat and mouse ensued, but no riders committed to the attack. This resulted in a mass sprint for the finish up the hill towards the Kinharrachie junction, which was won by Jono Hunter of team Sparta Breda.
Jonathan Cordiner was the first Ythan rider back, in 30thplace in the middle of a large group of riders in the 3rdgroup, with Stuart King and Steve Rae close behind.
Jenny Noble came 3rdin the women’s race, crossing the line in a photo finish with the second placed rider. The women’s race was won by Laura Sarkis, of Velocita Coaching Race Team.
Ythan CC would like to thank the staff and janitors at the Community Campus for all their help with the event, the 30 plus volunteers who helped manage and marshal the event, and also the general public for their patience on the open roads, which all helped keep the riders safe and the race incident free.
Scottish National Junior Women’s Road Race Championship 2019: Eileen Roe Shield RR. Saturday 13th April
Kathleen Thomson was the only Ythan rider that travelled to Dunfermline for the Jack Murray Women’s Road Race Championship, held over a 61km course in the countryside around Lathalmond. Kath finished in 19thplace, having completed 7 laps of a 7.71 km circuit with a total ascent of 111 m per lap – a very creditable performance considering she was under the weather at the time! The race was won by Sharon Bird of Edinburgh RC.
Ythan CC confined Time Trial – Tuesday 16thApril
A large contingent of riders turned up at the first of the season’s time trial events, held on a new out-and-back course on the B9000 from Pitmedden to the roundabout near Foveran, and back.
Due to the number of riders, the race was split into two races with 10 women competing in one race with 20 men competing in the other (including one youth rider).
All riders were faced with a cold and stiff headwind on the outward leg, and a welcome tailwind on the return leg.
The times of the fastest 3 riders were:
- Women
- Jenny Noble 29-53
- Fiona Duncan 34-15
- Wendy Gault 35-11
- Men
- Alan Smith 23.56
- Lee Smith 24-18
- Mathew Reid 25-39
- Youth
On the evening of Thursday 18thApril Ythan CC hosted the first of the Grampian evening road races, held on a demanding course comprising three loops of the Kinharrachie, Ythanbank, Raxton, Ardlethen circuit.
From 4:30 onwards, YCC took over the Ellon Community Campus as around 60 riders set up bikes and turbos and started warming up, full of anticipation – and maybe some trepidation – for the race ahead.
The riders were escorted through the centre of Ellon by the safety car to the right turn at Kinharrachie. Once the race convoy was en route to Ythanbank, and the commissaire was satisfied, the flags were dropped and the riders were off.
From the off, the pace was high, with a group making a break-away before the race reached Raxton for the first ascent. Raxton would prove to be a deciding factor on all 3 laps, with the race breaking into smaller groups during each lap.
At the end of lap 1 a group of around 15 riders had forged a break of about 1 minute from group 2. By the end of lap 2 this lead had extended to 1:40, but Raxton would further reduce the group to 12 riders, with the others dropping back to group 2. Four female riders had also grouped, and were contesting their own race.
What was noticeable between group 1 and the other groups was the way they were working as a chain gang, with a very organised rotation, minimising the amount of time each rider spent at the front. Hence the average speed of the group was high.
On the 3rdand final lap, as group 1 approached Ardlethen, the pace slowed as the riders conserved energy for the final sprint. A game of cat and mouse ensued, but no riders committed to the attack. This resulted in a mass sprint for the finish up the hill towards the Kinharrachie junction, which was won by Jono Hunter of team Sparta Breda.
Jonathan Cordiner was the first Ythan rider back, in 30thplace in the middle of a large group of riders in the 3rdgroup, with Stuart King and Steve Rae close behind.
Jenny Noble came 3rdin the women’s race, crossing the line in a photo finish with the second placed rider. The women’s race was won by Laura Sarkis, of Velocita Coaching Race Team.
Ythan CC would like to thank the staff and janitors at the Community Campus for all their help with the event, the 30 plus volunteers who helped manage and marshal the event, and also the general public for their patience on the open roads, which all helped keep the riders safe and the race incident free.
MTB Cluster – Kirkhill
Organised by British Cycling on the trails around Kirkhill Forest, the morning consisted of a 2 1/2 hour session for 7-11 year olds on the trails and at the fun park. A full complement of 20 kids enjoyed the session in the glorious Easter sunshine, including Ythan riders Ewan Scouller, Fergus McLeman and Eilidh Grongowski.
The afternoon session was a go-ride NE regional RACE session aimed at 11-16 year olds. This session focused on descending and ‘up-skilling’ on the natural features of the forest. Twenty riders also attended this action-packed session, including Ythan’s Scott Bates, Euan Murphy, Andrew Ingram and Matthew Smith.
It was also an opportunity for all riders and parents to sneak a peak at the course that will be used for Round 4 of the Scottish MTB cross country series. To be held on Sunday 16thJune, it’s sure to be an exhilarating event for riders and spectators alike.
Youth Quines and Loons (QL) training
Ythan CC youth training, from ages 7 upwards, is now on at Meldrum Academy car-park, Oldmeldrum, from 10-11am on Saturday mornings. The sessions are aimed at developing riders’ skills and confidence on road bikes. If you’d like to give it a go, please come along, or visit www.ythancc.org.ukfor more information.
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