The Aberdeenshire village of Kinneff once again provided the stage for the National 50-Mile Time Trial Championships on Sunday, with riders tackling the Coffee Pot Trophy route.
The course saw riders head out of the village and onto the A90, then going south to Strathcathro before the long return leg back to Kinneff.
Although the sun was out and the morning was bright, conditions weren’t in the riders favour. A stiff headwind on the way out tested riders early, before crosswinds added to the challenge on the run home.
In the women’s race, Lorna Breezkte (Elgin CC) defended her national title in style, stopping the clock at 2:02:37.
The Elgin rider admitted the course was tough – but she still enjoyed it, telling Scottish Cycling:
“There are more hills than you’d think, they zap the legs, but I was chuffed with how it went. I ended up getting a course PB today too.”
Breetzke finished ahead of Christina MacKenzie (Stirling Bike Club), who came home in 2:42:32 – claiming back-to-back Scottish medals.
In the Open event, Graham Hollinger (Torvelo Racing) delivered a stunning ride to take the win in 1:44:23, smashing the course record in what was remarkably his first-ever 50-mile time trial. Hollingworth made advantage of his recent aero-testing, to further hone his position
Dan Long (Elgin CC) claimed a close second with 1:46:40, while newly crowned Scottish Olympic-distance TT champion Matiss Robertson rounded out the podium in 1:47:36.
Hollinger admitted the conditions had pushed him to the limit:
“It was pretty brutal, to be honest. The wind on the way out was tough – that’s when I put the power down. On the way back I was just suffering.”
There was also a local victory to celebrate. Chris Petrie finished fourth overall in 1:48:08, securing the Coffee Pot Trophy as the fastest rider from Aberdeen and district.
A big thank you to the team at Aberdeen Wheelers for their efforts in organising the event, and reorganisation after roadworks forced the move to the new date.