Saturday was the 1st November, and with it came the autumnal pilgrimage of the cycling world to the famous cobbles of the Koppenberg on the outskirts of Oudanarde.
The annual Koppenbergcross is one of the most brutal cross races in the calendar, that includes the ascent of the most famous of the Flemish hellingen before cutting through the cow fields back to the bottom of the climb.
Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) started on the second row, and after the first climb found himself with Belgian and European champion Thibaut Nys on the outskirts of the top ten.
The Linlithgow rider would show why he is regarded as one of the best bike handlers, avoiding a number of crashes on the grass-cum-mud that covered the rest of the lap – and chose the best lines through many of the off camber sections – to end up taking the race lead at the end of the first tour.
Nys was the only man to be able to stick with the British champion, and the two would trade the lead several times on the second of six leg-sapping laps – Mason gaining time through the corners – while the Belgian threatened to have more raw speed.
The European champion would open a lead of around 15 seconds, which Mason was holding, until a crash from the Scot would see the boa on his shoe come undone – and open the Belgian’s lead to around 25 seconds.
Amazingly Mason would manage to not only maintain the deficit to Nys after the fall but take back a few seconds and build out over a minute to third placed Pim Ronhaar. Mason would finish in second place – only 21 seconds behind Nys – and claim his first elite podium of the season.
Sunday may have shown where the Scottish Gravel Champion paid for the previous day’s efforts, coming home in a solid 14th place at the Rapencross in Lokeren. The two results however leave Mason sitting in second place in the X2O Badkamers Trofee after the opening two rounds – a series which the Scot came fourth in two seasons ago.
Mason wasn’t the only West Lothian native racing in Flanders this weekend, with Sam Chisholm (Team HUP) also in action in the Under 23 races. Chisholm rode to 36th at the Koppenbergcross, and was 42nd place in Lokeren the following morning.
Pic: London 3 Day
Away from the wet mud of Flanders, the London 3-Day took place across the weekend, with many of Scotland’s best track stars heading to the LeeValley Velodrome at the Olympic Park for it.
Madison World Champion Katie Archibald followed up her success in Chile, with victory in the overall women’s madison with partner Sophie Lewis, while Jenny Holl would come in fifth overall with Katie-Anne Calton.
In the men’s Ross Birrell and Callum Twelves both finished mid-pack with their respective partners. There was plenty to shout about for sprinters too with Peter Mitchell only second behind Matty Richardson in Sunday’s men’s sprint competition and Iona Moir taking fourth place in the women’s event.
Down on the English south coast, the young team were in action at Clanfield Cross.
There was plenty of Under 14 success with Johnstone Jets’ Eilidh Scally taking the under 14 victory, with Isla Reekie (Falkirk Junior BC) in fourth. In the open field, Sam Kingan (Pentland Racers) finished in third place.
Xander Graham (Grit Cartel) came home in second place in the junior open event.
Back at home, it was great to see a new race on the calendar with the Donkeycross at Tweed Horizons, with former Scottish Champion Charles Fletcher taking the senior victory at the Go-Ride event in the Borders.
There’s still time to enter the Scottish National Championships on Sunday 23rd November in Linlithgow, you can enter the racing here.