With three national titles up for grabs, the day is set to be filled with thrilling racing on a sporting course, the Ochiltree Loop offering opportunities for every type of rider.
After the rollout from Newton Stewart at 9.30am, the Open race will race five laps of the 23.5km circuit to the north of the town, a total race distance of 122.5km race. The Junior and Senior Female peloton will race the same course in the afternoon, with a 95km distance to cover, whilst a taster race for beginners will take place between the two.
Contenders
Senior Open
Defending champion Tim Shoreman (Wheelbase CabTech Castellli) had an excellent start to the season, claiming second at the East Cleveland Classic in April, as well as fourth at the British Criterium Championship. He’ll be looking to retain the national bands for another year. Shoreman is joined by teammates Aaron King, Davie Lines and Jacob Smith.
The pretenders to the road race crown include the very impressive Alex Ball (Project1) who comes into the Championships off the back of Sam Robinson RR success, whilst another man in good form is Stirling’s Logan Maclean (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall).
The Cycling Academy line-up includes Battle of Black Loch winner Sam Chisholm and recent Lancaster GP fourth placer Finn McHenry. Academy graduate Finn Mason (Saint Piran) knows how to win Championship races after last year’s success in the British Junior Champs, so watch out for him.
A surprise card may be local rider and Scottish MTB XC and Cyclocross Champion Lewis Martin (Studio Velo), with rising star Elliot Rowe (Fensham Howes – Mas Design) also a rider to keep an eye out for.
The squad from Vanelli-Project GO always animate the racing in Scotland, with a mix of youth and experience, the likes of Kier Gaffney and Andy Bruce in their roster – they will be keen to cause issues for the British-level squads.
Senior Female
The Female race will see two championships awarded with the Senior and Junior titles up for grabs.
Defending senior champion Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development RT) is taking a well-deserved break after a hectic season so far, however the squad from Scotland’s UCI team is looking no weaker in her absence.
A strong quintet of Beth Morrow, Arianne Holland, Lulu Barlett, Victoria Smith and Daisy Barnes will look to control the race as best as they can, as well as mark some of the other contenders out of key moves.
World Champion on the tandem, and British points race Champion Jenny Holl (Loughborough Lightening) may only be four weeks away from the Paralympics, but the former Stirling BC rider will look to continue her strong season on road.
Lauren Dickson (Edinburgh RC) is a relatively new name to road racing, but the former triathlete produced a breakout performance last weekend at the Lancaster GP, with an excellent second place finish in the British National Road Series event. Anna Flynn (Spectra Racing) was also on strong form at Lancaster, and the multi-disciplined rider is never one to discount from the podium. Local rider Rebecca Saunderson (Studio Velo) is one to keep an eye out for on home roads.
Junior Female
The Junior title is also up for grabs with Arabella Blackburn (Shibden Apex RT) and Erin Boothman (Tofauti Everyone Active) coming into this race off the back of a successful British Track Championships in London. Solas Cycling have strength in depth with six riders in this race, local rider Kayla Dinnin looking to make home advantage tell.
Timings and How to Follow
The Senior Open Championships will get underway first with a race start of 09:30 from the Race HQ of 3b Construction in Newton Stewart.
The non-championship 25km Taster Race will kick off at 13:30, before the Senior and Junior Female Championships will round off the day in Dumfries and Galloway at 15:30.
We’ll be covering the full day’s racing on @ScottishCycling on Twitter and Instagram, with a report and highlights coming shortly after the completion of racing.
If you’re in area of Newton Stewart on Sunday, feel free to come down and enjoy the best Scottish road racing has to offer; we’d suggest Ochiltree Hill as the best vantage point to view the racing.