Hosted by the Clydesdale Colts on a closed road circuit around the Scottish Fire & Rescue Centre, onlookers and racers were treated to a great day of racing, with intermittent showers not enough to dampen the spirits.
Melanie Rowe would prove the star of the show as she lapped the field in the combined Youth A and B Female race, not once, but twice! The Scottish title was perhaps the final jewel in the crown of what has been a brilliant season for the North East native, after….
The group behind would battle for the Youth B victory, and the remaining medals in the Youth A race, but surprisingly it was a pair of Youth B riders who would cross the line next. Escaping the grasp of the bunch in the closing stages, Millie Boothman (Glasgow Riderz) and Zara Main would share the workload to stay away, leaving it to a final lap race to the line to decide who would pull on the Scottish stripes, with Main winning out.
The bunch would come home shortly after, with Emma Campbell (Deeside) sprinting to a fine Youth A silver medal, bronze going to Kasey Park (Edinburgh RC), much deserved after being the only rider to try and go with Rowe early on. Youth B bronze would go to Lucy Sweeney (Edinburgh RC).
The Youth A Open race would round out a great day of racing, the wind picking up to neutralise any would be attackers, meaning we would be treated to a thrilling bunch sprint. Coming out of the final corner, with some 300m to the line, the sprint was already in full flow, a trio coming to the line together.
Taking gold and letting out a huge scream, showing just how much it meant to him, was Brodie Duncan (West Lothian Clarion) – he edged out Zach Barbour (Edinburgh RC) and Colin Johnston (Johnstone Jets).
Preceding that one would be the Youth B Open, which would also end in a sprint, of sorts, as Andrew Levinson (Edinburgh RC) opened up early to win by three seconds from teammate Micah Myles and Josh Stewart (Steppingstanes).
The Youth C Open provided perhaps the tightest finish of the day, a bunch sprint requiring the photo finish equipment to separate our top two. In the end it was Leo W. (Salt Ayre Cog Set) who would take gold by a mere two hundredths of a second from Alexander M. (Falkirk Junior BC), with Cobey S. (Steppingstanes) rounding out the podium.
In the Female equivalent it was Eilidh S. (Johnstone Jets) who would pull on the Scottish Champs jersey, getting the better of Boo W. (Clydesdale Colts) in the dash for the line; Olivia L. (Southport CC) rounding out the podium.
The first race of the day was the combined Youth E race, in which we had two clear winners, Theo Begg (Clydesdale Colts) taking the Open race, and Jessica McDonald (Stirling BC) the Female race.
Moving onto the Youth D event, less than a second would separate the top three in the Open category, Haris Riaz (Salt Ayre Cog Set) taking the win from Mitch Stewart (Steppingstanes) and Rhuari Toole (Johnstone Jets). In the female category it was two-up race for gold, Heather Bailie (Tyneside Vagabonds) prevailing from Isla Sim (Johnstone Jets), with bronze going to Zoe Martin (Clydesdale Colts).
The day mid-portion of the day saw a pair of support races, the first of which was a Scottish Disability Sport open race, won by Shaun Gould (Scotland West Wheelers), with Shaleen Boyle (Glasgow Track Racing Club) the first female home.
The second was the Blue Light Emergency Services race, Leicestershire-based policeman James Worley (SPRINT) winning in a tight finish from Falkirk fireman Davie Lines (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) and David Johnstone (RCCK).
Big thank you to organising club Clydesdale Colts and our host the Scottish Fire & Rescue Training Centre. Our final crit of the season comes in the form of the Senior & Junior Criterium Championships on Saturday 28th September at Fife Cycle Park.
Full results can be found here