A fast and frantic display of racing in the Youth A Open field, which was arguably the race of the day.
There was action at the front and the back of the field in the opening laps. At the front, the attacking was kicked off by Billy Ladle (Cannibal Victorius) while Franco’s King of the Mountains leader Hedd Griffiths (Maindy Flyers) suffered a dropped chain – and was consigned to a lengthy chase through the field – for which he would be awarded the Peter Clark Award for grit and determination.
The brutal crosswinds allowed for no respite in the wheels with riders fighting for their place in a strung-out peloton, and others looking to break away and put race leader Daniel Minay (Team 360 Isle of Man) under pressure.
Beeston CC were the main culprits – with first Harry Cooper, and then Thomas Wilks moving clear of the peloton. A chase by Minay, marked by Arthur Slieghthorn (Shibden-Apex), would be launched to try to keep the Manxman in yellow.
As the race matured, Wilks led solo out front with an advantage over Stage 2 winner Daniel Shipton, with Minay in third and the peloton further back.
With four laps of the circuit remaining, Wilks had leapfrogged Minay on the general classification, with the 15 second lead wiping out the 14 seconds the Yorkshire rider was in arrears in the general classification this morning.
The stage win was clearly heading to Wilks – and with a brief glance behind he knew that the Impsport Yellow Jersey was his, with the Perthshire Zoo green also heading his way.
Thirty seconds later, Shipton had emerged clear in second – rubber stamping his own place on the podium and claiming the Franco’s King of the Mountains jersey. Minay would come across the line in fourth, a minute behind the imperious Wilks but securing third place in the overall.
Andrew Levinson (Shibden Apex) spent most of the race on the front of the bunch trying to reel in the attacks, the former Edinburgh Road Club youngster was rewarded by his efforts by retaining his Braveheart Blue Jersey for best Scottish rider.
With the general classification looking fairly settled after Saturday’s racing in Forteviot, there was no penalty for attacking riding on Stage 3 of the Youth A female race.
Katie Robertson (Clifton CC) took advantage and was able to build a sizable lead over the peloton of around 40 seconds come the halfway mark.
Race leader and winner-elect Aisling Charlesworth (Fibrax Fenwick’s Wrexham CC) attacked the peloton to ensure that her sizeable race lead would remain intact and would claim second place on the stage after another valiant solo effort, taking the polka dot jersey with it.
Behind the green jersey of Carys Hughes (Secret Training) would ride to third place after trying to chase down Charlesworth – and securing her second place in the overall. After plenty of effort Olivia Smallshaw (Secret Training) pressed away from the front of the bunch too – a move that would end up being crucial as she looked to defend her overall podium position and claimed fourth on the stage.
There was little doubt as to where the stage win was heading, Robertson lapped the peloton in the final two laps and won by over a minute, taking the Perthshire Zoo Green jersey. A just reward for her 45 minute solo effort in the crosswinds.
Behind Zara Main (Deeside Thistle) led from the front of the bunch, looking to claim the Braveheart Blue jersey for top Scot. The Aberdeenshire rider started the day just 15 seconds behind virtual blue jersey Mille Boothman (Glasgow Riderz). Boothman managed to stick to Main’s wheel throughout and claim the blue jersey.
The aforementioned crosswinds nullified much of the racing in the Youth B open, and a high tempo set by Red Johnson deterred any attacks on the one-hour race, important for the 360cycling rider to retain his 12 second lead in the general classification
With one lap to go our polka dot jersey of Lukas Humplik (Beeston CC) attacked on the far side of the circuit, utilising the crosswinds on the uphill sector of the circuit to gain an advantage and hopefully gap Johnson who had sat on the front of the bunch for the five laps previous.
Humplik held on to take stage honours – and make inroads into that advantage. But would it be enough?
The seconds counted by with the front of the bunch coming in just two seconds behind the stage winner but with Johnson in yellow, conspicuous at the back of the field but fortunately not gapped by any riders so retained his general classification lead by just five seconds.
Tommy Bass (Team 360 Isle of Man) claimed second across the line which was enough to take the green jersey, with polka dots heading the way of Humplik – a fine consolation prize for missing out on yellow.
Matthew Moran (Deeside Thistle) would retain his lead in the blue jersey to claim the Braveheart Best Scottish Rider classification.
In the Youth B Female category, Elizabeth Whall (Colchester Rovers) wasn’t about to relinquish the Impsport leaders’ yellow jersey she donned throughout the race, riding a smart race to mark all of the moves and ensure she was in the trio that escaped the bunch and went on to contest the stage win.
It was Evie Cox (Palmer Park Velo) who was the aggressor throughout, and she would take all three sprint primes and with that the Perthshire Zoo green jersey. Cox started the day in the polka dot jersey, and bagging top points at the only QoM finish of the day, she also wrapped up that competition.
There was to be no stopping Whall in the quest for the overall Youth Tour of Scotland title though, as she marked all of the moves and crossed the line third, on the coattails of runner-up Emily Tregear (GKR Racing) and stage winner Evie Cox who proved time and time again she was the top sprinter in the race.
In the end Whall would prevail victorious in the general classification by 20 seconds, an impressive showing. In the Scottish classification it would be Olivia Laing (Southport CC) who overhauled Eilidh Scally (Johnstone Jets) after the two lined up for the final day separated by less than a second!
A huge thank you to all of the riders, parents, coaches, volunteers, officials and sponsors who made the 12th edition of the Youth Tour of Scotland the success it was.