World Championships brace for Aldridge as Onley makes gains in wide-open Vuelta

MTB Worlds

A superb men’s elite Cross Country Olympic race would round off the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in style as Charlie Aldridge would claim a fantastic silver in Italy.

Staring near the front after his excellent World Cup campaign, the Crieff man would be at the front throughout the early stages of the race. At the end of the first lap, Aldridge would be the first to launch an attack. Using the roots of the technical section from which only a select group could follow.

At the halfway mark Aldridge was leading a group of four with Cole Punchard, Adrien Boichis and Martin Vidaurre – with the three keen to keep the marauding Tom Pidcock who was just a few seconds back from joining the front of the race.

The Yorkshire rider would join, with Aldridge and Pidcock dislodging their fellow attackers determining that it would be a gold and silver for Great Britain, but, the question posed, would be in what order?

Pidcock accelerated on the long climb on the seventh of eight tours – Aldridge for the first time was unable to follow. The gap would climb from a bike length to a handful of seconds quickly. Pidcock would ride home at that tempo, with Aldridge crossing the line a few seconds later to take a brilliant silver medal – crossing the line with his trademark move.

Sunday’s medal came after an agonising silver in Friday’s short track event following an incredible race.

Aldridge was at the sharp end from the gun, racing tactically but powerfully as he fought to hold position at the head of the race, before launching a vicious attack on the final lap up the steep climb, even gaining a small advantage into the final corner.   On the long final straight, the Scotsman, who is the reigning European short track champion, looked in control to begin with but it was France’s Adrien Boichis who passed him in the dying moments, as Aldridge faded and looked to have nothing else to give on the throw to the line.

La Vuelta

The first full week of the final grand tour of the season ended in dramatic fashion. The abandonment of winner-elect Tadej Pogacar following a crash on Stage 8 has quickly made the race one of the most open grand tours in years.

Leading the young riders’ classification, Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) went into the weekend having lost over a minute and a half to Enric Mas (Movistar) and Pogacar, and 48 seconds to key podium rivals Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA), Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Richard Carapaz (EF-Education First) on the gravel roads of Thursday’s stage six. However the Scots’ climber would look to regain time on the key mountain stages of Friday and Sunday, as the roads returned to Onley’s preferred terrain.

A solid ride on Stage 7 to the summit finish of Aramón Valdelinares saw the Kelso native overturn his deficit on Carapaz to leapfrog the Ecuadorian in the general classification and match both Sepp Kuss (Visma – Lease a Bike) and Primoz Roglic, while limiting the losses to Mas and Pogacar to a handful of seconds.

As the Sloven superstar looked to cruise to his first Vuelta triumph, a rock in the road would cause Pogacar to abandon his first grand tour – resetting the general classification, with Enric Mas taking over in the leaders’ red jersey. Onley would come down in that crash, however would be unaffected as the race turned to arguably its hardest mountain stage on the Costa Blanca.

Now in fifth, just 2:16 from Mas, and only 1:15 from Felix Gall in third. Sunday’s summit finish at the Alto de Aitana was the key test for the Netcompany-Ineos man.

With each rider now believing that the general classification was up for grabs, it created one of the most attacking stage finishes in years. Felix Gall, arguably with the strongest team, was delivered into the key sections of the climb and would be the first to make his move. Onley, Mas and co. were quick to it. Carapaz would make his own move with just over five kilometres to go and build a small gap, which Onley would comfortably close down.

Mas would counter, which would be the decisive move, Onley was the sole rider who could follow. The two would ride away from rest of the general classification contenders to contest the stage win. The Mallorcian would lead out the sprint, with the Scot keen to come from behind – however it would be Mas that would take the stage win – with Onley having to settle for second – the 15th second place finish in his professional career.

The true victory would be in the time gaps behind, 12 seconds to Roglic, 18 seconds to Gall, 54 seconds to Carapaz and the best part of two minutes to Kuss. Now in fourth, Oscar spends the rest day just 2:20 behind Mas, and 41 seconds behind Gall in third. While his own White Jersey lead for best young rider is now sitting at nearly six minutes.

Scottish Circuit Champs

Saturday saw the Scottish National Circuit Championships at West Lothian Cycle Circuit.

Tess Byrne (Solas Cycling) claimed the junior victory from Carys Murrison (University of Aberdeen). Helen Winton (Vanelli-Project Go) won the Masters 50 Championship, from Alison Kerr and Deborah Ferns (VC Astar Anderside).

Racing was suspended following a single-rider incident at the end of the Open Masters race. The rider in question is stable, in good spirits and recovering in hospital. We wish him the very best for his recovery.

Due to the delay for the incident, and the lack of venue availability, racing was unable to be completed for the Senior and Junior open race. Scottish Cycling are currently looking at a number of contingency options to deliver Championships for senior and open riders.

British BMX Champs

Manchester’s BMX track was the venue for The Brits – with a strong Scottish team heading down the M6 looking for British medals.

Harrison Bell (Western Titans) claimed his best ever British Championships performance by claiming bronze in the Men’s Superclass on Sunday. Wearing the Scottish dark blue, Bell had to come from the back after a sluggish start and fought his way into the medals after a storming middle sector of the race.

There would be more success for the Titans in the Female 14 category. Ruby Warren rode to silver in an extremely tight battle for the win in the final, with Holly Diver just behind to take the bronze medal.

Racing in brief

There was another top ten for Alfie George (Elite Fondations) at the Tour of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (2.1) in France, with the quick finishing Abernyte rider claiming seventh on the second stage to Lezay.

Brodie Duncan (Scotland) spent the queen stage of the John Richards Junior Tour (neé Tour of Wales) on the attack, with the West Lothian rider in the breakaway for 126km on his way to second on Sunday’s third stage in the Brecon Beacons. It came after Sam Martin (VC Londres) won the 14.7km time trial on stage two. Martin had also been seventh on stage one, just ahead of Louis Thornley and Raphael Jacquemet-Ross (Spokes RT-Oscar Onley Dev.)

Over in France, newly crowned Scottish Road Race Champion Melanie Rowe finish second at UCI Junior GP Poulay having been in the key winning move, with fellow Scot Eve Fairbairn finishing in 25th place. Reuben McLardie was also on the attack in Flanders. The Johnstone Jet finished eighth at the GP Jan & Roman De Palmenaer in Berlare against a high quality international field.

Edinburgh RC’s James Burnett gave his club cause to celebrate by winning their late season Lothian Flyer Road Race.   The peloton stayed largely together for the seven laps of the Stobo circuit with several groups trying to escape.  Under advice from an ERC coach, James precisely timed his attack on the final hill before the finish to take the win. He was followed over the line by Thomas Bruno (VC Glasgow South) and Hamish Strachan (TAAP Kalas).