Published: 10th Mar 2025 Images: Scottish Cycling

Youth Omnium Series get underway as Scots show face in spring classics

Glasgow was the venue for the first round of the National Youth Omnium series, while a number of Scots were duking it out on the continent as the one day classics come thick and fast.

Feature Image: Kirk Michael

National Youth Omnium

Sunday saw the first rounds of the National Youth Omnium series, with the one of the opening rounds taking place in Glasgow, organised by Johnstone Jets.

Andrew Levinson (Edinburgh RC) won out in the Youth A open omnium in Glasgow, after taking the win in the opening two events  – the kilometre TT and scratch race and defending his lead through out the final three events. Fraser Gemmell (West Lothian) also rode well; coming home in fifth place.

It was a similar story in the Youth A girls event with Melanie Rowe (Deeside Thistle) winning two of the opening three events (scratch and elimination races) on her way to take the overall win – which was capped off by a storming ride in the points race. Eve Fairbairn (Discovery Junior CC) would ride to a strong fifth position.

Huge thanks to the Jets for organising their sixth event of the winter at the track, following on from Saturday’s Monsters of Track.

The next Scottish round of the series takes place at Caird Park in Dundee on Saturday 17th May, organised by Discovery Junior CC – you can enter that here.

Image: Pierre Willemetz Cycling-Club

French double-header

Scots Alfie George (SCO-Dijon) and Elliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike Devo) – making his senior UCI debut – were in action at a brace of Northern French UCI one-day classics over the weekend.

The excellently named Le Tour des 100 Communes (Tour of the 100 Communes) on Saturday saw Rowe control the race to work for teammate Matt Brennan – who would take the win in the sprint, with George claiming a strong ninth place in Pas-de-Calais – the top rider from a French domestic outfit.

Sunday’s GP Lillers would be a similar story, with Rowe working hard setting up his teammate for victory. There would too be another excellent performance from George, with the Abernyte rider producing a marvellous sprint to finish on the podium, with his third place rounding off a strong weekend.

Staying in France, Adam Mitchell (Vendée-U) came home in a strong seventh place at the Nationale Elite race Manche-Atlantique.

In the slightly warmer confines of Croatia, Callum Thornley was back in action, racing with Red Bull-Bora Rookies with two one-day races before the three day Istrian Spring Trophy starts next week. In the Porec Trophy (1.2) on Sunday, the former Peebles CC and Trinity Racing rider would sprint to an excellent fourth place.

In Spain, Eilidh Shaw (Team UAE ADQ) would continue her racing campaign at the Vuelta á Extremadura (2.1) – a fifth place finish on Stage 2 is her best result of the season so far – with the bonus of her teammate Greta Marturano taking the stage win.

Elliot Speedie (Shibden Apex RT) made the journey over to Belgium for a brace of junior races with the Edinburgh RC graduate producing two solid rides coming home 14th in the 75km De Klijte-Heuvelland on Sunday. While Aaron King (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) claimed third in domestic Belgian race the Poperinge-Haringe on Sunday.