Velo head for the hills
Cycle club clocks up the miles prior to championship date
Paisley Velo experienced a weekend of contrasts weather-wise, which led to some really impressive cycling.
The group’s Saturday training bunch took themselves off to Gourock for the second week in a row, averaging around 21mph – the headwind really didn’t help matters, but the riders spelled through regularly so kept a good pace.
Also on Saturday, Mark Syme decided to take himself off to Rest and Be Thankful, but an early start didn’t hide the headwind and dreich weather from which there was no escaping.
Syme put in a sterling effort to Arrochar and up over the Rest in those conditions, returning back to Paisley having clocked up 100.6 miles.
Meanwhile, across the country Andrew Wylie took on a route around the Ochils, cycling 70 miles with over 4500ft of elevation.
Sunday was Paisley Velo’s annual leisurely cycle round Arran.
Colin Sales and Ciaran Kirkpatrick cycled to Ardrossan, taking on 23 and 50 miles respectively before even setting foot on the ferry and meeting everyone else off the train.
The club split into their groups to ensure there was a pace to suit everyone.
A club spokesman said: “We’re really proud to see all our riders, especially our newer members, coming on leaps and bounds. Everyone did very, very well on Arran with its hilly terrain.
“Even our most experienced riders found it difficult, and some of them cycled home too after getting the ferry back to Ardrossan, so quite a few riders clocked up in excess of 100 miles for the day.
“Clearly the hill training is paying off.
“Of course, you can’t go to Arran without sampling some of the local delicacies, and the café stops at The Old Byre and Lochranza Sandwich Shop certainly lived up to our expectations.
“It’s a great island, with some riders commenting it’s their favourite place to cycle. We can certainly see why.”
Elsewhere, the club’s Wee Ring group of riders headed into deepest Renfrewshire, skirting the villages of Bishopton, Houston, Bridge of Weir and stopping for some refreshments at Howwood’s The Boarding House.
It was a good recovery ride for Mark Syme after his 100 miles the previous day – and the weather also proved to be so much better.
This week sees Paisley Velo head into Week Three of their Series B Time Trial Championship.
Hill training was rained off last week, so will be returning to last week’s plan for this Thursday evening. ● Paisley Velo has also just announced the date and venue for the annual Hill Climb Championship, which will be on Sunday, October 1, at 9.30am on the Glennifer Road climb, beyond the car park in the sky to the true summit.
Who will be the fastest up Paisley’s hardest hill? Pop along on the day and cheer the riders on.