Clarion trio impress in Blackford
West Lothian Clarion members Chris Hordon, Alex Ball and Finn Mason scored impressive results in the grass track races at Blackford Highland Games.
The bike races were run in front of a big crowd, alongside the dancers, caber tossers, pipers and tug of war teams.
Riders have to use fixed gear track bikes with no brakes and knobbly tyres so the wheels don’t slip out on the corners for these type of races.
The races cover a short distance and are handicapped so, in theory, everyone has a chance of a win.
Sixteen-year-old Chris had to compete in the adult races against some very strong riders with a lot of tactical nous on the grass track.
Despite that, he raced very well as he grabbed a first and a fourth along with a pair of seconds.
Club coach Matthew Ball said he was impressed with the results, commenting:“Chris rode with a lot of maturity and surprised his fellow competitors.
“He’s going to be a marked man in the future. For a lad who says he doesn’t have a sprint, he managed to find a fair turn of speed in the last 100 metres.”
Chris added:“It was a laugh with lots of hard racing and the next day I had a pair of tired legs.
“I was surprised and happy to get the results that I got.”
In the youth events, both Alex and Finn also performed well despite falling short of sealing any victories.
Alex picked up two third place finishes along with a fourth while Finn raced well for a sixth in his only race.