Clarion pair do well in Ireland
The West Lothian Clarion Race Team travelled to Ireland for the prestigious Errigal International Youth Tour at the weekend and put in strong performances as well as gaining valuable experience riding long stage races.
The four-stage event was run over hilly terrain on open roads in Donegal and, in addition to a Scottish contingent, attracted teams from Ireland, England and Malta.
In a large field, Alex Ball managed to finish 15th in the General Classification – just over a minute off the leader after four hours of racing – and George Freeman finished 52nd.
Alex, who had a good first stage to finish 13th and a great time trial on stage two, said: “On the first stage I battled to stay near the front of the bunch and felt good on climbs and did well in sprint.”
George got stronger as the weekend progressed and they both rode really well in the final crit.
There were a number of crashes on this stage, and riders had to be careful to position themselves well.
George said:“I enjoyed the last stage, I felt stronger as the race went on. Alex and I stayed in the front so we were always on the right side of any splits. Going into the last corner a rider slid out in front of me and I went straight into him and hit the deck.
“I jumped back on after extracting my bike from a tangle and finished on the same time as the leaders.”
He added:“I learned more about road racing in a bunch, experienced competing against people from different countries and worked on how to recover between stages”
Club coach Matt Ball said“The lads rode well, but also rested and ate properly so they were fresh for the next stage.
“Both have developed well over the year which is what it’s all about at this age.”