Silas pedals to British title victory
A RIDER with a West Fife cycling team has picked up a prestigious British championship title.
Silas Goldsworthy, who is a member of the Ryan’s Bike Surgery - Thomson Homes team, pedalled to victory at the 2023 British Gravel Championships in the men’s 35-39 years age group.
Held in Kings Forest, in Suffolk, as part of the King’s Cup gravel festival, the event provides racing for elite male and female riders, and for masters competitors in a variety of age groups.
All off-road, racing takes place on hard-packed and loose gravel, grass, dirt and sand, with those in the masters categories completing four laps of a 15.3 kilometre circuit.
The tracks were wide enough for bunch racing and overtaking which, combined with a sunny, warm weekend with dry conditions, ensuring a fastflowing track, a dynamic day’s action was guaranteed.
Silas, a former Scottish time trial and track champion, maintained a position within the leading group of riders throughout the 60km race, waiting until the final lap to attack with four other competitors.
Over the course of the remaining 10km, this group was reduced down, leaving Silas to take the win ahead of a strong field.
His success at the British competition saw him then head to Italy earlier this month for the UCI Gravel World Championships.
Taking place in Pieve di Soligo, Treviso, Silas’ age group completed a course of 163km in length, featuring several climbs, and he went on to place 69th out of 87 riders, in a time of six hours, one minute and 47 seconds.
Silas formerly rode with the team created by late Kirkcaldy-born cycling stalwart Sandy Wallace, who for more than 30 years successfully operated Sandy Wallace Cycles in Inverkeithing.
In 2020, Sandy was instrumental in creating the Ryan’s Bike Surgery Thomson Homes team, backed by the two businesses based in Inverkeithing and Cowdenbeath respectively, and Silas was one of several national title and medal winners that joined.
In addition to enjoying success on the bike, the team have, in each of the last two years, organised a memorial race to honour Sandy’s memory and legacy, following his passing in August 2021 following a short illness.