Club’s prize spots at championships
Clarion members take podium places in Fife
West Lothian Clarion sent almost 30 riders to Lochore Meadows in Fi fe last weekend for the third round of the Scottish Cyclo- Cross championship.
The club can be well satisfied with their efforts on the day, with three podium finishes and some other good results after a strong showing from their racers.
In the younger categories, Emelia Crombie and Alex Richardson rode hard in the Under 8 girls’ and boys’ races, respectively, and can both be pleased with their top 10 finishes.
Orla Burn took second place in the girls’ under 10 race and Georgina Bark finished just a few places further back.
In the Under 10 boys race, the club had four riders competing, with Rhuaridh Fulton the highest-placed in 8 position, Hamish Hunter 10th and Wil Mitchell and Johnny Darling both in the top 20.
The other youth categories were equally hard-fought, and the club’s riders performed well in increasingly muddy conditions, with Ben Massey 10th and Gregor Burn 14th in the boys’ Under 12 race.
Sarah Darling took 7th in the girls’ Under 14 race, Katie Galloway taking 8th place in the girls’ Under 14 race and Finn Mason chasing hard for a podium place in the Under 14 boys’ race, but ultimately finishing 5th.
Finlay Turner, Evan McKenzie, Gregor Hunter and Ross Chisholm also provided good representation for the club in this race.
There were five Clarion riders in the boys’ Under 16 race, with Youth Section Rider of the Year Andrew Turner sixth over the line, followed by Danny Low, Sam Chisholm, Miller Crombie and Gregor McPhaden.
In the Junior Men’s race riders remained bunched at the end of the first lap, with Alex Ball in third spot and George Freeman battling for 4th in the early part of the race.
Although Alex never managed to catch the two leaders, he held on to his third spot saying: “I really enjoyed the race, especially feeling the tyres slide around on the greasy corners.
“My legs were fatigued after the training camp and I was gapped in the last couple of laps, but I’m happy to get on the podium”.
George had a couple of crashes and lost ground, finishing a creditable 5th. He said: “I collided with another rider and twisted my brake lever, so I lost my place trying to straighten it. I kept going so I’m happy to secure 5th.”
The club was also well represented in the adult categories, with Ailsa Curtis taking the club’s final podium place of the day, finishing second in the Women’s V40 race, while Alan Ramsay was the highest-placed of four Clarion riders in the men’s V40 race, crossing the line in 20th place.