Riders clock up top-five finish
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CAITHNESS Cycling Club riders Allan Sutherland and Andrew "Hamper" MacLeod were on excellent form to finish in fifth place in the Garve 2-Up 25-mile time trial last week.
In team time trials such as this the aim is to maximise pacing and to minimise wind resistance and this takes experience to perfect.
Despite their lack of such expertise and in their first 2-Up, the pair did extremely well to clock 58 min 13 sec on the hard course between Garve and Achnasheen and they were only 22 seconds behind the third fastest team.
Two teams from Moray Firth CC – including Caithnessian Michael Henderson – tied for first place and were two minutes clear of the field but there was intense competition for third place.
Results – 1eq K. Riddle/B. Widdowson (MFCC) and J. Grant/M. Henderson (MFCC) 55 min 37 sec. 3 W. Chalmet/I. Sargent (MFCC) 57.51. 4 A. MacCaffrey/H. Blake (Ross-shire RCC) 58.11. 5 A. Sutherland/A. MacLeod (CCC) 58.13.
Veteran Alasdair Washington travelled to Forres for the Allan Bell "10" on Saturday afternoon and the Forres "25" the following morning.
In the "10" the Thurso rider clocked 26 min 56 sec. European Masters track medallist Peter Ettles stormed round the course in 21 min 52 sec to win from Charles Fletcher and Andy Cowie.
Results – 1 P. Ettles (Sandy Wallace Cycles) 21 min 52 sec. 2 C. Fletcher (Cairngorm CC) 22.21. 3 A. Cowie (MFCC) 22.29. 4 P. Ettles (Jun) (SWC) 22.30. 5 W. Chalmet (E. Sutherland Wh) 22.40. 29 A. Washington (CCC) 26.56.
The following morning it was a cool 10C for the uphill start into a headwind on this tough course between Elgin and Forres and 76-year-old Washington’s 1h 10 min 5 sec was a good effort. Race winner was Kyle Gordon from Cowie, who is on excellent form in preparation for the British Emergency Championships in two weeks’ time.
Results – 1 K. Gordon (SWC) 56.02. 2 A. Cowie (MFCC) 58.24. 3 K. White (Deeside Thistle) 58.52. 4 D. Harter (Forres CC) 1.0.13. 5 F. MacBeath (MFCC) 1.0.32. 24 A. Washington (CCC) 1.10.05.
Back in Caithness, "Hamper" MacLeod took first place from Dave Morrill in the weekly 10-mile time trial with Roger Toswill in third place. John Sinclair had a season’s best by 89 seconds while Phil Cartwright improved by 55 seconds.
