ESCA Track League August 18 (week 18)

[tlottrike]

Apologies for the late posting of this but I thought I had done it already

A definite air of the autumnal weather what with the tough old wind on the back straight tonight which I'm sure many a Meadowbank trackie will be very familiar with and the floodlights coming on towards the end of the evening.


   Name                    Club                     Time
Flying lap for new riders       
   Sam Waterston    Glentress Riders    20.11
   Louise Borthwick    Edinburgh RC    20.65
   Emma Borthwick    Edinburgh RC    24.15

First time up for a pair of Borthwicks one of whom recorded an excellent time of 20.65, well anyone faster than my flying lap time is excellent in my book:)

Louise and Emma were greatly helped by Rachel when various mechanicals happened just before they got up to do their laps, sadly not helped by us blokes sitting gassing our heads off rather than being helpful ooops sorry Rachel.

Youth riders 4 lap block handicap    
1    Louise Borthwick    Edinburgh RC    1.20.23
2    Flora Gilles    Peebles CC    
3    Adam Stobbart    Edinburgh Racers

Straight into her first race of the evening and Louise wins her first race! Well done Louise.

C riders 6 lap scratch       
1    Jonathan Mitchell    Johnstone Wh    2.10.10
2    Stuart Wallace    Edinburgh RC    
3    Euan Ramsay    Spokes RT    

Shock horror Stuart didn't do his usual and win the six lapper but as we will see young Jonathan is a force to reckon with ie he's blooming quick particularly over a short distance.


A riders 12 lap scratch       
1    Bruce Croall    City of Edinburgh RC    3.59.59
2    David Martin    the bicycleworks.com    
3    Nicky Hall    City of Edinburgh RC    

Mr Croall up to his usual form bagging this one.

B riders 8 lap scratch       
1    Graeme Mair       2.54.69
2    Colin Crawford    Edinburgh RC    
3    Tony Nugent    East Kilbride RC    

I had a tactic for this one but once on the track and we had done a couple of laps I came up with another one which was to use master Jonathan adopts evil laugh mode..... nah ha ha.

Jonathan was taking it easy in his first B race whenever he got on the front and so I thought I would attack just as he pulled off the front as he would slow the rider behind him. Well it worked better than I could have hoped as I assumed whoever was on my wheel would stay on my wheel and I would have to fight it out with them but as it was Jonathan slowed the rider behind him and then blocked the rider who was behind me, bonus and blooming excellent for me as I landed up with a half lap gap which got whittled a way at but was enough for my win.

Morgan Trophy Heats       
Ht 1          
1    David Martin    the bicycleworks.com    5.46.81
2    Nicky Hall    City of Edinburgh RC    
3    Bruce Croall    City of Edinburgh RC    

Dunno what happened here but Bruce seemed to loose his usual power for this and David got a fine win.

Youth riders 500 m sprint (2 heats if required)    
Ht 1          
1    Flora Gilles    Peebles CC    16.72
2    Adam Stobbart    Edinburgh Racers    
3    Emma Borthwick    Edinburgh RC    

Ht 2          
1    Sam Waterston    Glentress Riders    15.99
2    Sean Hadden    Unattached    
3    Hannah Ferguson    Glentress Riders    

C riders 500 m sprint (2 heats if required)    

Ht 1          
1    Louise Haston    Unattached    15.44
2    Sarah Mitchell    Johnstone Wh    
3    Rachel Henderson    Edinburgh RC    

Ht 2          
1    Euan Ramsay    Spokes RT    14.27
2    Graeme Mair    Edinburgh RC    
3    Daisy Sherwood    City of Edinburgh RC

Again dunno what happened here (was there sum fink in the air that night Fernando?) as I assumed Daisy would wipe the floor with us well me at least. As it was Euan won this by a good length maybe more.   

Sprinters ladder (selected riders)    

Ht 1          
1    Jonathan Mitchell    Johnstone Wh    13.95
2    Euan Ramsay    Spokes RT    
3    Graeme Mair    Edinburgh RC    

Euan and I had no sooner completed a warm down lap but we were up again and to rub salt in the wounds we were up against the flippin' quick Jonathan. I tried my damnedest to stay on Jonathan's wheel but he just pulled away with ease this left me with Euan sitting on my wheel and despite my trying to beat him to the line it didn't work, grrrrrr

Ht 2          
1    Stuart Wallace    Edinburgh RC    14.64
2    Colin Crawford    Edinburgh RC    
3    Derek Timmins    Musselburgh RCC    

Stuart did well against Colin and Derek. To be honest I thought it would have been between Colin and Derek but as I was still trying to get my lungs back in my chest I didn't see what happened.

Ht 3          
1    Andy Laing    Musselburgh RCC    13.73
2    Tony Nugent    East Kilbride RC    
3    Nicky Hall    City of Edinburgh RC    

Ht 4          
1    Bruce Croall    City of Edinburgh RC    11.98
2    Graeme Steen    City of Edinburgh RC    
3    David Martin    the bicycleworks.com    

Our Bruce found his legs again for this one.

Youth riders de’il       
1    Sam Waterston    Glentress Riders    
2    Hannah Ferguson    Glentress Riders    
3    Flora Gilles    Peebles CC    

C riders de’il       
1    Euan Ramsay    Spokes RT    
2    Louise Haston    Unattached    
3    Stuart Wallace    Edinburgh RC    

I was to busy gassing (again) with Colin to see what happened in this one. I will take a stab in the dark and say Euan didn't sit on the front and tow everyone round more likely Stuart did and then Louise and Euan got round him on the last lap

A + B riders de’il       
1    David Martin    the bicycleworks.com    
2    Nicky Hall    City of Edinburgh RC    
3    Bruce Croall    City of Edinburgh RC    

Dooh Bruce lost his legs again!

A + B + C riders 10 k scratch       
1    Colin Crawford    Edinburgh RC    14.08.35
2    David Martin    the bicycleworks.com    
3    Bruce Croall    City of Edinburgh RC    
4    Graeme Steen    City of Edinburgh RC

Note to self don't sit on Bruce's wheel.

I was staying at the back sitting on Bruce's wheel liking how he was letting riders who had just been at the front tuck in in front of him as he didn't want to go through. All went fine but when gaps started appearing there was no way I could keep his wheel with his amazing motor bike engine like accelerations to close the gaps.

Eventually I was in no mans land with the peleton half a lap ahead and a few stragglers between me and them. I chased and chased but I was eventually lapped at which point I eased up to climb off but Ken who was looking after the lap counter shouted at me to catch up with Rachel and work together. So I speeded up again (meanwhile I was lapped again) eventually caught up with Rachel gave her a tow for a few laps and then she shouted at me she could do turns. So we worked away still getting lapped occasionally, I had gone into time trial mode and wasn't even paying attention to how many laps were left only to notice that Rachel was sprinting past me, puzzled I was wondering why she was doing that when it dawned on me it was the last lap for us, cruelly I managed to come round her for second last. That'll look good on the ol' palmares

At the front end of the race all I was aware of was the group lapping me was mostly being led by David Martin. Quite how Colin won it I'm not sure as sadly I couldn't see from where I was on the track. Nice one Colin all that yakking paid off in the pits  

Well a good night despite the slightly chilly weather. All I can say is my poor old legs and lungs were feeling it as I pedaled my weary way home.