Sean's View of the Champs

Sean Gordon (Thomson's Cycles) , bronze medallist in Sunday's Junior Championships reports on a day of top quality cyclocross racing at Strathclyde Park.

On a typically grim day, the Scottish Cyclocross franchise rolled up to Strathclyde Country Park for the finale of the 2012 season, the (postponed) Scottish CX Championships.

In the Junior and Women's race, Stuart Wilcox of Team Scott Racing UK led from the very beginning from Iain Paton, of Square Wheels, who suffered a very unfortunate broken chain in the first lap, but ran (and then rode) very strongly to reclaim second place. I managed to snatch the final podium place in the junior race. There was hardly a contest in the women's race, as Eileen Roe flew off from the very start, to storm to 1st place for Breast Cancer Care Team, with the Kiwi Gen Whitson, of Ronde Bicycle Outfitters in second, and a very strong ride by Maddy 'by name and by nature' Robinson, of VC Moulin, to claim her best result of the season (which incidentally she was ECSTATIC about on the podium, and rightly so).

Next to the Veterans race which, in an invasion by Glasgow United CC, saw the Team Leslie Bike Shop domination of the Vet's podium come to an end. Despite Stevie Jackson and Hans Forhaug, of the United, taking second and third place respectively, their efforts weren't enough to thwart the out and out most impressive Vet's rider of this season, Gary McCrae of Team Leslie Bike Shop, from taking another victory in a very successful 'cross season for him.

In the final event of the day, the Senior Men's race, Rab Wardell, of Alpine Bikes, was crowned Scottish Champion, taking another victory to add to his many this season, in an extremely convincing performance that saw him take four and a half minutes, and nearly lap, his nearest competitor, Gareth Montgomerie, of GT Racing UK, with his team mate, Davie Henderson claiming the final spot on the illustrious Scottish Championships podium.

And with that, Scottish Cyclocross ends until the 2013 season begins, and with the sun going down on the most popular season to date, I speak for the rest of the Scottish CX fans and riders when I thank everyone for organising, riding, supporting, and any other relevant business that made it run so smoothly.

Until next time.

Reproduced with thanks to Sean Gordon - read more on his blog.