Tag: fitness

“Mankind was not meant to have this much fun!”

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As part of the build up to the TCI Friday race series a new handicap race format was piloted at the circuit.

Riders were split into 3 groups of equal ability with the fastest riders setting off first closely followed by the middle group and then the slowest group in a 30 minute race

We followed a format used by the Yomp Bonk Crew at the Brownlee circuit where the fast group is 2 laps behind the slow group, tweaked into two 30 minute races due to the shorter length of the West Lothian Cycle Circuit

Organiser Matthew Ball said “I wasn’t sure how the handicap would pan out but the three groups were well matched and the catch didn’t happen until the last 5 laps”

“The groups stayed together and it was exciting to watch, in the last race especially it didn’t look like the the fast group would make the junction”

“I had a team of experienced volunteers who made everything run smoothly. Hendrik understood the concept and was great at judging when to call 5 laps to go”

“There is space on the Friday calendar for two more handicaps this year so look out for the next on”

Feedback from the riders has been good:

“A cracking event, well done on a good format”

“It was the most exciting racing I’ve seen at the circuit”

“I don’t think mankind was meant to have this much fun”

Thank you to the racers who rode in the spirit of the event, it was an exciting race to watch seeing riders chasing down the groups ahead until the last!

A massive thanks to the volunteers, including Hendrik who officiated and the help and advice of Tarn and the rest of the Scottish Cycling events team

Terrific photos from Kris at Falkirk Photography, many thanks!

“A ‘life saver’ facility, maintaining my physical and mental well-being”

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Angus (left) after a cycle on the circuit

Angus Gallie, the president of the Linlithgow Athletic Club has been cycling on the circuit to help him recover from brain surgery

The West Lothian Cycle Circuit is a fantastic facility providing a safe, traffic free environment for cycling and other sports. For example, Linlithgow Athletic Club sponsors a weekly junior parkrun and a regular evening slot for coached adult running sessions.

I was a very keen club cyclist and runner for fifty years until brain surgery in 2021 significantly curtailed these activities for me. Although I still manage to do a fair amount of walking, due to restrictions in my gait, running is currently impossible for me.

In order to maintain my cardio-respiratory fitness, I have used the gym. I was so used to obtaining my cardio fitness through outdoor activity such as running and cycling, that this has been a big miss for me. Some months after surgery, I did manage to ride a two-wheel bike although mounting and dismounting was difficult. Practice was limited to car parks and very quiet sections of country roads!

I still do not have the confidence to go cycling on the open road and in this respect the Cycle Circuit has been of immense benefit to me as I build up my fitness, stamina, and confidence. I try to do an hour’s session every week accompanied by a friend. The competitive instinct is still there and I even recorded a time for the ‘twelve laps of Christmas’ organised by the West Lothian Clarion Cycle Club!

The feeling I have after my ride, in company, on the circuit is like ‘I’ve been on a bike ride.’ We then chain up our bikes and we spend nearly two hours in the Xcite café just chatting! The circuit has been an amazing facility for me as I can do an hour of outdoor cardio-respiratory work on the bike. A ‘life saver’ facility, maintaining my physical and mental well-being!

Angus Gallie
President
Linlithgow Athletic Club