Tag: fitness

Successful debut for circuit time trial

Leave a comment

There were plenty of questions ahead of the first event. Would time trialling suit the circuit? Would riders enter? And could a 16km (10-mile) race be run safely on a 1km loop?

By the end of the evening, any doubts had disappeared. The event ran seamlessly, and feedback from riders was overwhelmingly positive

What’s more, half of the field was made up of women and girls, with a great cross-section of the cycling community represented.

The format proved simple to run, requiring only a small volunteer team, making it easily repeatable. Shorter race options also provide a strong entry point for riders new to time trialling.

Could events like this help revitalise time trialling in Scotland? With a safe, traffic-free venue, there’s real potential to introduce new riders to the sport and build a thriving time trialling community.

The event was pitched as a coached session with a short drill at the beginning of the evening followed by some coach-led racing which was timed using electronic chips. The format meant that anyone could take part, even if they’re not a member of a club or registered with British Cycling.

Organiser Matthew Ball said:

“I’m really pleased with how the event played out. It showed we can run a safe TT on the circuit, with no issues around overtaking or congestion.

“It didn’t require a great deal of work, and the volunteer team needed isn’t large, which makes the format easy to deliver again.”

Rider feedback included:

“It was a great first event – the system worked well and there was plenty of space on track.”

“Really straightforward from a logistics point of view, with no issues around overtaking at any stage.”

“A great format that worked really well on the circuit – just a shame about the headwind.”

A 5 race series is planned, so the next step is to build an organising committee to develop series.

Please email cyclecircuitwestlothian@gmail.com if you want to help out

Results

16-lap race

  1. Geoff Martin – 00:24:18 (Course record for TT)
  2. Stephen Miles – 00:25:49
  3. Sarah McCormac – 00:25:54
  4. Derek Simpson – 00:26:27
  5. Karen Outram – 00:27:17
  6. Danny Farrell – 00:28:00
  7. Stephen Beecher – 00:28:20
  8. Alex McDonald – 00:28:26
  9. Alison Caldwell – 00:30:17
  10. Alasdair Fulton – 00:31:41
  11. Mike Thomas – 00:36:33

8-lap race

  1. John-Michael Howison – 00:13:33
  2. Jill McGilvery – 00:14:50
  3. Aileigh Easton – 00:15:04
  4. Iona McDonald – 00:15:24

3-lap race

  1. Charlotte Kyles – 00:05:48
  2. Esmeralda Sirey – 00:06:04

Thanks to everyone who came along to race and support the event – and especially to Colin Chisholm for timekeeping, and Scott at InView Images for the stunning photography.

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

Leave a comment

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”

1 Comment
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