14.05.2006 Deeside Thistle 25mile TT Fourdoun - Stracathro  

Ythan had 4 riders starting the Deeside Thistle 25 on the dual carriageway course. Russ Craig was missing as he was feeling the after effects of his customary high finish in the Dundee Wheelers road race the day before. Because of Russ and Bill’s exploits in the road racing scene, Ythan are sitting equal 9th in the SCU points table, ahead of such heavy weights as C21 and Tri-Changing Gear. Good work lads!  

Fiona Duncan and Caroline Runcie were missing as Fiona is still battling back to fitness after illness and Caroline has yet to don the new Ythan colours in anger. That will surely change in the coming weeks and Carol Middleton will have some sterner competition in the female category.  

Conditions were good, though quite cool and Carol was first to hit the road – literally! She was going very well on the out leg, keeping in touch with her minute man, Peter Clark from Deeside. Carol quite fancied a look round the shops in Edzell instead of coming back up the road to Fourdoun and she came a’cropper at high speed trying to correct her mistake. Carol battled on despite wounds to her elbow, left cheek (not the one on her face!) swollen wrist and bent brake lever.  

Carol romped home bleeding and battered with a PB of 1.09.01 which was good enough for 1st female and 1st on the handicap, taking 4 minutes off her previous best. In celebration Carol treated everyone at Drumlithie to several mooners in order that we could see what sort of pain she had to endure for her success. Few people would have criticised her for a DNF after her crash, let alone a fine win and PB, congratulations Carol.  

Andy Duncan was next off and was going reasonably well on his first taste of the dual carriageway course. There were the usual technical difficulties with his home made bike, this time the computer consistently told him he was travelling at 4.4 mph and then finished within the hour, something was not quite right?! Reality check proved he finished in 1.07.12, still a PB but with room for improvement. Probably shouldn’t have stopped at ‘Ye May Gang Far and Fair Waur’ for a bridie and cup of tea.  

Steve Argo and Bill Dallas finished the quartet and both produced good performances on the day. Bill has developed TEFAL-aphobia and now believes he has a ‘masseef heid’. Hence the reason he turned up wearing something that wouldn’t look out of place in Star Wars or Dad’s Army on his head. After a few rounds of ‘Don’t Panic’ and ‘They Don’t like it Up ‘em’ Bill returned with a ‘who do you think you are kidding Mr Argo’ style 59.20, good enough for 4th overall.  

Steve didn’t quite get going to his usual high standard but still mustered a 1.00.40. Slightly slower than the previous year on the same course but still very respectable none the less.  

RESULTS

1st  N. Skene              (GCRT)                  58.55

2nd   I. Black         (Sandy Wallace)           59.08

3rd  S. Monaghan           (TCG)                 59.18

4th B. DALLAS           (YTHAN)             59.20

5th  J. Richards (Jr)      (DTCC)                 59.28

6th  S. McIntosh             (TCG)                 59.30

7th  M. Higgins              (GCRT)               59.34

8th  J. Blundsdon            (DTCC)              1.00.22

9th  S. ARGO               (YTHAN)            1.00.40

10th D. Stewart               (DTCC)              1.01.42  

OTHERS

C. Pearson              (DTCC)                1.01.56

S. Walton               (DTCC)                 1.03.26

B. McCabe            (AWCC)                1.03.42

B. Bricknell            (DTCC)                1.03.46

J. Allan                     (TCG)                 1.03.51

N. Anderson            (DTCC)                1.04.57

M. Beattie               (DTCC)               1.05.26

R. Dobson              (DTCC)                1.06.05

B. Mackie                 (TCG)                1.06.09

P. Clark                   (DTCC)               1.07.09

A. DUNCAN        (YTHAN)              1.07.12

J. Aspey                   (DTCC)               1.07.29

S. Richards               (DTCC)              1.09.33

S. Mitchell          ( Dundee Wh)           1.09.41

P. James                    (DTCC)             1.13.03

A. Strachan               (DTCC)             1.13.53  

WOMEN

1st C. MIDDLETON (YTHAN)       1.09.01

2nd E. Thornell              (TCG)            1.10.19

3rd L. Goldbeck            (DTCC)          1.10.48

 Race Report by Andy Duncan