Race report from the Easter weekend in Ayrshire.  

Girvan Support Road Race.  

Two Ythan members (Bill Dallas and Russ Craig) travelled to Ayrshire last weekend 15^th and 16^th April to race the Girvan support race and then the Fullarton 10.  

The Road race attracted 55 entries and all appeared to make it as there were reserves waiting to take up the spare places. The course was 32 miles long with a 5mile race out and then 3 x 9 mile laps on the outskirts of Girvan.  

Having punctured in the neutralised section last year Dallas had something to prove and two miles in he had already scored a personal best, but would it last? As with most CAT 3&4 races the start was a haphazard affair, with lots of jostling and sudden braking, this was not helped by the road surface, which made our local road surfaces look like motorways.  

9 miles in and we came to Wallacetown Hill, we had been warned about this climb, unfortunately for Dallas he didn’t realise where it was, neither did Craig but he had sensibly positioned himself well up the bunch in an effort to avoid the likely accidents and to have a better view of the pot holes. On the climb the inevitable happened, the front guys started to make their move….Craig was well up for the pace and went with them, Dallas, way down the bunch had to fight through the crowd to try and bridge the growing gap……The old legs however let him down and although he managed to get within 20 metres of them at the summit he had blown.  

The lead bunch set a good pace and Craig stayed with them, Dallas fought hard around the first lap and eventually bridged the gap but this was at the bottom of the second time up the hill and having worked hard to catch them he couldn’t maintain the pace.  

Dallas worked solo for 20 miles and managed to hold off the chasing group to finish 11^th. Craig worked up the hill a final time with the lead boys and got himself ready for the sprint to the line, again lack of local knowledge let him down this time and he made his break a little early, he was beaten to the line by half a wheel by the eventual winner, Russ Craig however took an excellent second, a result which catapults him into 3^rd Cat with his very first point win.  

Just to add some cream to the day he not only took a cash prize for coming second but also for being the first 4^th Cat and second in on of the Primes. Watch out, is this our new Road Race champion in 2006?  

Fullarton 10.  

The Fullarton 10 on Sunday morning started at Eglington Park in Irvine and is known to be a good fast course. Dallas and Craig woke to slightly stiff legs but looking forward to the race. The wind had picked up through the night but nothing too serious. Sporting the new kit and latest team van we headed to the sign-on and were surprised to see such a long queue, there were 45 starters.  

The course didn’t let us down. Dallas was of first for Ythan and came home in a new PB of 23:15. Craig, perhaps tired from the exertions from the previous day, was clocked at 23:57, another PB and wrapped up and excellent weekend.  

If you get the chance to race Eglington then “Just Do It”, if the weather is with you then you will go well.

Race Report by Bill Dallas