Report – Sharon Argue Memorial Road Race

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Lynsey Curran wins the overall two stage Sharon Argue Memorial Road Race, Round 3 in the Dales Scottish Womens Road Race Series

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Report – Sharon Argue Memorial Road Race

Words: John McComisky | Image: Caroline Lukes

Round 3 in the Dales Scottish Womens Road Race Series.

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Overall Winner Lynsey Curran (Dooleys Cycles)

Saturday 25th of May saw a historic day for Women’s cycling in Scotland, with a record breaking 54 rider field assemble to take part in the third running of the Sharon Argue Memorial Road Race. The event organised by Grant Thomson in memory of his late partner Sharon has continually grown into what is now regarded as the most popular event on the Scottish Women’s racing calendar.

Grant relies heavily on friends and family to make the race happen but was quick to add “The support and financial assistance we have received from Jim and the team at Dales in Glasgow (Series sponsors) really makes the event for us and I am glad that they have been with us growing the event from its inception, every rider received a sign on bag with goodies, this proved to be incredibly popular as we had riders travelling from all corners of the UK to compete in the event”

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Julie Erskine (IKON-Mazda) takes Road Race Victory.

The race itself had a two tier format with a morning prologue (5m TT) as well as a challenging seven mile loop that would take in the lanes, roads and selective climbs surrounding the Limerigg and Slamannan area to the South of Falkirk. The normally exposed area was for once bathed in glorious sunshine, though riders would still have to battle with punchy head and crosswinds during the day.

The Morning time trial pushed things off, with the majority of the field adopting road bikes for the lumpy five mile course, though there was still a smattering of high spec TT rigs on show, with riders hoping to gain an aggregate time advantage before the road race.

At the head of the race came Lynsey Curran (Dooleys Cycling Team) fresh from a recent second place in the Scottish 10 Mile Time Trial Championships, who posted a hugely impressive 13:25, she was followed home by one of the leading lights of Scottish road racing Anne Ewing, who races with the U.C.I registered Dutch team of W.V Breda with a time of 13:37, with the Series leader going into round three Emily Middleditch (Deeside Thistle) consolidating a fine third with a time of 13:40.

The only other riders to break into the thirteen minute bracket were the fancied Julie Erskine (IKON-Mazda) with a 13:46 and the furthest travelled competitor all the way from Devon and Cornwall Mary McFadzean (GB cycling) who managed a 13:56.

After a short respite back at the Limerigg Headquarters of the race, the road race proper rode into action, with the huge peloton making its way up the main street to the support of a sizeable and vocal crowd.

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It would not take long for the main protagonists to start stripping back the field into a manageable working group, but even those riders who were unfortunate enough to get spat out the back were soon making alliances with fellow riders to work together for the minor placings in the punishing thirty mile road race.

Up front Anne Ewing was very active along with Erskine, who on more than one occasion had an attack off the front, the best of those gaining a five second advantage, but riding solo, she was soon sucked back into the twelve strong group. With the laps being whittled down, and the group staying intact, riders were running out of opportunities to make a break for it, and it would come down to the very last climb of the day to sort out the uphill sprint back into the village.

There certainly was a lot of jostling for position at the base of the final climb, and that was to prove to be the undoing of four of the fancied riders for a podium or indeed the win. Claire Martin (Team 22) who had been up front for the full race went down heavily in a tangle of bikes, along with the far travelled McFadzean. Martin suffered concussion in the incident, and took no further part in the proceedings, but the other fallen riders, bloodied and shaken remounted to ride accross the line.

With all the drama behind the front of the race, it was going to be left to Erskine and Ewing to bash it out to the line with the fluro pink and blue IKON-Mazda kit of Erskine lunging for the line, from Ewing and Ellen McDermott (Team WattCycle) who added another podium to her race season tally.

With the two Race Format coming into play, overall victory went to the class act that is Lynsey Curran who held station in the main group for the duration of the road race, knowing that anyone who would have be able to take at least twelve seconds out of her lead from the morning time trial. Second rolled out for Ewing who is now off on International duty with a series of races in Holland in the coming weeks, with Emily Middleditch a strong third and top of the heap amongst the very strong posse of Deeside Thistle racers.

The Sharon Argue Memorial Road Race is also famed for the Team event that runs concurrently with the event itself, this year the whole field were split into club and composite teams with the winners on the day of Sharon’s chainring trophy going to Team Tootie Frooties with a strong roster of : Lynsey Curran, Ellen McDermott, Lorna Ferguson, Lyndsey Carson and Piegi Series.

The girls were happy to accept the trophy from Corrine from the Finding Your Feet Charity that Grant and the race supports, you can find out more about this and the remarkable woman behind it here : http://www.findingyourfeet.net/about-us/

The next round of the series takes place in Dundee on the 21st of June and details of this and the full series standings itself can be found here: SCOTTISH-NATIONAL-ROAD-RACE-SERIES

It should noted that there has also been a lot of behind the scenes work done by the likes of Fiona Walker, Scottish Cycling and Dales Cycles in encouraging new participants into racing in Scotland, this will continue to be an ongoing process with coaching and support but if the event is anything to go by, National racing for women will be breaking new ground in the coming seasons.

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OVERALL
1. Lynsey Curran www.Dooleys-Cycles.co.uk
2. Anne Ewing East Coast Composite
3. Emily Middleditch Deeside Thistle CC
4. Julie Erskine IKON – Mazda Moray Firth CC
5. Mary McFadzean GB Cycles.co.uk
6. Ellen McDermott Team WattCycle
7. Lorna Ferguson Glasgow Green Cycle
8. Nicola Smith Lomond Roads CC
9. Amanda Tweedie Deeside Thistle CC
10. Ingrid Kidd Angus Bike Chain
11. Shelley Cowe Dunfermline Cycling Club
12. Natalie Munro Moray Firth Cycling Club
13. Alexa Mair Deeside Thistle CC
14. Gillian Palmer Sandy Wallace Cycles
15. Julianna Rourke Edinburgh RC ERC
16. Christine Fischer Stirling Bike Club
17. Ashleigh Fraser Deeside Thistle CC
18. Catherine Moulton Carse of Gowrie Velo
19. Lynne Wardrop Ayr Roads CC
20. Karena OHanlon Leslie Bike Shop
21. Susan Johnston Ronde Cycling Club
22. Peggy Series Team Thomsons Cycles
23. Jennifer Edwards Team 22
24. Laura Sarkis Deeside Thistle CC
25. Laura Nicolson Moray Firth Cycling Club
26. Emma Borthwick Edinburgh RC
27. Flora Gillies Project 51
28. Polly Tandy Deeside Thistle CC
29. Caroline Simpson Shetland Wheelers
30. Gillian Pratt Leslie Bike Shop
31. Lyndsey Carson Team Thomsons
32. Lindsay Branston Unattached
33. Sandra Tulloch Leslie Bike
34. Katherine Wren Stirling Bike Club
35. Gill Brett Stirling Bike Club
36. Carole Dick Stirling Bike Club
37. Julia Kenneth Moray Firth Cycling
38. Clare Kerr RC Cumbernauld & Kilsyth
39. Helen Paxton-Steele Stirling Bike Club
40. Fiona McDonnell Ronde Cycling Club
41. Kirsteen Ellis Kinross CC
42. Lulu Bartlett The Racers
43. Katie Mclean Glasgow Cycle Team

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