Event Info
The race again was a great success, and attracted 65 entries, with riders coming from as far afield as Stirling and Cambridgeshire. The race was planned to start in Rothbury, but at the last minute Northumberland County Council refused the race permission to run in Rothbury. So the race moved to Thropton.
So the race started at 11am, the racing was quite tame on the valley road through hepple, to the first climb at Bilsmoor. When riders one by one started to get shelled out the back of the bunch. The prime was taken by Aidan McIlroy of the Edinburgh Road Club. Then after only a short respite on the fast descent into Elsdon. The race arrived at the second prime of the day at winters gibbet, on the Gibbet Raymond Turner of Morpeth riding for the Newcastle Pheonix Cycling Club made numerous attacks off the front in a most impressive aggressive manner. And it was Raymond who took the prime at the top, and maxinum points for the King of the mountains competition. Over the top of the gibbet a group of 15 riders had went clear of the peleton. And the leaders made a concerted effort going through and off to keep there advantage on the the fast straight road down to Harwood Gate. The race them went through a more controlled none aggreesive stage at the race pasted through Hartburn and Mitford.
. Then it was the intermediate sprint competition in Netherwitton, the Dave Walton Memorial sprint which was won also by Aidan McIlroy. Then just after Netherwitton the race hotted up again with Malcolm Lewis (MTS Cyclesport) and Ray Turner attacking once again. But this did not help the leading group and just before Ritton Bank, the leaders were caught by the peleton. But the shape of the race was about to change again, as Ritton Bank took its tool on the now larger bunch. And the bunch split once again, with 15 riders again going clear. then after the fast descent down to Forestburn Gate, came the last prime in the king of the mountains competition at Coldrife. The leading bunch of 15 now started to split. as riders struggled up the hill. Over the top it was Andrew Atkinson, of the Gosforth Road Club, who took maxinum points, closely followed by McIlroy and Turner. The race then passed through Coltpark and Ritton to the junction at Ritton Bank. It was now Aidan McIlroy leading the race, however an slight error on aidan's part caused him to crash at the junction whilst leading the race. With just minor cuts and bruises he got back on his bike, and sent out in pursuit of the new leaders on the road. The race then returned to Forestburn Gate, then turned right towards Rothbury. The finish at the top of Garleigh moor was now close, and on the final climb of the day the young junior rider Scott McCrossan, from Lanarkshire was well clear of his rivals. And for the second year in the row the rider to win the Ballantyne trophy on Garleigh was a rider riding clear of the opposition. For an impressive solo victory on the windswept moor. the result was
1st place Scott McCrossan, riding for Pedal Power 45 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes
2nd place Robert Jackson, Inverse Racing at 27 secs
3rd place Christopher Croxford, Infinity Cycles at same time
4th place Liam Armstrong, VC Briganti at same time
5th place Raymond Turner, Newcastle Pheonix CC at same time
6th place James McPake, Falkirk BC, at 29 seconds
7th place Aidan McIlroy, Edinburgh RC at 52 sec
8th place Malcolm Lewis, MTS Cyclesport at 1 min 5 sec
9th place Neil Baxter, Activ Cycles at 1 min 27 sec
10th place Neil Souter, GS Metro at 1 min 35 sec
Overall king of the mountains Aidan McIlroy,
First lady Mathilde Matissjhe, Ferryhill wheelers
Full Results