Road Race preview: Super Six round 2: Leven

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The Scottish Power Renewables / Scottish Cycling Sup6r Six is Scotland’s premier road race series. This weekend sees the second event, the Duncan MacGregor memorial road race. I previewed round 1 of the Super Six series B race and got something right: junior Jack Barrett stormed to second place and has now stepped up to the A race.

Scottish Cycling Scottish Power Renewables

The B race (which I am entering) is 50 miles- two laps of the course, for 4th cats, Vets E/1/2/3/4th cat/50/60+, Junior 4 and Women. I’m new to the racing scene but my ones to watch include Charlie Billington of Edinburgh who rode well in round 1. Craig Dale of Edinburgh University Triathlon Club won round 1, and is back to contest the points for the series, although he might have risen to cat 3. There also might be a few other triathlon ringers in there! Eileen Roe is a Braveheart supported rider and could give the men a few things to think about.

The A race is for Elite to 3rd category racers. Immediately obvious from the start sheet is the strong entry from Endura: six riders including Scottish Champion Ross Creber and former Commonwealth riders Evan Oliphant and James McCallum. Scottish domestic club teams who have been going well include Glasgow Wheelers and Stirling Bike Club, and Dooleys Cycles and Leslie Bike Shop are also very strong, but they will have their work cut out to thwart Scotland’s pro team.

Impsport Honey Stinger Entry Central logos

It’s a tough course with a couple of climbs that will really test the field. The elevation below shows the neutralised section, two laps and the finishing section, which has a slight uphill kick to the finish. Last year Brendan Milliken (PedalPower RT) got away on the climb and stayed away with Graham Barclay (Leslie Bikes) to win the B race. The A field split on the climb and the lead bunch was further whittled down over the next two laps, with Gary Hand (Endura) winning.

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  • Dave Hamill

    Hmm that elevation looks interesting. I can see I'll be going out the back on that first climb. Hopefully my fellow lacheurs will stay in the race a bit longer this time round.

  • owen_p

    The elevation maybe looks steeper than it is, because two laps are compressed into a small area on the right of the screen on bikehike. Despite that, judging from the reports of last years event, the first climb will still be crucial- it will a case of emptying the tank to stay with a group. A good warm-up will be important!

  • BazDunk

    Race does not go down as far as Windygates cuts off before and brings you out on the Leven road again just above the Letham Glen roundabout

    BazDunk

  • BazDunk

    The course does not go down as far as Windygates it cuts off on the B927 which brings you back down on the Leven road just above the Letham Glen roundabout.

  • owen_p

    Thanks Baz, I've updated it now, so it shows the start, one lap and then the finish straight. Obviously this isn't the actual race but shows the elevation of one lap a bit more clearly.

  • Brendan Milliken

    The Duncan McGregor road race is held on a testing circuit outside Leven in Fife. The course features a fairly steep climb which is almost 2miles from the start to the KoM prime at the top. The remained of the course is on nice rolling roads exposed to the wind for a large part!
    In 2009 i came into this round having took the KoM leaders jersey in round 1 but with no race victory! MY goal here was to take more KoM points and get a race win! I took the opportunity to pre ride the circuit with team mates getting to know the corners, hills, wind direction and generally get a feel for the circuit. Going into the race i had my plan, i knew i had good form and the uphill drag to the line suited me to the ground. Raceday, i got my plan underway as soon as the flag dropped, collecting both KoM primes and the stage win! I was also lucky that the riders in the break were as commited as i was and we drove this along to the line!

    My top tip for Sunday would be to make sure you get a good warmup as both races will start fast and you will be on the big climb before you know it and this is where your race can be won or lost!

    Good luck
    Brendan

  • owen_p

    OK, so the race went pretty much as predicted. Both A and B races were sorted out on the first climb- I'll talk about the B, because that was the one I did.

    I was warmed up and ready for the climb, knew what to expect but had let myself drop too far down the bunch in the neutralised section and the flats leading up to the climb.

    On the climb a lead group of 15 got away, and as I fought my way up the bunch, I had to dig deep simply to cling on to the coat-tails of the main chase bunch. As all the strong riders were in the first group, there wasn't really a chance to pull it back. I wasn't really willing to work consistently and risk getting dropped on the various climbs and rises along the course.

    I think I rode it just about right- I managed to save enough energy to hang on when the pace picked up at the end, and I was able to kick a bit at the finish and make up a few places.

    Lesson learned: be near the front for significant climbs. Easier said than done!

  • owen_p

    OK, so the race went pretty much as predicted. Both A and B races were sorted out on the first climb- I'll talk about the B, because that was the one I did.

    I was warmed up and ready for the climb, knew what to expect but had let myself drop too far down the bunch in the neutralised section and the flats leading up to the climb.

    On the climb a lead group of 15 got away, and as I fought my way up the bunch, I had to dig deep simply to cling on to the coat-tails of the main chase bunch. As all the strong riders were in the first group, there wasn't really a chance to pull it back. I wasn't really willing to work consistently and risk getting dropped on the various climbs and rises along the course.

    I think I rode it just about right- I managed to save enough energy to hang on when the pace picked up at the end, and I was able to kick a bit at the finish and make up a few places.

    Lesson learned: be near the front for significant climbs. Easier said than done!