THIRD last year, Robbie Hassan (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com) made no mistake this time as he stepped up to win the 90-mile Anderside Classic Road Race in a four-up sprint.
Coming back to form after a difficult two months, 20-year-old Hassan crossed the line a bike length clear of Ben Greenwood (Vanillabikes.com) and his own team-mate Kit Gilham, with Colin Humphrey (Sports Cover Altura) tailed off in fourth place after leading out the uphill sprint on Eaglesham Moor.
The quartet were the survivors from an initial six-strong break which went clear in the early stages of the VC Astar promotion – which incorporated the West of Scotland Championships - after an initial move, also including Hassan, had been brought back on a windy day, and at the finish they were two and a half minutes clear of a chasing group led in by Gary Hand (Pedal Power Endura).
It was a welcome improvement in fortune for Hassan, from Dumbarton. “I had good form at the start of April, but then I got a chest infection and May was a really bad month for allergies for me,” he said.
“It’s good to get that first win and feel that I am getting back into form.
“Last year it was a different finish and I messed it up, but I knew the finish this time from doing it before and I felt quite confident.
“It wasn’t the sort of run-in where you could get away, it was into a headwind, and because of that and the drag I left it really late.
“Colin led it out, Kit took it on, and then it came down to me and Ben and I got it by a wheel. It was a good race and quite tough.
“Now I’m looking forward to the British Championships and the Beaumont Trophy, which should suit me, for a good end to the first half of the season. ”
Results:
E/1/2/3:
1 Robbie Hassan (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com) 03:48:41
2 Ben Greenwood (Vanillabikes.com)
3 Kit Gilham (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com)
4 Colin Humphrey (Sports Cover Altura) all @ same time
5 Gary Hand (Pedal Power Endura-Forme Racing) @ 02:28
6 Simon Baxter (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com) @ 02:29
7 Andrew Hawdon (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com)
8 Scott McCrossan (Rock to Roll Cycles Ltd) all @ same time
9 Evan Oliphant (Team Raleigh GAC) @ 02:31
10 David Lines (Pedal Power Endura-Forme Racing) @ 02:40
11 Andrew Whitehall (Equipe Velo Ecosse/Montpelliers) @ same time
12 Chris Sherriffs (Team Bglobal) @ 04:13
13 Craig Adams (GJS Racing Team) @ 04:15
14 Craig Wallace (Granite City RT) same time
15 Peter Murdoch (Team Cyclelane) @ 05:18
16 Neil Taylor (Edinburgh RC) @ 05:50
17 Eddie Addis (Equipe Velo Ecosse/Montpelliers) @ 06:04
18 Richard McDonald (www.dooleys-cycles.co.uk ) @ same time
19 Jack Barrett (Velocity44) @ 06:07
20 Ewan Pope (Glasgow Couriers) @ 06:10
21 Liam Cowie (Pedal Power Endura-Forme Racing) @ 06:18
22 Alister Watt (Granite City RT) @ 06:21
23 Rich Semple (www.dooleys-cycles.co.uk) @ 07:49
24 Jamie Kennedy (Glasgow Couriers) @ 08:58
25 Tim Blathwayt (Veloclub Edinburgh) @ 09:02
26 Mathew MacDonald (Equipe Velo Ecosse/Montpelliers) @10:44
27 Tom Macdonald (Lomond Roads) @ same time
28 Gavin Shirley (www.dooleys-cycles.co.uk) @ 10:47
29 John Brown (Kyklos/Edco RT)
30 Ewan Minty (Berwick Wheelers) all @ same time
31 Joe Larner (Edinburgh RC) @ 10:53
32 Chris Stewart (Classic Racing) @ 10:57
33 Richard Garrett (Veloclub Edinburgh) @ same time
34 Dominic Hines (Veloclub Edinburgh) @ 10:59
35 Russell Bayliss (G.S Metro)
36 Mark Skilling (Ayr Roads)
37 Derek Walker (East Kilbride RC) all @ same time
38 Stephen Russell (Team Cyclelane) @ 11:18
39 Ewan McDougall (Elgin Cycling Club) @ 11:27
40 Lewis Oliphant (Equipe Velo Ecosse/Montpelliers) @ same time
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
