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The biggest, most important road races of the year took place on the unforgiving roads of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland over the last weekend of June, as the very best male and female British road cyclists based in the UK and beyond came together to decide who would wear the prestigious red, white and blue National Champion jerseys in the specific disciplines of the Time Trial, the Circuit Race and the Road Race.
Our young Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team, made up predominately of Scottish riders were keen to prove themselves on what could be described as their ‘home roads’. Already this season the lads have proven themselves to be hard working and tenacious when taking on the most challenging road races in the UK, racing against stacked fields of the best national racers. The next few days of racing would prove to be their biggest test yet as they not only took on the UK’s best domestic riders but also squared up to the ever-growing contingent of British racers based in Europe as part of the very best professional cycling teams including Ineos, Quick-Step and EF Education.
Exposed Scottish roads, high winds and intermittent rain made for difficult racing conditions. Photo by SW Pix
Thursday the 23rd of June saw the first action of the extended National Championships weekend with riders competing in the Time Trial; a discipline which pits riders against the clock on specialist aerodynamic Time Trial bikes complete with disc wheels and aero handlebars. We had high hopes for the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team going into the event, with three of our riders competing in the challenging Under 23 category, made up of a mix of domestic riders and young pros who had returned from their international racing duties in Europe. Matti Dobbins, Logan Maclean and Callum Thornley donned their Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli skins suits and aero helmets to take on the 22 kilometer circuit.
Callum Thornley on his way to a brilliant 2nd place in the National Under 23 Time Trial Championships. Photo by SW Pix
We had particularly high hopes for Callum Thornley who, at only 18 years of age is already proving himself to be a formidable powerhouse on the road, especially against the clock where he recently set the second fastest Scottish 10 mile time of 18 minutes and 38 seconds coming close to the Scottish record of 18 minutes and 12 seconds set by John Archibald in 2021. His performance at the National TT Championships didn’t disappoint! Taking an excellent 2nd place behind an in-form Leo Haytor (younger brother of Ethan Haytor from Team Ineos) who had just returned from winning the ‘Baby Giro’ – the Under 23 version of the Giro d’Italia stage race. Taking the Silver medal Callum finished just 16 seconds behind Haytor and came in ahead of a formidable list of national and international U23 riders bursting with talent; all of the hard work and time spent on his time trial machine, refining his position paid off, Chapeau Callum! Logan Maclean continues to impress; really stepping up his racing this year and showing his talent for racing hard after his long comeback trail, following some potentially life-changing injuries just two seasons ago. Logan would take an excellent 13th place in the TT while Wheelbase teammate Matti Dobbins would take 33rd place.
Callum took the silver medal behind Leo Hayter who had recently won the prestigious ‘Baby Giro’ in Italy. Photo by SW Pix
Callum Thornley’s impressive performance in the Time Trial has confirmed racing talent against the clock. Photo by SW Pix
There was no let-up at the National Championships with five of our Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli squad lining up for the Circuit Race the very next day after the Time Trial. Matti Dobbins, Tim Shoreman and David Duggan were joined by Callum Thornley, our Silver Medalist from the previous day to take on an hour of the most fast and frenetic racing seen all weekend. The circuit took in the scenic harbour town of Kirkcudbright, but there was no time for sight-seeing during the elbow-to-elbow racing which saw an early break of four riders getting away from the main bunch. Later in the race with the peloton continuing to chase Callum made multiple attacks in attempt to get across, showing yet again what great form he has at the moment. At the end of this chaotic race Matt Bostock from rival team WiV Sungod took the win with Thornley our highest placed finisher taking 16th place, while David Duggan took 27th. Matti and Tim unfortunately succumbed to untimely punctures, however with the main event still to come, our riders had time to recompose ready for the tough 202km National road Race on Sunday.
This was to be the biggest test of the weekend for our young squad; with Under 23 riders and Senior riders all racing together in a stacked field of national and international riders including such luminaries as Mark Cavendish and Ben Swift, both former winners of this race, as well as fellow pros Ethan Haytor and Owain Doull. Racing conditions couldn’t have been more difficult with 30mph winds, driving rain early in the race and an exposed course full of long, draggy climbs. A breakaway of talented racers got away only 20 kilometers into the race and included Mark Cavendish who was full of ambition to win the National Champion’s Jersey and secure a place on his team for the upcoming Tour De France.
The National Circuit Race Championships saw fast and frenetic bar to bar racing. Photo by SW Pix
With many of the more established pro teams and riders sitting tight in the bunch waiting to see how the race would play out Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli’s Logan Maclean went on the attack and rather amazingly made the junction to the breakaway group. It was fantastic to see Logan make this brave move and get some welcome exposure for the team on national and international television coverage, spending the next 15 miles in the break before the race got too attritional. 202km of racing with a stacked international field, racing at an average speed of 27mph took its toll on our young team, with none of our riders able to feature in the finishing results on this occasion. Regardless of the outcome of the final day of racing we are extremely proud of how the team performed over the previous few days with the highlight most certainly being that fantastic Silver medal for Callum.
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by Simon Wilkinson
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