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SCOTTISH ROAD RACE CHAMPS – A BIG WIN FOR DOBBINS!…

Scottish Road Race Championships 2022

 

Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli are celebrating a fantastic win at the recent Scottish National Road Race Championships with victory going to our young Scot Matti Dobbins in a tight sprint for the win. This challenging National Championships road race was made even more special thanks to Wheelbase’s Logan Maclean taking a close second place behind teammate Matti for a rare 1-2 podium placing. The Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli squad boasts an almost entire line-up of Scottish riders this season and the biggest road race of the year in Scotland had been on their radar all year; particularly as they had a National title to defend with last year’s winner being Dave Duggan. For the 2022 edition we fielded Fraser Martin, Callum Thornley, defending champ Dave Duggan, Tom Merry, Logan Maclean and Matti Dobbins; here’s Matti’s own account of the race and his impressive win…

Scottish Road Race Championships 2022

Racing on home roads, the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team had a national title to defend. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

We started the race with a strong team of riders and as soon as the flag dropped we were all found at the front, working cohesively as a team, attacking and closing down any significant moves off the front of the bunch. The team would tackle the Dukes pass early in the race; this formidable climb had the potential to split the race apart and it was a climb we’d identified as a good place to attack, however the peloton stayed together despite us setting a high pace on the front.

National Road Race Championships 2022

The pack stayed together early in the race. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

With 40km to go I sensed a lull in the pace of the race and seized the moment to make my move off the front; initially I was joined by one other rider and we worked together to establish a small time gap to the chasers.

National Road Race Championships 2022

The Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team were well represented at the Scottish Champs. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

Not long after another 3 riders managed to bridge across to us to establish a group of 5 riders, enabling us to work well together and begin stretching out our lead. I was pleased to see that not long after my Wheelbase teammate Logan Maclean had worked hard to chase across to join us, making his move on the final climb up the Brae with 30km to go. He immediately settled into the group and started to make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of what was now a group of 6.

National Road Race Championships 2022

Matti and Logan were attentive at the front of the race. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

Inevitability, as the race distance progressed this hard-working lead group began to fracture and we saw the two riders drop away leaving 4 of us going into the final kilometers of the race. To ensure we stayed away until the line we all agreed to work together to the final 1000 metres when Logan jumped, going early with another rider on his tail. The move didn’t stick and we all came back together for a sprint to the line which suited me well; as the sprint started I came off the wheels and managed to power through to take the win with my Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli teammate less than a bike-length behind taking second place for a fine 1-2 win on our Scottish home roads.

Scottish National Championships 2022

Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli’s Matti Dobbins and Logan Maclean sprint it out for the win. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

National Road Race Championships 2022

Matti takes the win with Logan taking a close second for a Wheelbase 1-2. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

Receiving the Scottish Road Race National Champion’s jersey was a great moment for me and the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team, with our large Scottish contingent priding ourselves on a strong display at home. With teammate Dave Duggan going into the race as defending Scottish Champ it was an honour to inherit the jersey from him and with Logan on the podium alongside me as silver medalist we were all extremely happy with how performed at this important race which we’ve all had marked on our calendars for a long time.

Scottish Road Race Championships 2022

Matti Dobbins resplendent in his Scottish National Champion’s jersey. Photo by Ben Fitzhugh

 

All photos by Ben Fitzhugh

 

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