2009 Edinburgh Nocturne Circuit Races
May 30, 2009, Edinburgh, Scotland
Report and pictures: Larry Hickmott
Above: Kristian House, David Millar and Cameron Meyer celebrate on the podium with the bagpipes playing
Circuit racing came back to Edinburgh on Saturday evening with a bang as David Millar (Garmin) showed the British based riders the way home with a solo victory in the main event of the Nocturne night of cycle racing. Part of a three event series, the Nocturne Series in Edinburgh saw a packed programme of races for Seniors, Youth, local business and of course, the ever popular folding bike race. The Elite event got underway around 9pm a stones throw from the world famous Edinburgh Castle and with the start/finish straight lined with pubs, the area was already buzzing before a pedal had been turned in anger with stag and hens nights the order of the evening for those having a drink or three.
A night on the town in Edinburgh
Having been to Edinburgh on holiday recently, it was good to be back in this historic city and a quick look at the map showed that the Edinburgh Nocturne was taking part only a block or two down from the main tourist area of the city. The area known as Grassmarket is at the foot of the Castle and home to pubs, clubs and restaurants and when I arrived, the temperature was already 26 degrees with not a cloud in the blue sky. A short walk to the park nearby and kids and adults were cooling down in the fountain as a wedding party posed for a photographer nearby and there were loads more people enjoying the sunshine.
Back at the course, work was ongoing getting it ready whilst only feet away from the workers were those relaxing with drinks being consumed and much merriment in the pubs that lined the course. There was unsurprisingly, also a long queue at the ice-cream shop and open topped busses packed with tourists were passing by at regular intervals. It was certainly a popular area of the city for this first Nocturne of 2009 and with an hour or so to go, riders for the support races started to arrive. With so many entries for the lower category races, two were being put on for seniors with the first for 4th category riders kicking off the racing programme.
It soon became evident that our suspicions that this circuit was going to break the field up in all the races were right and very quickly, riders were being lapped. This proved to be a nightmare for the judges and with events flowing one after the other, we were unable to get results from the early events outside of the top placings and we’ll bring you those fuller results when we get them. In the first race, it came down to a tight sprint between two clubmates from Falkirk BC with Craig Adams getting the verdict from Andrew Turnball with Peter Sammon in third.
End of the first support race and two teammates from Falkirk BC battle it out in a close finish
The Edinburgh Team Challenge then followed which was a relay race with a difference. Lead riders for each team set off for their lap and when they returned to the start, they handed a bottle (bidon) over to their teammate waiting for them on the finish line and they then did a lap before repeating the process. A group of university students with the Right to Play logo on their jersey were the winners and enjoyed their time on the podium drinking more of the champagne than they sprayed but hey, it was hot!
Hot on the heels of the finish of that race, was the Youth event, 20 punishing minutes around this hilly circuit and the winner, Alistair Slater crossed the line on his own well clear of the second placed rider, also on his own, Patrick Galbraith with Stuart McCluskey in third whilst first girl was Hannah Shenton. The crowd was building up around the course by this time as the main event got ever closer. Before that though, another support race was held, this one for Category 2 & 3 riders. Like all the other races, lap by lap, groups got smaller and smaller and in the end, Gary McRae outsprinted Aussie mountain biker Paul Rowney for the victory.
Elite Criterium
The Elite riders on the start line
One more event was then on the programme before the main course, that of the ever popular Folding Bike Race and once that three laper had been won, the Elite riders who had been milling about close to the circuit, were allowed a couple of laps on the course before being gridded. Prior to the race, Rob Hayles gave his verdict on the course saying “the gradient is fine, the cobbles are fine, but the gradient and the cobbles together are going to make it very very tough! If it was section in a road race it would not be a problem but you’re going to be coming round here every minute and a half.”
Eight riders were then introduced to the crowd starting with James McCallum followed by Olympic champion Ed Clancy, British road race and circuit race champions Rob Hayles and Dean Downing as well as CandiTV’s Russell Downing and Malcolm Elliott. The last two introduced were the special guests brought in for the race from Spain, Aussie Cameron Meyer and a rider Scotland calls its own, David Millar.
With the bagpipes being played by a young lady near the start line, the field of 40 or so riders were lined up and let loose around 9pm in front of a now much bigger crowd with Scottish rider and former circuit race champion James McCallum leading the field down to the first corner. Very quickly the attacks were being launched and riders were being shelled out the back. Talking later on the podium, Millar explained that any thought of getting into the race slowly went out the window on the first laps because with the crowd support, he felt like a junior rider all over again and just wanted to race from the front which he and others did causing havoc in the peloton.
Then Meyer goes it alone and quickly opens up a big gap.
A rider who was a little nervous of the course and what the race may bring before the start, World Champion on the track, Cameron Meyer of Western Australia, led the field up the start/finish straight early on with the big guns already close to the front before they hit the climb. Tom Southam hit the front and then David Millar took one string of riders up the climb at speed whilst Russell Downing attacked on the left. That move took three riders clear, Kristian House and David Millar joining Downing at the front of the race but like all attacks, it was short lived and whilst the break may have come back to the chasers, at the back, the damage was quite severe after only a few laps.
Within ten laps or so, the front group was down to a dozen or so riders and some riders who have been doing well in the flatter crits were struggling already 30 seconds or more down on the leaders. At this time of the race, it was Rapha firing off their riders like House and Southam up the climb whilst at the back some very big names were suffering and losing contact and going out of the race. Thoughts of how many were going to finish the race crossed my mind at this point. Not many it would seem!
Soon Cameron Meyer came round the corner at speed on the climb already well clear of what was left of the main group with Dan Craven and Tom Southam chasing with Meyer's teammate David Millar keeping a close eye on them. Whilst Meyer powered on alone at the front, the chase group of a dozen or so was led by Malcolm Elliott who was looking very strong on the night, perhaps the strongest of all his team. Nothing the chasers were doing though looked like to be working and Meyer was opening up the gap and then, the killer blow for the British based riders as Millar gapped the chasers and very quickly crossed to his young teammate.
At this point it looked like race over for the rest. Some star names were already back in their team cars and the gap to the break was growing and many were fearing the same as I -- were these two going to lap everyone? The answer was no and the fight back was led by Rapha Condor in the closing laps. The gap was by now only 20 seconds or so and Kristian House went off in solo pursuit of the two leaders. Millar responded by leaving his young companion behind and going solo as well. Back in the chasers, Evan Oliphant was riding strongly and leading the chase group where the gaps between riders up the hill were growing ever wider.
It took House a few laps but he caught Meyer and the two kept the momentum going, enough to stay clear of the chasers but Meyer was not going to take House up to Millar with the finish in sight. The bell lap was sounded and Millar crossed the line, arm aloft and then celebrated by high fiving I think everyone lining the barriers around the course. Behind him, House outsprinted Meyer whilst Russell Downing got away from the chasers to take fourth. 
Millar crossing the line to win the race in Edinburgh
It had been a brutal race and after his celebration lap Millar said “I’m pleased with that win. I really wanted it and had some Giro form out there. The course was beautiful – I loved it. It was hard and there were no tactics. I average 416 watts out there so that is pretty heavy. I was so proud out there in front of that crowd.”
“I came to Edinburgh with one secret weapon and it was called Cam (Cameron Meyer)” commented Millar. “As soon as the race started my tactics went out of the window and after marking a few attacks Cam went on the front and we took the race on. “I really wanted to take victory on Scottish soil especially in Edinburgh in front of my friends and family,” he commented. “It was a brutal circuit but a fantastic experience to race in such a spectacular setting, the atmosphere was perfect.”
“The final couple of laps were my fastest and I just put it in the big ring on the climbs. It hurt but I was feeling good. Cam set things up perfectly and it was great to win in Scotland.” Millar now sets his sights on the Tour de France with the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré his next race in preparation.
Second placed Kristian House meanwhile said “it was a savage course and it just came down to who was the strongest. First lap, I was knocked off on the climb and I wasn’t happy about it but I have to say, the people on that climb got me through that tough stage of the race. I sat on the road for a good couple of seconds wondering if I was going to be able to keep going.”
Once I had fallen off (first lap crash), I bided my time a little bit and just waited for the right moment to attack. To be honest, I thought I was racing for third and I really think they (Meyer and Millar) were just cruising. When Millar went and I caught Meyer I said lets keep it going and we’ll stay away and I was surprised I got him in the sprint. It was a good feeling to get a result like that. To be able to race that way and be that strong in the finale. I have a lot of racing behind me now with the RAS and even the crits and so I am pretty happy with my form.”
House gets the better of Meyer in the sprint for second
Cameron Meyer: Whilst signing endless autographs, Cameron Meyer said of the race “that was good fun tonight for such a hard course. The crowd and atmosphere were unbelievable and there were some good bike riders out there so to get a result, I had a great time. I knew a few of the guys like Rob Hayles and Ed Clancy and the Downing brothers so I stayed near the front and tried to break it up as early as I could.”
“Dave was riding strong out there and I could feel that in the break. I had done a lot of work before we joined up and I tried to stay with him as long as I could but I couldn’t hold it and he just went alone on the hill. Kristian House was going really strong and come across and in the sprint he got me by a couple of centimetres but overall I’m pleased with the race.”
After the finish, the top three were presented to the crowd on the podium where Millar confirmed he was coming back to challenge the home riders again, and his fellow European pros in the Road Race championships in Abergavenny, adding -- 'with bells on'. On the form he showed on Saturday night, he will certainly be one of the favourites especially in light of the result the last time the championships were in Abergavenny -- Millar won that year!
Millar goes it alone after his teammate Cameron Meyer made the break for freedom and after a long spell out front, was joined by Millar who later broke away from his neo pro teammate to win the event on his own.
The Nocturne Series now moves on to London with the Smithfield Nocturne taking place this weekend (Saturday 6th June). Full details on www.nocturneseries.com
PROVISIONAL RESULTS
Elite Circuit Race
1. David Millar Garmin
2. Kristian House RaphaCondor
3. Cameron Meyer Garmin
4. Russ Downing Candi TV/Marshalls Pasta RT
5. Graham Briggs Candi TV/Marshalls Pasta RT
6. Malcolm Elliott Candi TV/Marshalls Pasta RT
7. Tom Southam RaphaCondor
8. Warrick Spence Cyclefit RT
9. Evan Oliphant Plowman Craven
10. Andy Tennant Halfords Bikehut
11. Ben Greenwood RaphaCondor
12. Darren Lapthorne RaphaCondor
13. Simon Richardson RaphaCondor
14. Alistair Rutherford Science in Sport
15. Dave Clarke Pendragon Kalas RT
16. Callum Wilkinson Endura Racing
17. Andy Tinsley Science in Sport
18. Robert Wardell KUK Kinesis
19. Scott McRae Endura Racing
Support Race 1, Category 4
1. Craig Adams, Falkirk BC
2. Andrew Turnbull, Falkirk BC
3. Peter Sammon, Sandy Wallace Cycles
4. Phil Melling, Wootton Tri
5. Andrew Hood, Team Leslie Bike Shop
6. Brendan Miliken, Pedal Power / Endura RT
7. Andrew Fuller, Private member
8. Eric Easton, Edinburgh RC
9. Angus Thomson, West Lothian Clarion
10. John Milligan, Dundee Wheelers
11. Tom Blankenstein, Dundee University Triathlon club
Support Race 2, Category 2/3
1. Gary McRae, Team Leslie Bike Shop
2. Paul Rowney, YETI-GU-SRAM
3. Jason Roberts, Glasgow Nightingale
4. Andrew Matheson, Musselburgh Roads CC
5. Niall Aitken, Pedal Power / Endura RT
6. Mark Williams, Python Racing Team
7. Craig Hardie, Hardie-Bikes.com
8. Ross Crook, Edinburgh RC
9. Sean Clark, Private Member
10. Alasdair Easton, Edinburgh RC
11. Matthew Hamilton, Discovery Junior Cycling Club
Youth
Boys
1. Alistair Slater, Bourne Wheelers
2. Patrick Galbraith, Velo Ecosse/Montpeliers
3. Stuart McCluskey, VC Glasgow South
Girls
1. Hannah Shenton, Paul Milnes Bradford Olympic
Folding Bike Race
1. Graeme Raeburn
Team Challenge
1. Right to Play
