AYR Roads/Harry Fairbairn Cycling Club youngsters were active at the weekend, with young Beth Macrae taking part in her first ever 3-Up Team Time Trial.

With Janet Erskine and Toni McIntosh the Roads Ladies Team secured third place in the ladies event of the Musselburgh Road Club's

event.

What made Beth's success more rewarding was the fact that she did so, riding a traditional road bike, without the aerodynamic benefits enjoyed by the main field. The event covered a distance of just over 24 miles around a three lap course of 8.1 miles.

Forty teams of 120 riders from throughout Scotland turned up at East Saulton village hall for a 1pm start with Ayrshire clubs well represented.

A sub-one-hour time on the three lap course was expected of the top teams. They did not disappoint, with the Dooley's Cycling Team of Quinn, Clark and Norris taking first prize in an impressive 55 minutes 33 seconds. They were the fastest team in all three laps, averaging 27 miles per hour. Carrick CC were second, 20 seconds behind.

The Ayr Roads Team of Ed Clifton, Alastair McGibbon and Michael Curran finished eighth in 59:12.

With the second team of Alex McAllister, Harry Brawley and Jody Gerrard returning a 1:02:09. Ayr ladies team recorded 1:08:43. The winning ladies team of Dooleys Cycles was led by multi-Scottish champion Lynsey Curran, recording an excellent time of 1:03:04.

Not to be outdone, and in his first season as a senior Iain Fisher competed in the first of a four series Cyclo Cross event hosted by South Shields Cycling Club. He finished seventh,

Nearer to home and on a perfect day, another two of the club's young guns, junior Jonathon Hilbourne and 19-year-old Martin Lindsay accompanied Alex McAllister on Sunday and took part in the Velo Vitesse club's 13-mile Time Trial at Kilwinning. Alex secured the first veteran's prize for the club, with a fine time of 31:39. Martin recorded 34:10 and Jonathon was a few seconds behind.

The event was Jonathon's first ever Time Trial. More accustomed to National Track League meetings at the Sir Chris Hoy, Velodrome, he is now looking forward to his next road event. Martin too is a novice on the road scene, having only ridden one open time trial before. In his first season with the club the youngster improved his personal best at the 10--mile distance to 24:31 over a few short weeks.

Paul Rodwell and Beth Macrae also competed in events on Sunday, with Paul riding the Don Smith Memorial Reliability event over 67 miles, where he finished in the main group. Beth rode the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth reliability event of just over 50 miles.

On the club run scene, the midweek brigade logged 55 miles on northern roads by Neilston and the Harelaw Dam. Sunday's outing had 15 members out who clocked up over 60 miles by way of Straiton and the Girvan Valley.