Joe
Wilson - Scottish 12 Hour TT Champion
Tuesday 28th August, 2007
by Ed Hood
It’s official, if you want to do a big mileage
in a 12 hour time trial,
forget the energy food, drinks and gels - macaroon bars are what you
need.
Joe Wilson (Sandy Wallace Cycles), who successfully
defended his Scottish 12 title and narrowly missed breaking his own
record for the event last Sunday, on the roads near Invergordon explains;
‘I was catching Carlos on that long leg out to Portmahomack,
but I was feeling terrible, I had a macaroon bar and the bad patch
passed quickly!’ Sadly, it was an Asda macaroon bar and
not the authentic Lees item, if it had been, then maybe the record
would have been his?
VeloResults
didn’t make it to the 12 champs; we were busy sitting at
Meadowbank watching the boards not-drying-out for the British madison
champs.
We rang Sandy Wallace Cycles on Tuesday morning
to chat to Joe, but he was on his day-off (careful Sandy, he’ll
want one every week).
Club sponsor and a former Scottish 12 hour champion
himself, Sandy Wallace filled-in a bit of the background for us; ‘he
did 279 miles, missing his record of 2006 by less than a mile, he
didn’t have a computer on, so he didn’t know how close
to the record he was.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that
if it had been a bit milder, then he
would have broken his own record, it wasn’t a bad day, but it
was cool.
He rode the circuits at the end very fast, certainly
at 23 minute ten speed.
Carlos Riise (Shetland) was second with 268, Ian
Black (Sandy Wallace) third with 262 and Steve Beech (Sandy Wallace)
fourth with 249, we broke our own team record from 2006 with the same
three riders as last time.
I was riding, but had to climb-off after nine-and-a-quarter
hours, it’s the
first time that I haven’t finished a 12 but I’ve been
having problems with
my back. I’m not sure if Joe’s leading the BAR, but he
can’t be far away, Carlos did a great ride in the 100, but that’s
a mile per hour that Joe has put into him in the 12.’
We eventually caught up with Joe last Wednesday
and fired the questions:
VeloResults: You must be disappointed at
just missing the record?
Joe: "I didn’t expect to be so
close to the record, it was very cold in the
morning; I rode for a couple of hours in the morning with a track
top on.
I don’t know if I could have gone much further, I had Alan Dow
looking after me and he was really egging me-on.
" I was trying harder than I have for
a long time at the end, my last lap of
the finish circuit was the fastest, so I’m not sure I could
have done much
more to get the record."
What was the food for the day?
"Apart from the macaroon bars, I had cheese and ham rolls,
cake bars and PSP energy bars and drinks."
Does this take you top in the BAR?
"I’m not sure - I’ve not really been paying attention!
I’m riding a 50 at Blairdrummond this weekend to try and improve
at that distance."
How were the legs on Monday morning?
"My knees were killing me, I live in Crombie and cycle to
my work in Inverkeithing, there’s a little drag out of the village
which I’d never noticed before, but it was sore on Monday. My
hand was numb too, I think just from spending so-much time on the
tri-bars. I’m feeling better today, though."
How about the new job? "This
is only my second week, but I’m enjoying it; I’m in the
workshop today working on a Planet X bike, we’re stockists now
- nice bikes."
Sandy has him well-trained already;
“Remember to plug the new bikes!"
Result
1 Joe Wilson Sandy Wallace Cycles
279.057
2 Carlos Riise Shetland Wheelers 268.693
3 Ian Black Sandy Wallace Cycles 262.374
4 Steve Beech Sandy Wallace Cycles 249.348
5 Graham Jones Edinburgh RC Bicycle Wks 246.752
6 John Falconer Caithness CC 238.324
7 John Sturgeon Classic Walls 231.294
8 Al Sutton Elgin CC 224.485
9 Ivan Laughton Tri Changing Gear 216.440
10 Kenny Watson Deeside Th CC 213.100
11 Peter McLean Elgin CC 208.079
12 George Grant Forres CC 198.259
DNF Stephen Blom Glasgow Couriers
DNF Hamish Aitchison Forres CC
DNF Sandy Wallace Sandy Wallace Cycles
DNF Scott Taylor Deeside Th CC
DNF Robert McLean Angus Bike Chain
DNF George Hoseason Unknown
DNS Dave Millard Angus Bike Chain
DNS Tom Worthington Glasgow Nightingale
DNS Ewan Ritchie Angus Bike Chain
DNS Graeme Walsh Sandy Wallace Cycles
DNS Freddie Toms Elgin CC
DNS Bruce Bricknell Deeside Th CC
Handicap
1st Ivan Laughton 303.817
2nd Kenny Watson 300.173
3rd Graham Jones 291.141
Championship Team
Sandy Wallace Cycles: Joe Wilson, Ian Black, Steve Beech - 790.779
miles (New Scottish Record)
