John savours double medalhaul in British championship

The Milngavie sportsman was in Norwich for the HSBC UK National Championships – and was delighted to secure a podium finish.

Although there were a few tribulations, the overall strategy went well and he secured a bronze medal – having bagged a silver in the time trial three days earlier.

John’s sister Katie, unfortunately, withdrew after the time trial because of illness.

“The national is always a big target for me, as it’s nice to compare yourself against the best in Britain,” said John. “A lot of the professional world tour riders come back from the continent to race it – they value it too.”

John finished second in the time trial to Alex Dowsett, a five-time UK title winner and very prestigious time trialist.

“To finish only six seconds away from him – I was pleased with that,” said John.

The road race, however, was more of a “lottery”, with 170 people taking part.

“You have to pick the right moves and be in the right place at the right time,” he said. “It all clicked for me as well and I ended up getting a bronze.”

John said he felt good tackling the relatively flat Norfolk course on a hot, dry day, although the demands of a 118-mile road race, with over four hours in the saddle, carried an element of the unexpected and was a bit more arduous.

“It’d be nice to think it’s not going to be a fluke and, hopefully, I can back it up with other good results,” said John. “The bronze came out of the blue and I’m just hoping to carry on the form from there.”