Brora cyclist hopes World Cup experience can lead to bigger things
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Downhill cyclist Lewis Duncan (16) did Sutherland proud at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup last weekend.
The Brora native had earned the chance to race at the Fort William event after good form shown in the British series.
As part of the British Cycling team, his weekend kicked off with a run in the junior men's downhill race qualifiers on Saturday.
But a red flag meant that there would be a re-run, and to make matters worse this was delayed until after the elite women's race had taken place.
By then, the crowds had started building and the hum of horns and cow bells were filling the air and making for a daunting atmosphere. The stakes were high as Lewis made for the bottom of the hill, and he did so in 22nd place to qualify for the "big show".
Conditions were far from favourable for the main event on Sunday. With the track full of holes and his line compromised, he was forced into some quick improvisation.
Against stiff competition, he finished up in 19th place with a speed of 48.503 km/h and overall race time of 5:10.095.
The Junior Men's race winner, Jordan Williams, came down in 4:38.485, closely followed by Jackson Gladstone with a time of 4:38.253.
After all was said and done, Lewis had thoroughly enjoyed his experience.
He said: "I came here not expecting to qualify, but I came down and came in at P22 and I was over the moon with that.
"I'm not used to doing such an early race run, but I quickly got used to it.
"I'm not too bothered about the overall result, I'm just happy to be here on the big day."
He reserved special praise for his family, who have supported him on route to, and throughout his World Cup experience.
"I want to thank my mum and dad, Carlene and George, and my granny and grandad for funding me and putting a lot of hard work into me. Also my girlfriend, Sinead Knox, who has supported me all weekend and kept me relaxed.
"I am hopeful that this experience will open more doors for me to move onto bigger things."
Lewis now turns his attention to the third round of the British series, which will be held this weekend in Llangollen, Wales.
