Phil Young Memorial Time Trial

The recent Phil Young Memorial TT was a tremendous success. The weather was a bit cold and damp but it certainly didn’t dampen the enjoyment of the field.

Every rider in the race got a prize, and it was really nice to see the expression on the face of riders who have never won a prize before.

The promoting GS Modena club would like to express their sincere thanks for the massive contribution everyone made in keeping Phil’s name ever-present in our minds.

Phil Young Memorial – Result

1. Bob Taylor – GLASGOW WHLS CC 0:33:10
2. Sandy Wallace – SANDY WALLACE CYCLES 0:33:10
3. George Black – SPOKES RT 0:35:23
4. Barry Duncan – EDINBURGH RC 0:32:25
5. Derek Stewart – DEESIDE THISTLE CC 0:35:59
6. Pete Lambie – FIFE CYCLING 2000 0:33:20
7. Alan Solway – KENNOWAY RC 0:35:42
8. James Brewster – DUNDEE WHLS 0:36:59
9. Ian Anderson – DUNDEE WHLS 0:34:00
10. David McCallum – DUNDEE WHEELERS CC 0:38:14
11. Stefan Czmerys – DUNFERMLINE CC 0:37:08
12. Graham Walsh – SANDY WALLACE CYCLES 0:34:08
13. Jonny May – ERC BICYCLEWORKS 0:34:09
14. Kevin Tait – ERC BICYCLEWORKS 0:35:12
15. Graham Jones – ERC BICYCLEWORKS 0:34:33
16. Gareth George – ERC BICYCLEWORKS 0:38:27
17. James Law – PERTH UNITED 0:37:22
18. Donald Alari – DUNFERMLINE CC 0:39:30
19. Colin Russell – ERC BICYCLEWORKS 0:38:17
20. David Mitchell – PERTH UNITED 0:42:17

Phil in the mid-80’s, racing one of his own frames in an early-season time trial.

To celebrate the race and the reason for having it, VeloVeritas wanted to add some little stories of our own about Phil:

Ed Hood

I missed the Phil Young race last year. I was working, Phil would just have shaken his head – work was something you did only when you had to pay the bills, buy new tubs or book a flight for you and your bike to Mallorca.

That said, when he worked, he worked well, like the Buddha says; “Live every act fully, as if it were your last.”

I missed his race again this year, but I was at the finish of the Tour of Britain, talking to Evan and James. Phil would have approved.

My little tale of Phil is from 1987, he was seeing Margaret Allen at the time and he’d been helping her at a time trial in England on Saturday afternoon – she was chasing BBAR times.

After the race Phil jumped in his van and drove north to Westferry, where I was riding a 100 on the Sunday morning. Phil and Margaret arrived at some un-Godly hour, slept in the van, and I was surprised to see them at 05.30 or whatever horrendous hour it was I arrived at the start.

Phil fed me around the full 100 miles and was there to sponge me down and give me a massage at the finish, no doubt he would have been pulling my leg all the while, he always did – I miss you, Phil.

Martin Williamson

I first met Phil when I was a wee slip of a lad 30 years ago! I joined the Velo Sportiv club, run by Jocky Allan from his Edinburgh shop in Jane Street at “the foot of the Walk”, and was immediately taken under the wings of the “old guys” (when you’re 12, that’s anyone over 18), to be taken care of and shown the ropes of club cycling.

Phil was probably older that the rest of them, but it was with him that I struck up the strongest friendship, and with whom the six “schoolies” in the club had the best laugh.

Together with Jocky, big Ken Klessa, Frank Anderson, Ran Shenton, Jim Smellie, Stevie Hall and co., Phil introduced me ‘properly’ to bikes; to going out all Sunday long, covering miles and miles whilst there was any daylight left; to racing short time trials and schoolboy bunch races; and to preparing and looking after your equipment – he was absolutely fastidious with his kit, and that’s something that rubbed off on me. I used the same bike, a Holdsworth “Pro 531” for years, keeping it immaculate, with the race timekeepers jokingly asking me every week without fail if I’d just bought a new bike.

Looking back, perhaps the weekly disassemble of the brake calipers and gear mechs to clean them was taking things a little too far…

Later on, when things got a bit more serious, Phil and I were again team-mates, now in the G.S. Modena team which was sponsored by Ed Hood’s Conservatory company, and along with several other up-and-coming riders, I would head over to Phil’s house a couple of times a week, for “The Rub”.

Phil gave a terrific sports massage, and was also great at listening to your stories and problems, and offering sound advice whilst doing so. Of course, it was all for free, simply for the love of the sport and to help the local riders.

It was never clear what his neighbours thought of the regular trail of lads (and a few lasses) turning up at his front door, with the upstairs front room curtains drawn a few minutes later, but Phil didn’t give two hoots about that.

That all said, Phil didn’t like to be taken for granted. If he thought someone was trying to be a bit ‘fly’ and not pay his fair share of something, for example the petrol costs, he wouldn’t hesitate in “chinning” them, asking them to stump up the money; you always knew where you stood with Phil.

In the late 80’s, there used to be a five-day stage race held in the South of England around Easter time called the “Tour of the English Riviera”. As manager of the Scottish team, it was Phil’s job to drive us all the way down to Bristol, around the race, and back up to Edinburgh afterwards, in a hired minibus — along with all the other managerial, soigneur, and mechanic tasks as well, of course.

He never minded these 10 hour drives, never once complained whilst me, Malky Little, Willie Gibb, Davey Finlayson, et al, snored away completely selfishly, snuggled into the baggage and wheels. On this race, at breakfast one morning, when we were faced with a very lumpy 90 mile stage, the landlady served up a miserly portion of equally lumpy porridge. Willie’s Glaswegian deadpan comment to her of “Ma budgie wid eat mair than that!” had Phil in stitches. The landlady didn’t know what to say. That really tickled Phil, and he laughed about it often afterwards. He loved dry humour and one-liners. He had a great sense of humour, and a smile came easily to his friendly face.

Phil had a big impact on my life, helping to form my attitudes to many things inside and outside of cycling, particularly a love of Mallorca, and not forgetting introducing one of his favorite words – “Jings!” – into my vocabulary, and I still use it a lot to this day. Cheers Phil, and thanks for everything.

Dave Chapman

I remember one year, the team was riding the Border Four Day at Easter. Phil had been at a training camp in Mallorca and the flight home was overnight. It didn’t occur to him to go home and have a few hours sleep. He just jumped in his motor and drove straight down to the race to look after us.