Top Euro post reward for 50 years in cycling

FIFTY years of unbroken service to local and international cycling has earned Moray publican Alasdair MacLennan a seat at the top table in his sport.

Last month, MacLennan (60) was elected on to the management board of the European Cycling Union (EUC) who govern over many of the sport's most important events and rulings.

A lifelong member of his local Forres Cycling Club, he is also a director of the British Cycling governing body and Commonwealth Games Scotland.

He is currently out at Australia's Gold Coast on official business at his sixth Commonwealth Games, and is proud to be accompanied by several Moray born and bred athletes. "It's a great honour," MacLennan said of his board appointment at the UEC – known as the 'Uefa of cycling' – for the next three years.

"There's no doubt it's the highest position I've held. British Cycling nominated me for the one vacant position and I was voted on by my peers, people I've known and respected and enjoyed their company over many years.

"Probably why I was elected is because I'm pretty well known around the circuit from World and European championships – I'm a pretty 'well kent' face.

"And my whisky always goes down well," added the owner of the Cottar Hoose bar in Elgin. "I like to promote the trade and my trademark is I always bring a different bottle of whisky to all these events. It seems to go down well!"

MacLennan is a man who has nurtured the talents of Irish cycling legends such as Stephen Roche, who won cycling's triple crown including the Tour de France in 1987, and Sean Kelly who won 193 professional races during an incredible career in the sport. For the Moray publican was once team manager of a professional team in Ireland, working with some of the greats.

"Then I came back to Scotland and we had the Chris Hoys and the David Millars and the Craig McLeans, so it's been an exciting time for me and I've been privileged to be around in that era.

"But I'd like to think I put my shoulder to the wheel and helped in whichever way I could."

While MacLennan's first Commonwealth Games were in Edinburgh in 1986 when he was Scotland's junior manager, he also bossed Team Scotland at four consecutive Games in Manchester 2002, Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and back home to Glasgow four years ago.

He recently retired as president of Scottish Cycling, a post he held for eight years, and passed the landmark of 50 years in a sporting career which began as a 10-year-old at Forres Cycling Club.

"Even when I went to university I raced for a club in Glasgow but I was still a member of Forres Cycling club and I have been since."

Born and brought up in Forres, he is proud of his home area and thrilled to see so many Moray athletes in several sports being selected for the Commonwealth Games this year. In his new sporting role for the Games, he was involved in the selection process.

Soon to make the long journey out to Australia for the latest sporting extravaganza, it won't just be the cycling that holds his interest over two weeks on the Gold Coast.

He said: "As a board director of Commonwealth Games Scotland I go out there and represent all sports, not just cycling. I'm across all 17 sports which is really interesting given that I've spent all my life almost exclusively in cycling."

Confident of Scotland success in Australia, he pinpointed cyclists who have a real chance of going for gold. "We have got Katie Archibald who won the world title just two weeks ago, Jack Carlin who won a silver and Mark Stewart won bronze. Callum Skinner is an Olympic gold medallist, so that's four good medal chances just in my sport alone," he said. "In athletics and swimming we are doing well and we will be quietly optimistic that we can have the best away Games we've ever had."

There's no doubt MacLennan will be keeping a close eye on the performances of Burghead hammer thrower Mark Dry, Rothes boxer Megan Gordon and Elgin triathlete Sophia Green, who are all part of Team Scotland.

"Mark was in my daughter's class at school so I've known him quite well," he said. "But I'm proud to be from Moray, and I'm delighted to see one of the smallest counties in Scotland is quite well represented in the team."

After the Commonwealth Games, MacLennan will have his annual holiday at the Tour de France, then turn his attention to cycling's European Championships which are being staged over road, track, mountain bike and BMX in Glasgow between August 1 and 11. "I've designed a completely new time trial course, one that is free from the constraints of a multi-sports games like the Commonwealths.

"Basically I was able to pick the best course I could find, which hopefully I've managed to do."