Cycling: Scots mourn MacIntyre

Scottish cycling was in mourning yesterday following the death of British time trial champion Jason MacIntyre after a collision with a van while training near his home in Fort William. He was 34.

Despite starting riding a bike at a late age – 18 – and taking a three-year break from racing in his twenties for family reasons, MacIntyre's impressive list of achievements included 13 Scottish time trial titles as well as three at British national level.

Following a superb 2007, in which he came close to winning the National Time Trial Championships ahead of the much better-known David Millar – but was let down by a puncture – MacIntyre was considered a serious candidate for Beijing this summer.

A full-time carer for his eight-year-old daughter, who has kidney problems, in his native West Highland region, MacIntyre had recently secured his first ever grant – from the Scottish Braveheart foundation, which backs local cyclists.

Previously MacIntyre had represented Scotland in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and had regularly ridden for his country. But it was his smashing of the Scottish 10-mile record last year – previously held by Graeme Obree – that was widely recognised in the sport as all but guaranteeing his passport to the Olympics.

Alasdair Fotheringham writes for www.cyclingweekly.co.uk