Top Scots cyclist MacIntyre killed on training ride

ONE of Scotland's leading cyclists was killed yesterday while out training near his home in Fort William. Jason MacIntyre, a three-time British champion and Scottish record holder, was training on the A82 road when he was hit by a vehicle, said to be a council vehicle which overtook him and then turned into his path. The 34-year-old was airlifted from the scene but died on his way to hospital in Glasgow.

MacIntyre, who represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2002, enjoyed arguably his best season in 2007. He beat the national ten-mile record, held by Graeme Obree, with a stunning time of 18 minutes, 47 seconds. He also won the British 25-mile title for the second time and was leading Tour de France star David Millar in the Olympic time trial title race until a puncture ended his challenge.

A possible selection for the Beijing Olympics this summer, and with an eye on the Commonwealth Games in 2010, he was last week selected by the Braveheart Cycling Fund as one of the riders to receive significant financial backing for the coming season.

MacIntyre showed early promise as a road racer from the age of 18, when he took up the sport, and he soon became a regular in Scotland colours. He represented Scotland in the Irish FBD Milk Ras and the Tour of the North, which he won at the age of 23. In recent years he became a time trialling specialist, winning three British titles against the clock.

MacIntyre achieved great success in difficult circumstances. Living in Fort William added significantly to the demands of high level competition. He and his wife Caroline had twin girls, now eight, one of whom had a medical condition that required constant care. In recent years MacIntyre had fitted training and racing around his commitments as her full-time carer.

In such circumstances, he found that time trialling was an easier discipline to pursue than road racing, and it was only in recent seasons that his great talent began to bloom more fully. In his thirties he seemed to be improving each year, regularly beating riders who were part of the lottery-funded British squad and earning a comparison, from one cycling magazine, to "a modern-day comic book hero".

Graeme Herd, the former national coach who managed MacIntyre at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, said: "Jason was one of the most talented riders to come out of Scotland in the last decade, if not longer. He achieved an incredible amount of success, in challenging circumstances. It is a tragic waste that he has lost his life at such a young age."