Grass track season starts in May, which reminded me of Hugh Johnstone, who took part in the retro exhibition race, a few days shy of his 80th birthday, at the Scottish circuit  championships held in Stirling last August.

His frame was built in the 1953 by George Elrick, a frame builder who was based in Lower Bridge Street in Stirling up until the 70s –  a steel single speed frame with extra tyre clearance and a higher bottom bracket.

Most traditional framebuilders, whether still operational or not, are feted these days and Elrick is no different. The frames are sought after by collectors and their individual stories are kept alive.

Craig Hardie of Hardie Bikes in Cairneyhill is a seasoned grass tracker and swapped stories with Hugh on the day of the 2014 champs.

Cyclevox’s full playlist of videos for the Scottish crit champs 2014.
Crit under the Castle website.
Grass track racing is organised by the Scottish Highland Games Association