ARBROATH cross-country mountain biking star James Ouchterlony popped into the Angus Bike Chain shop in his home town yesterday to collect the Angus Sports Personality of the Year Award, which he won in his absence last month.

James (32) had been unable to attend the awards ceremony in Forfar as he, along with runner-up and fellow Red Lichtie Darren Burnett, was on the other side of the world representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Although disappointed at his performance in Australia—he finished 14th in the men’s event—James was philosophical about the experience.

He said, “My preparations for Melbourne had been far from ideal as I’d had a crash about a month before the games.

“I had been laid up for a while so I’d lost a bit of fitness and with the pain in the core muscles of my chest and abdomen making breathing difficult I just wasn’t in the best of form.

“I’m not making excuses, however, as even if I had been 100% fit I don’t think I would have been in real contention for a medal—but maybe 6th or 7th place might have been achievable.

“Overall though, taking part in the Commonwealth Games was a fantastic experience and the athletes village was wonderful.”

After a brief stopover in Arbroath, James will be heading for Tenerife for some serious training before the UK mountain bike racing season gets under way and, barring injury, he is looking forward to consolidating his position as the Scottish No 1 and climbing up the UK and world rankings.