The ‘Bionic Brazilian’ Marcos Schier (No Sponsor) and Scott O’Neil (Middleburn) are certainly the TORQ men of the moment.

Firstly there was Marcos’ Expert-class win at the recent SAMS at Checkendon, where he outclassed Dan Duguid (Middleburn) and Paul Lloyd (Giant) to secure a well-deserved victory. Here’s Marcos’ account of the race:

‘The race was tactical for me. I knew that to start well would be crucial and this could define the final result. On the initial laps, I tried to stay among the top three riders and then race the fourth lap as if it was my first; on the limit. The bike helped me 100% and I believe I also chose the right tyres. Inspiration and dispute were there all the way too. With the Commonwealth Games MTB on the previous week, it was Roland Green with all his energy and technique who inspired me to do the same from beginning to end. Dan Duguid (Middleburn) with his top form and performance, could be one of the riders to win the race but with a good tactics and determination, it was me who completed the race first, 31 seconds ahead, leaving the second place to the Aston Hill Expert winner. My special thank you goes to, Vera Misk who is my official photographer and gives me all the support and Matt Hart (Torq) who provides all my training needs (Ed. That really wasn’t necessary Marcos – lump in throat, tear in eye).’

Marcos also placed 5th in the latest NPS at Trentham Gardens, Stoke, which was enough to earn him 3rd in the overall series. He’s also currently running 2nd overall in the Expert-class national rankings. This undoubtedly means he’ll be riding Pro-Elite next season and boy oh boy is he up for it?

Another TORQ rider that will be ascending the ranks, moving up to Expert next year is Sport-class rider Scott O’Neil (Middleburn), who despite a gallant 3rd place effort at Stoke, just missed the podium for the series. Scott is currently lying 2nd in the Sports-class national rankings.

There are just a few more big races to go now before the TORQ riders hang up their wheels and let their hair down for a month or so. To facilitate this relaxation process we’re all off to Snowdonia in mid October for a healthy weekend of fun, frolic’s, a little light alcohol and I’m sure we’ll find a bit of time to ride our bikes too. I won’t be cracking the whip this time for a change though – I’m officially off-duty…