Prologue

And so, with 80 riders signed on it was Rob Wilkins setting the field in motion as he stormed the Law to record a time of 4.09 for the 1.5 mile climb described afterwards by one East Kilbride rider as "Bloody brutal 4-5 mins of sheer pain". Second man up was John Kermode in 4.19, two times that topped the leader board for quite some time. (This year we were actively broadcasting the results as the riders finished on twitter). Riders came and went, faces contorted with pain. Young Greg Brown from Dooleys came, left his breakfast, left his breakfast again, and finally rolled back down the hill to leave the remains of his breakfast in the club.
Andrew Leith crosses the prologue finish line.
Then the Couriers arrived. Ian Sim and Euan Pope set new fast times that were just a shade slower than Wilkins, looking good for the top spot. Until Kristoff Asknes blitzed the hill in 4.05 to take the honours for the prologue and a yellow jersey to wear in the first stage.
Riders after Law Hill TT

Stage 1

The stage had been slightly shortened this year, with a longer neutralised zone due to resurfacing on Pitknappie. Eventually, after several punctures in the neutral zone, the flag dropped and the race was off. And off it went from the gun. A few riders made a break for it - Leslie Bikes Andy Hood, a Courier, a Glasgow Wheeler, Scott McCrossan of Pedal Power and an EK rider. Having pushed out a lead of about 20 secs, Stirling were the only major team able to coordinate a chase and so they lead the bunch, strung out in single file as they sped through Ardler the second time. Bunch at Ardler You really do not want to puncture as it would be game over - no chance to get back on at that pace. Calum Mclean of Stirling made a bold effort to bridge to the leaders but to no avail. Greg Brown tried valiantly to stay with the bunch and was not the first to be dropped but finally had to admit that his stomach overruled his legs and it was time to pack. The break on the Ardler road Eventually the pressure told and for the final lap the whole bunch was back together. Kevin Barclay (Leslie Bikes) tried to get away but was rapidly reeled in as they approached the finish. Rich Semple (East Kilbride) overcooked a bend, hit some loose gravel and went down hard, fortunately not bringing anyone else down with him. That was race over for him, with plenty of gravel rash and a broken collar bone. We wish you a speedy recovery. John Kermode wins stage 1 Local knowledge really helps here. If you are planning to ride the race again, do come out and ride the finish a few times as timing is everything. John Kermode appeard as if by magic at the front of the bunch and started his sprint from the yellow flag. leading round the final corner as the finish line came into sight he held off a rapidly closing Kevin Barclay to take a local win and with the time bonusses, the overall race lead, Asknes finishing in the bunch just 6 seconds behind on GC and a host of other riders within 20 seconds.

Stage 2.

Wet. Rain and wind and hills. Of such days are tales told. The roll out saw only 54 of the previous days 64 finishers sign on, and not all of them made it out of the neutral zone. But then the pace was on. Leslie bikes had clearly come with a plan, setting a tough but steady pace on the front that saw weaker riders shed. John Kermode punctured and was fortunate to make it back on after a lap of chasing. A small break went away. Rob Wilkins and Jack Barrett (Stirling), Ali Robinson and Matt Hamilton (Leslie Bikes), Scott McCrossan (Pedal Power), Andrew Leith (Dooleys), Euan Pope (Couriers) and Peter Murdoch (East Kilbride). This forced the Glasgow Wheelers to take up the chase. Rob Wilkins punctured and after a wheel change dropped back to the main bunch, now a minute down. Jack Barrett couldn't hold the pace either and was dropped from the break. This left six riders out the front, three of whom are juniors. On the final climb the juniors were distanced, Andrew Leith dropping off the pace at the last moments, Scott and Matthew ahead of hime, and 30 secs up the road a three way sprint for the line won well by Peter Murdoch from Euan and finally Ali. With the break taking so much time out of the bunch, these six were now the GC leaders, Leith leapfrogging Hamilton by 1 sec as second Junior. Tired legs brought the rest of the bunch home, and the stragglers after that. One crash with a bit of road rash, but otherwise a hard days racing. Only one vet but 3 juniors in the top 10. Definitely one of the closest and most hard fought stage races for several years. Peter Murdoch (East Kilbride Road Club) won the overall.