On a picture postcard perfect Autumn Sunday, hospital consultant Arthur Doyle (Dooleys Cycles) gave a lesson in how to ride a technical time trial with a two minute plus beating of the field in the classic Tour de Trossachs.
Ever consistent Jim Cusick (Glasgow Couriers) was second with Plowman Craven professional and Scottish road race champion, Evan Oliphant taking bronze.
Doyle’s recent training regime of riding 55 miles to work each way, prepared him perfectly for the climbs, descents, corners and gnarly surfaces of the “Bristly Country” as the Trossachs translates from the Gaelic language.
We decided to do the “scenic thing” first and drove the course, through the heart of Rob Roy MacGregor country.
The motel not far from the start is named after the great man – or cattle thieving rogue, depending on your point of view.
Then there was the Duke’s Pass out of Aberfoyle – the first of the day’s big climbs and named after Red Rob’s arch rival, The Duke of Montrose.
The descent to Loch Achray was bone dry, fast and beautiful with the Trossachs Hotel looking impossibly picturesque.
Romantic authors, William Wordsworth and Walter Scott first introduced the world to the beauty of the Trossachs; with Scott’s novels, ‘Rob Roy’ and ‘The Lady of the Lake’ both set in the area.
The technical section along the banks of Lochs Achray and Venachar was as rough as ever, with the ‘snap’ at Brig o’ Turk waiting to catch out those who hadn’t dropped into the inside ring.
The narrow twisting Inver Trossachs road by-passes Callendar and then it’s the second big climb of the day over to Thornhill.
The last five miles from Thornhill home are tough – technical and into the breeze.
The course was shortened to miss traffic-lights a mile-or-so from the finish; with the chequered flags positioned just a stones throw from the shore of the Lake of Menteith – Scotland’s only Lake and whose island has the ruins of an Augustinian priory, built in 1238. Mary Queen of Scots was given refuge there as a child in 1547.
With the historic, scenic tour done, we headed back up “the Dukes,” there were no more romantic notions as the digital stop watch was plucked from the bag.
The button was pressed on Cusick, off number 90, and his time was better than all-comers, until Doyle forced his Cervelo past – still in the ‘tuck’ despite the gradient – and 48 seconds up.
Last year’s British Elite Criterium champion, James McCallum (Plowman Craven) was smiling too much to challenge and Tour of Taiwan winner, Alex Coutts (Giant Asia) was 38 seconds down on Doyle, despite his attacking style.
Oliphant was favourite and last man, but our watch said 11 seconds down on Doyle.
Martin gave him a shout that he was ‘down on Doyle’ and Oliphant “stepped on it” as he told us later, to take the hill prime at the summit of the Pass.
With the field through, we jumped in the car and headed back around the course the ‘wrong’ way. There were four miles to go when we spotted Cusick and started the watch again.
“Never again!” Hollered Cusick’s team mate, Stevie Blom as he struggled past, having been caught and dropped four minutes by the eventual silver medallist.
Alistair Robinson (Hand in Hand) had been a slim four seconds down on Cusick at the first check but had slipped to 25″ down.
Doyle hadn’t slipped though, he forged past 1′ 53″ clear of Cusick; it was unlikely Oliphant would best that. And so it proved, as the man in pink and baby blue stopped the watch 1′ 43″ down on Doyle.
But Cusick rode a stronger finalé than Oliphant and pushed the pro down to third.
Robinson had put in a big finish too, but not big enough – fourth, eight seconds back from Oliphant.
