Sunday the 2nd October marked the final outing on the Time trial bikes for the season, the Tour of The Trossachs.

The first test came a few kilometres from the start, Dukes Pass, a mere 3.9km climb averaging 5.6%.

Overnight rain added some spice to the Dukes winding descent. A slight western breeze embraced the riders on the final leg of the circuit, prolonging the suffering for a touch longer.

Speaking of the finish, both myself and Duncan recalled a yellow sign from the drive in, burying ourselves thinking the finish was just over a km away.

Only to look up and see “5km to go”. Safe to say those final km’s were not pleasant!

Duncan finished the day in 11th place with a time of 1:13:40 (over 5minutes quicker than last year!). I finished in 9th place with a time of 1:13:20.

Neil