Christine strikes gold in Trossachs

CYCLIST Christine McLean added yet another gold medal to her collection by winning the “Tour de Trossachs” time trial at the weekend.

The event is the final counting race in the Scottish Championship Series, and attracted close to 100 riders from all over Britain, all keen to tackle the challenging hilly course. McLean made the most of the calm and sunny conditions as she set off on the popular and scenic route. The start took the riders through Aberfoyle and up over the infamous Dukes Pass.

The view from the top is picture postcard perfect, but McLean didn’t have much time to notice as she pedalled up the lung-bursting climb at a blistering pace, breaking the women’s record as she crossed the summit in an impressive 17 minutes.

The descent was fast and technical, passing Loch Achray and the Brig o’ Turk on the way to the village of Callendar. A sharp right took the riders over the next big climb of the day, before descending to Thornhill on the way back to Aberfoyle.

McLean was well on her way to breaking the woman’s course record, but some last minute road works shortened the race by about a mile, with the finish now at the nearby Lake of Menteith.

McLean’s finishing time of 76 minutes saw her beat her nearest rival by more than five minutes. Ever consistent, her training on the tough roads of Shetland had prepared her well for the changing pace on the climbs and descents in this 28-mile time trial.

McLean’s latest victory confirmed her standing as one of the fastest competitive cyclists in Scotland. Her season certainly would be classed as a success, taking home an impressive haul of three British age category championship medals, along with four Scottish golds and a couple of silvers.