New club '50' record

Congratulations to the clubs' top tester, Steve McCaw, who rode the Scottish 50 TT championships and broke the club record by an astonishing seven minutes on Sunday. Steve continues the story...

Went up to Invergordon to ride this yesterday. It was a good course based on part of the A9 as well a a small B road, it made the route quite complicated, but it was well marshalled. A top field with all the seeded riders at 2 minute intervals at the end.

Warming up on the rollers before hand it was dry and warm with no wind but as I headed down to the start the wind had started to pick up. I set off early in the field with only 4 riders off in front of me and on the 8 mile stretch of  B road I had caught them so up on to the first part of A9 on my own.

It was very smooth and flat with a tail wind and I was running out of gears quite quickly, which meant that in 4 miles when I turned round, it was going to be hard ! Round the turn and the wind didn't disappoint, the next 45 minutes were into a really hard head/crosswind, it was a real slog to the far turn and no riders to chase either, so just buckle down to the effort and focus.

Round the far turn(eventually), quick drink from the bottle and back on the tri bars, click , click, click up through the gears again and really moving now with the wind helping, trying to gauge how I am doing, Steve Beech passes in the other direction and I think I am up on him, so I'm doing ok and feel reasonable, try to up the effort a bit but save something for the last 8 miles (Steve beech told me before the start these last 8 would be tough).

Am really moving now in the tailwind and it's tempting to give it everything but I gear down on the small rises and keep the cadence high, Julie shouts from bridge over the road but can't really see her on this low pro TT position. I see the marshalls ahead so I know it's off the A9 and onto the back road, 8 miles to the finish into the wind, I sit up and ease my back as I go down the slip road and think about a sip from my bottle but feel ok so don't, and back on the tri bars into that wind again!

It was hard, right on the Cromarty Firth, with the wind coming off the sea, and I was tired now but could see I might be on a PB so kept it up as best I could, through small villages you got a brief respite from the wind but out the other side it was back into grinding away as best I could.

Two miles to go and I'm giving it everything, eyeballs out as they say, and can see what I think is the finish, just along the coast so don't let up at all, then Julie is shouting at the side of the road so i know it's close so change up a gear and try a seated sprint - there is no way i can stand up - and cross the line, look at the watch 1-57-56.

Just glad it's all over and slump on the grass for 10 minutes. Can barely pedal back to the strip to get changed but I can now relax and watch the others come in. Pleased with my time and wonder how I will fare in the final standings.

Here are the first ten

01:50:50 Carlos Riise Shetland Wh V40
01:52:59 Ray Wilson Sandy Wallace Cycles S
01:53:55 James Cusick Glasgow Couriers V40
01:54:11 Mark Atkinson Sandy Wallace Cycles S
01:54:50 Ian Black Sandy Wallace Cycles V40
01:55:55 Steve McIntosh Granite City V40
01:57:56 Steve McCaw Lothian Clarion V40
01:58:09 Thomas Gordon Dooleys Cycles V40
01:58:47 Graeme Cockburn Glasgow Night V40
01:59:29 Matthew Powell RAF CC S