Tour Doon Hame: Stage 1

Brutal, savage, hardest race I've ever ridden. Stage 1 on paper looked like the hardest stage and the weather today only made it tougher. 3 cat 1 climbs and 92 miles in the pissing rain. At the finish there were riders climbing into the showers fully clothed almost hypothermic, myself included! It took me about half an hour to stop shivering.
It had started off pretty warm and only a bit damp but as the race progressed in started chucking it down and the temperature seemed to drop too. Once you're soaked through its almost impossible to stay warm anyway.

The pace was brutal. Compared to an average Scottish race it was a completely different game. Up the first few climbs I found it manageable but it was on the flat and the downhills I really found myself struggling to hang onto a wheel. Moving up the bunch was such an effort and once you've moved up you're almost immediately going back again. I kept finding myself in the last 20 riders sprinting to close gaps.

The race really seemed to blow appart on the desent prior to the climb up to the mennock pass. The pace had been flat out for the previous 20miles and folk were getting tired and cold. Going up the Mennock it broke up further. I cracked on the desent losing contact with the group I was in. I think the cold affected me pretty badly and also the relentless pace.

The race was puncture tastic and there were several crashes due to the wet roads. Luckily I managed to avoid both today although I only just missed one crash early in the race and had to chase back on, luckily getting back into the bunch on one of the climbs. Hopefully I'll stay lucky tomorrow. I finished the stage on my own in the end 8minutes behind the winner. Not too bad considering but only go enough for 85 place!
Robin Wilkins
my blog: http://thewheelabout.blogspot.com