Bravissimo Lester Grant! As the Tour of Italy headed out of the Dolomites and towards the Alps, Auchencrow Thistle tackled the second of their season-long King Of The Mountains series. The climb to the Broomhill plantation between Marygold and Drakemyre kicked the racing off, followed by the long, stepped ascent to the towering turbines of Coldingham Moor from Howpark Rd and finally the big gear drag from Reston up to Stoneshiel. A flavour of the deceptively chilly evening: winding, gravelly roads; cagey soft-pedalling accentuated by violent accelerations; the sneakiest of under the radar, long distance attacks; long descents to catch a breather in between and have a chinwag; gulping in the air, trying to ignore the screaming legs and wishing the finish line were closer. Grazie to commissaires Robbie and Charlie for keeping the racing honest. Next up: Westruther 19-mile TT – meeting 7pm on Tuesday 7/6/16 at Duns Square for the longest time trial on the club calendar.

1. Lester Grant 3pts; 2. Aidan McIlroy 7pts; 3. Michele Horne 8pts; 4. Graeme Petito 13pts; 5. Duncan Martino 15pts; 6. Devrim Turchia 18pts; 7. Paolo Ford 21 pts; 8. Ana Bianche 23pts; 9. Nicolo Trussler 27pts.