Ironman in race night shocker......................

It was billed as a gentle event on the eve of the Caledonian Etape to keep Bigman's finely tuned engine lubricated and in tip top performance ready for race day. The Fit One was due to rendezvous at 08:15 he clearly had worked out the Ironman's ploy.............. he was nowhere to be seen. Was this a conspiracy? Were the Ironman and The Fit One conspiring to surrepticiously remove the crown from the widely parted head of the Bigman before he enters a class of his own next year in the masters class? The Pitlochry Echo will be full of the scandal if the hypothesis turns out to be true, and may even be full of the scandal if it turns out to be false.

The Ironman turned up with the Trek, with Bigman relegated to the Bataglin to avoid water from the road splashing the Madone. There was no competition. The Ironman pummeled the pedals up over Cleish leaving the Bigman to scramble for scattered remnants of oxygen in the wake. The Bigman 'bonked' on the eve of his big day, 364 days in waiting. It took a wide berth to pass the grin on his face as Bigman past Ironman on the downhill stretch.

A stop at the Powmill Milk Bar was required to replenish the fuel. The 'tank' of Bigman could only only be matched by the emptiness of the Ironman's wallet. Both were in need of replenishment. The credit crunch comes to Carnock.

The Ironman then proceeded to climb Mount veKnockhill like something out of Tam o'Shanter poetry. The Bigman could only hang on in a show of defiance that it is really not about the bike.

Is there a conspiracy? Has the Bigman burnt out for tomorrow? Which bike will he ride in the Etape? Will the Pitlochry Echo hold the front page? All will be revealed in tomorrow's post race analysis which you can only read here........................... unless you subscribe to the Pitlochry Echo!