Scottish pursuit champion Arthur Doyle (35) and team-mate Paul Rennie crossed the finishing line at the Fullarton Wheelers Icebreakers race with a combined time of 30mins 52secs to win top spot in the testing race.

Arthur, a kidney-specialist at Gartnavel Hospital, Glasgow, said it was one of the best starts he could have made to the new season.

The Glasgow Ivy Cycling Club member, who has recently teamed up with Dooley's Cycles Racing Team, has spent the winter months training up to 12 hours a week in preparation for the new season.

This is the first time that Arthur and Paul have won this race which last year was won by world champion Graham Obree.

The race, which attracted top cyclists from across the west of Scotland, started in the small village of Drybridge, just outside Irvine, and followed a T-shaped circuit averaging just over a lung-busting 30mph.

Arthur, who stays in Bearsden, said: "This was a dual effort and we both crossed the line side by side. I've been training quite hard all winter so it didn't come as a surprise to win."

Arthur cycles half an hour to work every day and has a turbo trainer — a type of running machine for his bike — at home that allows him to train out of the wet in his garage.

All this work is crucial if he is to keep in peak fitness and Arthur already has his sight set on the next big race, the prestigious Girvan Stage Race.

He said: "This is a very tough race which covers 100 miles over two days. Much of it is over very hilly sections."
The Girvan race is staged over the Easter weekend.