A WEST FIFE-BASED team have pedalled to their first silverware as cycling has raced back into action across Scotland.

Riders with the Ryan's Bike Surgery-Thomson Homes team returned to action in June after several months off the road in the CTT (Cycling Time Trials) Team Time Trial Championships in Ayrshire, where they finished eighth overall and as the second-placed Scottish outfit.

That event built confidence ahead of the Scottish National Team Time Trial (TTT) Championships, which take place on August 29 in Forfar, and the team have been continuing their preparations for that event by competing in time trials and practice events.

A string of strong performances have been recorded by Silas Goldsworthy, racing to an excellent second-place finish at the Alasdair Speed Memorial 50-mile TT, which also saw him awarded the Fife Cycling Association's 50-mile TT trophy as the Kingdom's fastest rider.

It is the first accolade picked up by the team, created last year after Inverkeithing-based Ryan's Bike Surgery and Thomson Homes, located in Cowdenbeath, came together.

Goldsworthy consolidated that form with another second place in the Fife Midweek TT which, within a highly-competitive field due to limited racing options available, he covered the 10-mile circuit in 20 minutes and 24 seconds, a mere 27 seconds off first place.

As well as taking part in a series of regular practice sessions, team riders have also competed in the Spokes Mid-Summer Race Series, held at Fife Cycle Park, Lochgelly, which they have also used in preparation for the upcoming national championships.

The Ryan's Bike Surgery-Thomson Homes team consists of riders including ex-Scottish title winners Goldsworthy and Hamish Creber; multiple national-medallist Ray Wilson; reigning Scottish 100-mile TT champion Andy Underwood; and youngster Chris Horden.

The idea to create the team was that of Sandy Wallace, who sadly died last weekend. He formerly ran Sandy Wallace Cycles in Inverkeithing and a cycle team bearing the same name, and he secured the backing of Ryan’s Bike Surgery owner Ryan Easson, and Thomson Homes, who have supported a number of local riders and the Carnegie Cyclones team.