Twelve months ago, this race didn’t exist. By Sunday evening of its first edition it had produced a general classification decided by three seconds on the slopes above Wanlockhead, and riders were telling its organiser it would be their ‘A’ race for 2026. The second edition arrives with a reputation to defend—and so does the man who won it, Matti Dobbins, now backed by a nine-rider Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT squad containing six of last year’s top 21 finishers.
Here is our preview.
What is it?
A three-stage National B stage race pitched high in the Southern Uplands, organised by Torvelo Racing and held over two days around Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway. It marries a short, punchy Saturday-morning prologue with two rugged road stages threading through the old mining villages and moorland before the queen stage’s summit finish at Scotland’s highest village.
New in 2025, it was the first stage race ever to feature in Scottish Cycling’s Alba Road Series, and its debut delivered a classic: Dobbins leapt from sixth to first overall on the final climb to win by three seconds from Elliott Colyer, with Henry Hunter a further 15 seconds back in third. The entire podium was settled within the race’s time bonuses. For 2026, the race is the centrepiece of an expanded Alba Series, with general classification results counting towards the series standings.
Saturday’s racing runs from St Brides Community Centre in Douglas; Sunday moves to Wanlockhead Community Centre. The Torvelo Women’s Road Race, now a National B round of the Scotia Series, runs on the stage 1 circuit on Saturday morning—our separate preview covers that race in full.
Schedule
Saturday 13 June
| Time | Race |
|---|---|
| 10.00 | Prologue – start |
| 11.30 | Prologue – expected finish |
| 14.00 | Stage 1 – start |
| 16.15 | Stage 1 – expected finish |
Sunday 14 June
| Time | Race |
|---|---|
| 12.00 | Stage 2 – start |
| 15.30 | Stage 2 – expected finish |
Route
Prologue
Riders face a rude awakening on Saturday morning: a 6.15km test against the clock from Glespin towards Crawfordjohn, with 165m of climbing packed into the short effort and an uphill finish on a narrow, technical road. Road bikes only—no TT frames, forks, or aero extensions, though TT helmets and deep wheels are permitted within the regulations. Last year, Logan Maclean won it in exactly nine minutes, with only two others within ten seconds; gaps of that size forced the beaten onto the front foot for the rest of the weekend.
Stage 1
Saturday afternoon brings 87.7km and 889m of climbing on the rolling Abington circuit east of Douglas. There is no significant climb to split the field, instead, a high intensity contest over rolling roads can be expected. An intermediate sprint—bonuses of 5, 3 and 1 seconds—comes the first time the race crosses the line after a complete lap.
Last year’s stage was raced in driving rain and won by a two-up move that gained 21 seconds on the bunch: proof that on these roads, inattention costs real time.
Stage 2
If Saturday is chess at intensity, Sunday is the war: 134.2km and over 1,500m of climbing (according to VeloViewer), with five ascents of the long, grinding climb through Leadhills to a summit finish on the Mennock Pass at Wanlockhead.
The KOM—bonuses of 5, 3 and 1—comes at the line in Leadhills on the first ascent, with the feed zone on the B797 into the village on laps one to four.
Two kilometres at 4.5% may not sound severe, but last year the final lap rewrote the general classification: overnight leader Charlie Genner cracked, conceding 1′49″, and Dobbins rode clear to take both stage and title.
Time bonuses of 10, 5 and 3 seconds at each road stage finish keep everything in play, and a 30-minute elimination limit applies throughout.
The Alba Road Series so far
The expanded Alba Series opened at the Gifford Road Race in March, where Ahron Dick—newly signed by Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT—took the win. Round two went the same team’s way: Craig Paterson won the Hugh Dornan Memorial in May, with teammate Liam Scott Douglas second, the unattached Kieran Savage third, and defending Mennock champion Matti Dobbins fifth.
The result is a standings table with Edinburgh Bike Fitting filling the top four places—and nine of the top eleven on the startlist this weekend. With double points on offer for the general classification, the Mennock could either break the series open or shut it down entirely.
| Pos | Name | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Paterson | Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT | 42 |
| 2 | Matti Dobbins | Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT | 40 |
| 3 | Liam Scott Douglas | Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT | 39 |
| 4 | Ahron Dick | Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT | 35 |
| 5 | Ben Millar | Nopinz RT | 32 |
| 6 | Deetray Jarrett | Vigo–Rías Baixas | 30 |
| 7 | Kieran Savage | Unattached | 30 |
| 8 | Alan Dean | Edinburgh RC | 25 |
| 9 | Jack Hartley | Moonglu SpatzWear | 25 |
| 10 | Christopher Reid | Unattached | 23 |
Riders to watch
The startlist is headed by the defending champion. Matti Dobbins (Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT) won last year’s race with the ride of the weekend, soloing to victory on the final stage to overturn a 52-second deficit. He arrives with steady rather than spectacular 2026 form—sixth at Gifford in March and fifth at the Hugh Dornan Memorial in May, either side of quieter outings at East Cleveland and the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix—but on this terrain, his pedigree speaks for itself.
The bigger story may be his team. Edinburgh Bike Fitting field nine riders—comfortably the largest squad in the race—including six of last year’s top 21 finishers and the winners of both completed Alba rounds this spring. Ahron Dick, 19, joined from Spanish development outfit Equipo Finisher in March and promptly won Gifford; fourth on last year’s Wanlockhead stage and ninth at the Drummond Trophy in September, he raced the Tour of the Reservoir last weekend and starts as the in-form climber in the field. Craig Paterson, 23, sat out last year’s edition but won the Hugh Dornan Memorial last month. Elliot Bain was fifth overall and second atop the Mennock last year for Team PB Performance, though his 2026 results sheet is patchier—tenth at Gifford followed by a run of unfinished races. Ciaran McSherry, fourth in last year’s prologue, and Liam Scott Douglas—second at the Hugh Dornan and third in the series standings—complete a transfer haul that gives the team options on every stage—and makes isolation the danger for everyone else.
If anyone can take the fight to them on day one, it’s Logan Maclean (Private Member). Last year’s prologue winner remains the favourite for Saturday morning, and his 2025 season—victory at Gifford, third at the Scottish National Road Race Championships—confirms the engine. His 2026 road racing has been sparse, though, so his condition is the startlist’s biggest unknown.
The strongest of the rest may be Samuel Nisbet (Team Tactic U23). The 22-year-old, formerly of Reflex Nopinz, was fourth overall at the Peak 2 Day in March—the best stage-racing result of anyone in the field this season bar none—and brings exactly the profile this parcours rewards. Finn Mason (Hubo–Scott Cycling Team) is another with claims: the 21-year-old former Saint Piran rider, now in his second season with the Belgian team, was fourth at Gifford, 17th at the Tour of the Reservoir last weekend, and seventh at the Beaumont Trophy last August.
Kieran Savage has raced just twice this season and scored both times, his third at the Hugh Dornan suggesting the unattached 29-year-old will be at home on this terrain, while Adam Quixall (54/11 Coaching) was second at the Northern Regional Road Race Championships a fortnight ago. Ben Millar (Nopinz RT) has quietly been the most consistent Alba performer outside Edinburgh Bike Fitting—seventh at Gifford and eighth at the Dornan. Christopher Reid, fourth at the Dornan and tenth in the standings, is another rider capable of a result.
Evan Marsh (BCC Race Team), second in last year’s prologue at three seconds, returns at 18 with a year’s more racing in his legs—ninth at Gifford this season. BCC teammate James Sweeney completed last year’s race in 17th. Murray Gray (Dooleys Cycles) lit up last year’s final stage with repeated attacks before his race ended early; seventh at the Hugh Dornan Memorial last month, he knows these roads as well as anyone.
Conal Davidson leads RideRevolution Coaching’s interest alongside Keir Gaffney; Davidson was 12th overall and 10th on the queen stage last year. Toby Tanfield (TS Racing) was 11th overall last year, and Sam Barbour carries Cycling Sheffield’s colours.
Notable absentees: Elliott Colyer and Henry Hunter, second and third overall last year, are both missing from the provisional startlist, as is Charlie Genner, who wore the leader’s jersey into the final stage.
