THIS week Ayr Roads/Harry Fairbairn Cycling Club celebrates a unique occasion - 60 years of unbroken sponsorship.

On September 30 1988, Ayr Roads took up the offer of sponsorship by Harry Fairbairn himself.

Harry a former Scottish Cycling Champion and life long member of Ayr Roads was delighted when his offer was taken up by his ‘own’ club. As a highly successful businessman whose early venture of a cycle shop at Prestwick Toll in 1948 developed into one of the largest car dealership in Scotland.

He progressed from bikes to scooters, before taking on the then obscure BMW Marque in the 1970's. Harry never forgot his roots and continued cycling until his untimely death in 1996, aged 69, whilst on a cycling holiday in Majorca with his brother-in-law Ian Steel, himself a British National Champion.

Harry Fairbairn became part of the Arnold Clark organisation in 2006. With the support of sponsorship, Ayr Roads has continued to secure honours at all levels. These include District, Scottish, European and World Championship medals with the Ayr Roads/Harry Fairbairn colours proudly displayed throughout the UK, Europe and as far as Australia and New Zealand. The club’s success has ensured Ayrshire remains at the fore front of the sport.

Last weekend Michael Curran took part in an epic charity cycle event. Michael along with another eighty cyclists accompanied Mark Beaumont, the renowned cycle traveller by cycling the ‘coast to coast’ from the Mull of Kintyre to Aberdeen. A distance of 246 miles. Michael set off at 4 am and finished the event fourteen hours later. A sum of more than £80,000 was raised in aid of the STV Children's Charity Appeal Fund.

Meanwhile in France, Alex McAllister took part in the Cyclosportive la Dromoise in Provence over a distance of 75 miles with 7,000 feet of climbing, including three Cols. . This rural part of Provence attracts hundreds of cyclists each year. Alex finished in the top half of the field of 450 riders, finishing in 13th place in his category. An excellent result.

Fine autumn weather last Sunday had 16 club members taking in a fifty mile circuit that took the club run via the Cortons, Coylton, Stair and Mauchline. It was then by Sorn, Galston and Fenwick, before returning on home roads via Crosshouse to Symington and home.

With the road racing season drawing to a close, only a few open events remain. Next week end the club will stage its annual hill climb competition over Carwinshoch. This will be the last club event of the season and the final league event, which will determine the overall winners of each category.

The following week, all clubs will be heading for the Trossachs, where the Ivy Cycling Club promote their 28 mile Mountain Time Trial over a sporting course that takes in the six mile climb of Duke's Pass. The Roads club have seven riders in the event.

Insert Photo – Ayr Roads become a sponsored club in 1988

Harry Fairbairn extreme left.