Oliphant eyes podium place

Capital cycling star Evan Oliphant will be looking to build on good recent form when he returns to Scottish soil for this weekend’s Tour DoonHame.

The two-day, three-stage race is the second round of the British Cycling Premier Calendar Series, and Oliphant made an impressive start to the six-round competition with ninth place at last weekend’s opener in Essex.

He finished fourth at the 2010 Tour DoonHame and will be looking to put himself in a position to challenge for a podium finish when the event gets underway with Sunday’s 80-mile stage from Castle Douglas to Girvan.

In keeping with an event billed as the UK’s second most important stage race after the Tour of Britain, the field features most of the country’s leading riders.

Among them are Lothians riders James McCallum and Alex Coutts, the latter taking a break from duties on the Asia circuit.