Scottish Sportives

Anyone done this before/planning it this year?

I've signed up and looking forward to it. Have done the etape loch ness a few times and love the closed road element. Still plenty time to train and be in decent form as well.

This was a great event btw, real downer it's not happening next year, but hope they can get it sorted for the year after.

I did it! Really enjoyed it. Macaroni pies ftw!

Me and my brother have also been considering this
https://limelightsports.club/event/etape-caledonia-2024/etape-caledonia-85-mile

Mad that the TOTB was cancelled because of so many complaints about road closures. Pretty much all the roads were open again by about 1pm, and many before that. Sad really.

Yeah it is so sad, I definitely noticed a few locals (but only a handful) behaving in kinda pointed ways, (but thats folk from the borders for you), and way less local support out to watch, compared to loch ness for example.

Ive signed up for the etape caledonia as well. Not done it before but cycled a lot of those roads.

Also signed up for etape loch ness for the 4th year in a row. Love it, especially the first half, it's so fast, and rolling. The climb in the middle is a killer though.

Ah sick. I’ll have a look at those. Need some goals for 2024

I’ll join that club, the needing some goals for 2024 one.

I did TOTB around 10yrs ago, myself and a mate decided that camping out in the back of our respective vans in the hills outside Peebles would make for an easier start in the morning, not the worst idea ever but probably drank too much Thistley Cross and then ended up with some locals parking their transit van 50m away with two huge speakers and a Rasta version of Dark Side of the Moon playing most of the night on repeat. Proper Professional preparation it was not.

Loch ness is sold out but you can still get an entry if you join team mcmillan and raise £150 which is obviously fairly achievable!

Some good news.

https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/news/article/4565/almost_600_responses_to_tour_o_the_borders_survey

Amazing!

Touro is confirmed back on for next year.

Saw that! Great news. Less interested in the open road ride they advertised, but good they’ve got something going on in the meantime I guess

Just back from etape caledonia the other day, and loch ness the fortnight before.

Really enjoyed the caledonia parcours, and thought it was a really accessible and diverse event on account of the 40 miler.

Loch ness is a level above in terms of the organisation.

I know they arent to everyone's taste but the closed road element makes these amazing events IMO.

I know they arent to everyone's taste but the closed road element makes these amazing events IMO.

Neither road riding or big participation events are really my thing but I did the Etape this year and I did enjoy it.

Really can’t beat descending on closed roads! It’s the furthest I’ve ever ridden too, think I’d really struggle to have the will power to do that mileage by myself.

Also did the Etape for the first time this year. Such a luxury not having to worry about cars and to make use of the entire (mostly smooth) roads. Agree about the organisation, friend had a mechanical and instantly a motorbike was there to help him and advise him a mechanic was 1km away.

Really want to do something similar maybe Etape Caledonia or Mull.