360° around Loch Ness

At the end of last year I received a Facebook message from my good friends in Scotland, suggesting I may like to participate in a closed road sportive around Loch Ness, called the Etape Loch Ness.  Having had such a good year on the bike and knowing that April, the scheduled month for the event, would not clash this time with any family holiday, I blindly jumped at the opportunity. Within 30 minutes we had signed up as a team of 3 - the 3Bs (we met at the BBBs) - and I was elated to think of this being the first event on which to test out my new Specialized Tarmac, which by then, had just been mothballed for the winter. It then dawned on me just how far away Loch Ness is from Devon, 11 hours by car!

Etape Loch Ness Route

On Friday, I was reminded of this event with an email from the organisers. It started "Yes, you read that correctly – time has done its ‘whizzing by’ trick again and here we are with only six weeks until the second Etape Loch Ness! ... With 3300 riders taking part this year, the event is now FULL and official charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, are delighted with the fantastic take-up of their places." This makes it all so real and I know that 6 weeks will just fly by. Time to get down to some serious training!

I've just checked my entry on the web site .. to make sure I've not been dreaming and yes, I'm there, representing the Axe Valley Pedallers. I don't think many will be travelling as far, indeed looking down the list of cycling clubs, not surprisingly, they have a very northern sound to them. The route is an anti clockwise circuit of the Loch, departing and finishing in Inverness, with one steep climb at the half way point.

Luckily, hill climbing experience is something I'm not short of, but I do need to get in some good distance rides on the Tarmac. I've plateaued these past few months at around 30 miles, just half the distance required, and the Tarmac has so far not been properly put through its paces. Here's hoping for a few dry weekends ... who would choose to do a sportive in Scotland during April?!