If there is one single activity most responsible for the recent mini-boom in Britons taking up road biking, it is arguably the sportive.
These organised, entry-only mass cycling events have sprung up around the UK in ever-increasing numbers. For various legal and insurance reasons they are not races but instead challenge riders only against the clock.
It is the done thing among some riders to disparage sportives. Racers might see them as a poor substitute for the real thing; tourers and other dilly-dallyers consider them overly corporate, restrictive and Lycra-dominated.
This, for me, misses the point. With challenges ranging from a relatively flat 40-odd miles to thigh-sapping marathons, such as the celebrated and fearsome Fred Whitton Challenge, sportives cater for many appetites and lung capacities. They’re not the only type of event around, but lots of people enjoy them.
A more recent development has been the closed road sportive, eliminating any interaction with motor traffic. This is a traditional element of a gran fondo or etape – the Italian and French equivalents – but relatively new in the UK.
A reasonable number exist now, the biggest of which is the Ride London 100, the Olympic legacy event which sends more than 20,000 riders through a car-free capital, into the hills of Surrey and back again.
While Birmingham is to get an equivalent city event in September, for fairly obvious logistical reasons the majority take place in less densely populated places, often in Wales and Scotland.
It was to the latter I travelled at the weekend to try out one of the better-known closed road sportives, and surely one of the most beautiful – the Etape Loch Ness.
As the name suggests, it’s a circuit of the loch, taking riders from Inverness up the east side of the water, across the tip at Fort Augustus, up a steep climb into the hills, and then back into the city.
It’s on this first section where the closed roads really pay off. The A82 is a narrow, picturesque and rolling route – perfect when your only companions are other bikes, but significantly less appealing if shared with cars, vans and trucks coming round bends at 60mph.
One repercussion is an early start, an effort to minimise the length of time the road is kept shut to motor traffic. My wave left at 6.19am, and all 5,000 or so riders were released in less than 40 minutes, meaning the early sections were slightly packed. It was also a chilly 5C at the start.
However, that’s where any caveats end. The event is a relatively brief (by sportive standards) 66 miles, but the long and steep climb out after Fort Augustus is pretty brutal, with a separate contest-within-a-contest for the fastest time to compete this section.
As you’d expect, the scenery is astonishing, both the loch-side vistas and also the climb into the hills. There are also some lovely touches from the organisers. Nearing the end of the climb I heard a fellow rider say to a friend, “I think I can hear the piper.” I assumed this was some sort of arcane Scottish cycling slang, only to crest the rise and see an actual piper serenading people as they passed the peak.
All this is done, of course, with some reciprocal benefits in mind. The event’s three biggest sponsors are the events arm of the Scottish tourist board, the Highlands council, and the Inverness tourist office. On Saturday, before the event, every fourth parked car in Inverness seemed to be carrying bikes, and the restaurants were packed with riders, many with their families.
Such events are an increasingly common way to boost tourism, and Inverness is also hosting a Loch Ness marathon in September.
To those in the more southern parts of England, it might seem a long way to go for a bike ride, but if you’re in or around London, there is a daily and very civilised sleeper train service in both directions.
- Entry to the event and guesthouse accommodation in Inverness was provided by Etape Loch Ness.
