Etape Caledonia 2026

It was painfully cold. Ok, it was 5am in the Scottish highlands in May, so this should not be surprising, But it was more than just cold, it was an aggressive honey-badger type of cold. Anything that was not covered in two layers of clothing was attacked ferociously. The thin pair of gloves I had mistakenly worn put up no defence to this onslaught, my hands felt equally numb and as if they were being sliced by a thousand tiny razor blades. When we accidentally ended up cycling on a motorway for two miles, the vibrations caused by the vehicles that brushed off my elbow at 70 miles an hour failed to distract me from the cold. This was an ordeal. And the race hadn’t even started yet. 

When we eventually crossed the official start line of the 2026 Etape Caledonia it was still only 6:30am. Despite the large number of participants, the closed roads and the rolling start ensured that although the route was busy, it never felt crowded. We gently climbed our way out of the host town of Pitlochry and joined the roads surrounding Loch Tummel. By now the sun's rays pierced through the trees that enclosed the road. They carried with them much needed heat and optimism. The first of two tough climbs on this route came at 23 kilometers. As soon as we turned on to the base of the climb I put the power down. I worked hard spinning my way up the climb, when gradients got high I stood up and dragged my bike further up the hill. I passed cyclists while others passed me but it wasn’t about them. The challenge of a climb is something I have really grown to enjoy and I loved every second of pushing myself up those 4 kilometres. When I stopped at the top and slumped over my handlebars to catch my breath, there was no prize, just a smile.  

After a long descent we stopped at the first aid station of the route. The small area of portaloos and food tables was crammed with cyclists. We made our way through the crowd and grabbed what we could from the table. The flapjack I managed to snag through a wall of lycra went down very well. The other piece of food, a cold pasta and pastry lump was an abomination. Wars have been started over less, and as I chucked it in the bin I shed a tear on behalf of all Italians.

The route continued on along rolling terrain. With the temperature eventually reaching the low teens, it was easier to enjoy the landscape, and it was astonishingly beautiful. By the time we reached the second tough climb it was 5 hours since we left the Airbnb and my enjoyment was only growing. The Schiehallion climb was tough from start to finish. Frequent double gradients meant I spent most of the 3 kilometer standing up, but although I was breathing heavily when I reached the top, I still felt strong and excited to push on. 

The final 40 kilometres were net downhill, and with a gentle tailwind we made good pace. With 8 kilometres to go we were directed to take a hard right and were immediately hit with double digit gradients. I still had enough left to get up this sharp, short climb but the reserves were now very very low. What followed over the next three kilometres was equally sadistic. Short descents were followed by slightly longer sharp climbs. I pushed hard but knew if the finish line did not come soon I may run out of forward momentum. Finally with 4k to go we began descending to Pitlochry and despite a small ramp to the finish, the Etape Caledonia was done! 

160 Kilometres completed. Six hours and ten minutes of cycling time. Great roads. Amazing views. Good company. Questionable food. Challenging climbs. Etape Caledonia had a bit of everything, and I would highly recommend it.