A Group Finish on the Cairngorms Loop ITT

Words by Huw Oliver, photos by Huw Oliver, Annie Le, Bex Davies, and Pete McNeil

The Cairngorms Loop has existed since 2012, making it among the longest-standing mountain bike ITT routes in the United Kingdom. Spanning 300 kilometers, it uses technical singletrack, ancient drove roads, and follows almost all of the massif’s major rivers as it completes two loops of this endlessly interesting part of the Scottish Highlands. There have been group starts each year over the past decade, but with numbers steadily dwindling, 2023 felt the right time for a slight shake-up, and so the “group finish” was born.

Not that it’s my idea at all: I shamelessly stole it from the excellent folks behind the Second City Divide, and maybe they pilfered it too. The point is, bikepacking races should be safe and welcoming spaces, and by taking away the pressure of a mass start, adding in the challenge of predicting how long you’ll take, and having a disparate group of dots that gradually converge to enjoy a wee party after the hard work is done, perhaps more people will see it and think, “Yeah, I could get behind that.” An Australian Pursuit Race, just longer. That’s the idea, at least.

As it happened, the weather intervened and made sure everybody had a good time anyway. Wall to wall sunshine is a rare commodity in the Highlands, but the past few weeks have been stunning, and the population has gone all-out, trying to soak up every possible hour of blue skies. The first riders set off early in the week (one even attempting the first on-foot completion of the Loop), and every day more and more riders joined them in the sunshine, until some 40 riders were out there having their own adventures on dry trails.

For the most part, timings were good, too. All Saturday afternoon, a stream of riders trickled into the finish to be met with a cold drink and more chili and potatoes than any of us could eat. Some went fast, some went slow, some stopped at every available swimming spot along the way. What made me smile the most was seeing friends who had no interest in racing finishing alongside people who did, with no-one knowing who was faster and no single approach being more valid than any other. I had so much fun, in fact, that I might just do it all again next year. Bring your jackets, as the laws of cosmic balance say it’s going to be a wet one!

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...

35

Bikepacking Videos

Bikepacking the Cairngorms: A Father and Son Fatbike Adventure (Film)

79

ROUTE

The Cairngorms Loop

84

ROUTE

The Pictish Trail

8

Dispatch

Cairngorms Winter Bikepacking (Video)

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.