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Etape Caledonia: course, pace table and race guide

The Etape Caledonia is a closed-road cycling sportive of about 80 miles through Highland Perthshire, starting and finishing in Pitlochry.

80 miles
Distance
Pitlochry, Perthshire
Where
May
Usual time of year
Closed roads
Surface
Dates, entry and prices are set by the event's organiser and change every year, so we do not list them. Events also move date, change hands and occasionally take a year off, so confirm on the organiser's official website that this year's event is going ahead before you build your training around it, and enter only through the organiser or its named entry partner.

The route circles Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch and climbs the shoulder of Schiehallion before a long, fast run back down the Tay valley to Pitlochry.

Closed roads let you use the whole carriageway, which makes the descents a pleasure. The Schiehallion climb comes after halfway: eat before it, pace it, and you will have legs left for the final miles.

Training for it

A sportive rewards steady hours in the saddle more than speed. Build one long ride a week until you can comfortably cover about three quarters of the event distance, and practise eating and drinking on the bike. Our cycling sportive guide explains how these events run and what to carry.

In the final week, cut your training right back (see tapering) and work through the race day checklist the night before.

On the day

  • Arrive early. Allow an hour before the start for parking or public transport, baggage, toilets and finding your start pen.
  • Wear your number on your front and do not fold or cover it. If your timing tag is on the back of the number, bending it can stop it reading. See how chip timing works.
  • Start where your pace belongs. Your chip time only begins when you cross the start line, so there is nothing to gain by pushing to the front.
  • Nothing new on race day. Wear shoes and kit you have trained in and eat a breakfast you have tested before a long run.

Staying nearby

Rooms close to the start go early on race weekends, especially for the larger events. Book as soon as your entry is confirmed and check the cancellation terms.

Search hotels in Pitlochry on Booking.com

Finding results

Results are published by the organiser or its timing company, usually on the day of the race. To make sense of a results table, see how to read race results. If you are looking for a time from a past year, how to find old race results lists the places worth checking. This site does not publish individual results.