Tourism group staff prepare to give visitors the inside track on Etape Loch Ness

April 20, 2017

Staff from VisitInvernessLochNess are always happy to help with personal recommendations when visitors ask them for tips on what to see and do – and now they will be able to give the inside track on one of Scotland’s biggest cycling events after signing up to take part.

Three members of VisitInvernessLochNess will be taking part in Etape Loch Ness – an event which the tourism group has been supporting since its launch four years ago – and will experience 66 miles of thrilling cycling on traffic-free roads.

Chief executive officer Graeme Ambrose will be joined by chairman Colin Marr and administrator Sabine Macdonald on April 23, and all three are looking forward to making their way around the course with thousands of other cyclists.

VisitInvernessLochNess is a staunch supporter of Etape Loch Ness and is one of its support sponsors. The team has helped to promote the event – which has grown to become one of the nation’s best loved cycle sportives – at home and abroad and has assisted countless riders with their visits to the Highlands.

Graeme says, “We have always thought that it was a fantastic event, not least because of the positive benefits that it brings to tourism businesses in Inverness and Loch Ness. Now we are going to have an even greater understanding about what it means to take part.

“We want to do this to support the event, but also because it means that we can genuinely tell visitors what it is like to ride Etape Loch Ness. I always think that visitors gain so much from personal recommendations – and hopefully our enthusiasm will shine through.

“Even though the course is well known to us, it will be a completely different experience to cycle the route without any traffic and with so many other cyclists. We are really looking forward to being a part of it.

“I think it is unlikely that we will complete it together – team spirit will give away to a bit of competitiveness on the day – but it will be great to meet up at the end and celebrate being part of something really special and unique for the area.”

Like all the other 5,200 riders signed up for the event, the team from VisitInvernessLochNess will start out from Inverness and follow the A82 along the northern side of the loch.

They will pass through Fort Augustus onto the south side for the most challenging leg of the course – the King of the Mountain – a 4.8 mile climb which rises to 380m in height. The route then continues around the water’s southern edge before returning to the Event Hub at Eden Court in Inverness.

Event director Malcolm Sutherland says he is delighted the group has taken its support for Etape Loch Ness to the next level. He adds, “It’s always great when our sponsors take part in the event. I think when they take part, they can truly begin to understand just what it is that makes Etape Loch Ness resonate with so many thousands of cyclists.

“VisitInvernessLochNess has been incredibly supportive from day one, and could see just how important the event could be to the local area. There is a real benefit to tourism businesses – from hotels and restaurants to shops and visitor attractions – as it is bringing in thousands of riders and their supporters who would otherwise not be here.”

Etape Loch Ness set another record this year when all available places sold out in under 50 hours, and slots for riders raising money for official charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support were snapped up soon afterwards.

In addition to VisitInvernessLochNess, Etape Loch Ness is also sponsored by EventScotland, Highland Council, JBT, Parcelinq and Clif Bar.

The first of the riders will set off from 6.15am on April 23, with the lead cyclists expected back soon after 9am. An event hub will be set up at Eden Court throughout the weekend, with food and drink, bike maintenance and other stands.

For more information visit www.etapelochness.com, or follow Etape Loch Ness on social media on Facebook www.facebook.com/etapelochness and Twitter @EtapeLochNess