{"id":920701,"date":"2026-04-26T23:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T23:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/920701\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T23:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T23:45:12","slug":"inverness-welcomes-over-6500-cyclists-for-etape-loch-ness-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/920701\/","title":{"rendered":"Inverness welcomes over 6500 cyclists for Etape Loch Ness 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

A record breaking 6500 cyclists took part in the 12th edition of Etape Loch Ness, completing the spectacular 66-mile route on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

The sold-out event welcomed riders from across the UK and around the globe, with a record number travelling from outside Scotland.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

Cyclists pedalled their way on the loop course starting and finishing in Inverness, going through Drumnadrochit, Invermoriston, Fort Augustus, Whitebridge, Foyers and Dores.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

Cyclists tackled 900 metres of elevation, including the iconic King and Queen of the Mountain climb from Fort Augustus, a challenging 4.8-mile ascent with gradients reaching up to 12 per cent, testing riders as they made their way around the loch.<\/p>\n

The fastest man was Innes Jamieson from Sauchen in Aberdeenshire<\/a> who completed the course in a time of two hours 45 minutes and 41 seconds.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness Fastest man Innes Jamieson. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

The fastest woman was Leah Cuthbertson from Fintry in Stirlingshire<\/a> who completed the course in two hours, 51 minutes and 41 seconds.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness Fastest woman – Leah Cuthbertson. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

More than 1000 cyclists took part in support of Macmillan Cancer Support, the event’s official charity partner, continuing a long-standing 12-year partnership to support people living with cancer across the UK.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

With donations still being counted, the event is on track to raise more than \u00a3300,000 from today’s ride.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Sutherland, CEO of Caledonian Concepts said: “Etape Loch Ness is always a special day, and 2026 has been our biggest and most exciting event yet.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see 6500 riders take on this incredible route – including a record number travelling from outside Scotland – is a testament to the unique appeal of this event.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the energy at the start line to the celebrations in Inverness, the atmosphere has been truly unforgettable.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the local community and our incredible team of volunteers whose support, encouragement and hard work make this event possible each year.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re also incredibly proud of the continued support for Macmillan Cancer Support, with riders once again raising significant funds for such an important cause.”<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

Provost Glynis Campbell-Sinclair, who presented awards to the fastest cyclists said: “It has been fantastic to once again welcome Etape Loch Ness back to Inverness and the Highlands.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Fastest woman Leah Cuthbertson and fastest man Innes Jamieson Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing a record number of riders take on this iconic route, alongside the hundreds of spectators who came out to support them, has created an incredible atmosphere across the city and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations to everyone who took part, and a huge thank you to the organisers, volunteers and local residents who helped make the event such a success.”<\/p>\n

\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch NessPictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.\"20262026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n

Plans are already underway for 2027, as demand for places is expected to remain high.<\/p>\n

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here<\/b><\/a> to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2026 Etape Loch Ness. Pictures: Callum Mackay. A record breaking 6500 cyclists took part in the 12th edition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":920702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[23672,4230,29404,1501,23671,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-920701","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-all-sport","9":"tag-cycling","10":"tag-divert-me","11":"tag-latest-news","12":"tag-other-sport","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116473674207902593","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=920701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/920702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=920701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=920701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=920701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}