Monster interest sees Etape Loch Ness sell out in hours

Some people are just never happy.

Sold out straight away?! How do you hear about such things?

I certainly don't agree with it, but not uncommon for local CC members to use a sportive in their backyard as an unofficial race, bragging rights etc.

Hmm, my KOM on the western side of the loch might be in jeopardy... I suspect the only reason I've got it in the first place is cos it's only been ridden by a couple of hundred people!

£500 on flights? I booked me and the bike on the sleeper train to inverness a few years back and then circumnavigated the loch (clockwise) after a good breakfast in a mall opposite the station, because I booked in advance I got the berth for less than £50.

Had I known about the event I might well have done the same again.

I'd like to see the interest in putting on an "Etape" from Tomintoul to Montrose....Over the Lecht and Cairn O'Mount....THAT's a proper challenge and no need to close the roads http://goo.gl/maps/wDFJ2

Over two of the highest passes in Scotland

I warmly welcome this event and wish all that have entered a great time. The crowds of locals up around Inverness are superb - I ran a 10k and my wife ran the Loch Ness Marathon accompanied by hundreds of cheering locals cheering you on it was a fantastic atmosphere!

In marked contrast running Aberdeen City's 10k - where you run through the industrial harbour (red light) area to be confronted by the odd spectator who looks like you are something they've just scraped off your shoe out of their cold dead zombie eyes…

For me - as its a dead flat course its not "interesting" enough but I'm sure there will be plenty who want to set a good time trial time. For the rest of us there's the opportunity of riding the Snow Roads or Wildcat Grimpeur in our own time at much reduced cost.

Clearly 1,000 people were wrong.

Seems to me that there is no shortage of quiet-ish, rural roads in Scotland. Why you would want to ride the largely flat and boring A82 around Loch Ness is an utter mystery to me, especially at a cost of £50. You don't need much imagination to discover *way* more interesting routes in that locality. The 'fame' of said location is not justified IMHO. Visually Loch Ness is about as ordinary as any long flat stretch of water in Scotland can be.

If I were to go up there it would cost me probably at least ~£500 in flights, transfers, accommodation, food etc not counting time off work. £55 to *guarantee* a good and above all safe time is money damn well-spent, IMHO.

Impacts on locals will have been considered in the closure process, by councils and police. Let's trust them to have got it right.

Noting: the first leg is not a totally closed road - there will be oncoming traffic between Inverness & Fort Augustus. The second leg back home is fully closed. And there's a 13MPH minimum pace, so 2 1/2hrs max for the first half. Starting at 0630 in 2min waves, even if it's only 20 per wave everyone will be off the main road and reopened to two-way traffic by 11am. Hardly a major issue?

Now I could understand if local's went mad about this route being closed off. This is a MASSIVE tourist attraction and they are blocking off the only route around the loch....

This is just a cash cow now. £55 to ride that route is a piss take