Two Minds, One Start Line: Etape Caledonia 2026

I wasn’t sure I’d enter Etape Caledonia this year.  The 85 mile sportive starting in Pitlochry is one I’ve entered since 2014 and I truly believe is the most beautiful route in Scotland.  The first time I rode it with my Uncle Donald, I had to stop twice to cry and finished only just ahead of the sweeper van.  Cycling has never come easily to me.

However, after years of training and then going fastest woman in both 2022 and 2023 editions, it felt like I’d already written my chapter with this event.  There’s a certain neatness in leaving things there and not having to prove myself again.

And if I’m honest, part of me didn’t want the pressure of going back. Not because I didn’t think I could ride it, but because of the pressure of having to ride it well.  I’d had a bad winter training with various winter colds and an ankle injury.  I wasn’t at my fittest. My training had been inconsistent, life had been busy, and this wasn’t a meticulously planned A-race. There was no perfectly structured build, no sense of everything aligning just right.

I often say, “if I can do it, anyone can do it” but ultimately that’s not true and I should acknowledge my good fortunes.   I have the privilege of good health that allows me to even consider a bicycle ride of this distance.  I have the time to train.  I have a lovely bike that can carry me that far.   I have the support of my family and work.

As a personal injury solicitor representing cyclists involved in accidents, I see far too often how quickly these privileges can be taken away from you.  But for many of the people I act for, getting back on a bike is the goal, not lining up at the front of a sportive. I represent cyclists that would love to be able to get back on their bike after an accident and cyclists whose beloved bikes have been destroyed in a crash.  Quite frankly, this isn’t something everyone gets to do.  So I had a word with myself, put my big girl pants on, checked my privileges, and entered late.  If nothing else, I could just enjoy the privilege to ride.

My previous results meant I was lined up in the A-Group with the fastest cyclists.  After the gun went, I was instantly in the red and quickly dropped from the group before the first climb.  What happened next was 20 miles of solo riding where I barely saw anyone – pedalling just hard enough to keep ahead of the group behind but no chance of catching the group ahead that had sailed off into the distance.

What followed was, unexpectedly, one of my strongest rides yet even though it was not my fastest.  I dug deep, didn’t give up, and finally was caught into a group just before Schiehallion, the big climb.  I kept my head down and finished strong going into the ‘sting in the tail’ lumpy final 5 miles and finished at 4:08, averaging just over 20mph and so far as I can tell first woman over the line.

So I very nearly didn’t enter the Etape Caledonian this year, but I’m very glad I did, and very glad I could.

Roz Galloway