Recently “Cycling Plus” magazine did a feature on some the best cycling cafes in the UK. Unfortunately there were none featured from Scotland, so to remedy that here is a list of some of the best I have been to. This list is not exhaustive and certainly only our opinion. We all have our favourite places to stop, so leave a comment below with your favourite.

1. Corrieri’s Cafe – Stirling. Owned by the Tuscan Corrieri family for over 40 years, this cafe is a regular haunt by cyclists. The pile of bikes outside on a Sunday is testimony to this cafe’s popularity with cyclists. Corrieri’s also sponsor an early season TT and inside paintings of the “Golden Age” of cycling adorn the walls, including a stunning picture of Fausto Coppi.
2. Bridge of Balgie Post Office – Glen Lyon. Possibly one of the most scenic cafe locations. Certainly one of the best rides to get to it. You can either ascend the four mile road that goes over the shoulder of Ben Lawers and drops into Glen Lyon. Or you can head up Glen Lyon from Fortingall. Either way, the cycling is top notch and the cafe provides a fantastic stopping off point to savour some of the best cycling in the UK.
3. Katie’s tea room – Birnam. A regular haunt for Perth United CC and clubs from Dundee and further afield. Katie’s tea room is basic and simple, but cheap and tasty too. Perfect for a stop mid ride.
4. Laggan Wolftrax – Laggan. Part of the Laggan forest MTB trails. the Wolftrax cafe is primarily for MTB riders, but just off the main Dalwhinne – FortWilliam road, provides an ideal stopping off point for road and touring cyclists. It has the benefit of a bike shop next door, as well as a bike wash facility, bike racks and the best off, stunning cheesy beans on toast. What more could you ask for?
5. Escape Route – Pitlochry. A bike and outdoor shop that has a small seating area indoors and outdoors. The shop sells fresh coffee and cold drinks and if you’re lucky you may get some homemade baking too. Bike wash and racks are all available too. Escape Route is the meeting point of several clubs in the area and the central point for a great number of cycling routes in Highland Perthshire. Inside the shop has a great selection of cycling gear that you can peruse.
6. Debbie’s Cafe – Islay. Bruichladdich Mini-Market, known locally as Debbie’s, serves easily the finest designer coffees this side of Milan. It is also the start of the annual Ride of the Falling Rain and the approved coffee stop of Velo Club d’Ardbeg. Thanks to Baz for the info on this.
7. The Hub Cafe – Glentress. Another one for the off-roaders. Thanks to Mark from www.bicycles.org.uk for highlighting this cafe. A great cafe, set amongst stunning trails with lots of stuff going on all year round. Well worth a visit.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know your favourite cycling cafe stops in Scotland.

Flavio Zappi rode as a professional cyclist in the early 1980s, wore the king of the mountains jersey in the Giro d’Italia and finished 12th in the 1984 Milan-San Remo Classic, which was won by Francesco Moser, before quitting cycling and concentrating on a career in the catering industry.

Zappi has lived in Oxford since 1997, where he now runs a coffee shop. However, he only got back on his bike in late 2007 when he rescued an old bike from a skip and after a few outings met up with the Oxford University CC for a ride – although he didn’t reveal his illustrious pedigree first time out.

Zappi now has his own club in Oxford and offers an opportunity to be part of a club and enjoy clean cycling, sharing a  passion and spreading the word to  young people about the virtues of cycling.

You can find out more about Zappi’s CC here

Bealach Mor Sportive 2010

If you like your cycling to be packed with hills, then the Bealach Mor sportive is made just for you. For starters it features the ascent of the Bealach Na Ba pass on the Applecross peninsula; at 6 miles, the longest continuous road climb in the UK. Before that there are two other big climbs and to follow it a stunning rollercoaster of a road that packs in at least 20 short sharp climbs and descents into 25 miles.

The event has been running for several years now and has a lot of “regulars” who come back year after year to sample the delights of this unique area for cycling.

Traditionally the start is announced by a piper and the riders were keen to get started to escape the clouds of midges that had obviously been tipped off of the free feed at Kinlochewe. The climbing starts from the word go with a long ascent to the head of the glen. This is followed by 30 miles of flat riding towards Loch Carron. This is a chance to get some good, fast group riding and this year was no exception with small groups coming together to form a large peloton. A small group of six of us worked through and off to lead the bunch to the foot of the first climb, where the initial steepness shattered the rhythm and the cohesiveness of the large group. Small groups now crested over the top where the massive buttresses that guard the Bealach came into view towering over Loch Kishorn.

The ascent of the Bealach is timed and riders are required to stop and swipe their timing cards at the bottom and top. The fastest ascent this year was posted by Dave Moran of the Edinburgh RC team at 32mins 29 secs. The climb starts by following the contours of the hillside slowly and steadily before entering the jaws of the corrie. As it does so it steepens noticeably and heads directly towards the hairpin bends at the lip of the corrie. The headwall is steep enough at this point to look down the snaking road and see riders battling with gravity directly below you. The feed station at the summit offers a short respite, for those who need to refuel and at this point for many it is advisable as the challenge has only just started.

The next 20 miles or pack in at least one steep, but short climb per mile. Although not difficult in isolation, the accumulated effect breaks the rhythm and gives the feeling of having just ridden a very steep roller coaster.

At Shieldaig, I decided to stop for a good feed. My legs were feeling empty and I needed to refuel. As well as the usual babanas, flapjacks and water, I was delighted to see that this station was loaded with hunks of cheddar cheese and packets of mini cheddars. I spent a lovely 30 mins lying in the sunshine, enjoying the views into Loch Torridon and passing the time chatting to other riders who were of the same mindset as myself. All thoughts of posting a “time” had now vanished. I had ridden the event several times before and I decided that this time I was going to enjoy the atmosphere. However 17 final miles lay ahead and with the absence of any buses or taxis to take me to the finish, I was going to have to get back in the saddle and ride them. The stop and food had had the desired effect and my legs were raring to go and I soon got back into a rhythm again. A long drag up Glen Torridon, with a final descent into Kinlochewe and all that remained was to fill up on the excellent vege chilli provider by the event organisers and get a massage.

My time was nowhere near previous PB’s, but this year I didn’t care. I’d had a great ride with 500 other cyclists in fantastic weather, in a stunning part of the world.

Perthshire’s mass participation Etape Caledonia race has been shortlisted in the events and festivals category of the Scottish Thistle Awards, set to be held on Friday, October 29, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Created by VisitScotland in 1992, the awards are designed to recognise and celebrate excellence in Scottishtourism.

The Etape has caused controversy in the past and was subject to a high-profile act of sabotage two years ago when carpet tacks were spread along a section of the route.

Meanwhile, some protesters have insisted the closed-roads event has left them unable to get to church on the Sunday in question, stripping them of their “right to worship.”

However, it has proved to be hugely popular with cyclists and visitors alike, garnering an enviable worldwide reputation. It was shortlisted after judges concluded it had successfully established itself as an important event on the tourism calendar.

They also took into account the large amount of media attention it generates, thereby helping VisitScotland and the sponsors to raise the profile of Scotland’s tourism industry.

Jo Dytch of IMG, organisers of the Etape, said, “We are delighted that the Macmillan Cancer Support Etape Caledonia is a finalist for such a prestigious award. 

“The event is now an important part of the growing events calendar in Highland Perthshire, allowing the area and its highlights to be showcased to a wide audience.

“The economic benefits and significant funds raised for charity have grown annually. We look forward to the continued success of the event in years to come.”

Councillor John Kellas, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s enterprise and infrastructure committee, said, “As a council we are delighted that the Etape is up for this award.

“The council has worked very hard alongside IMG for the last five years to establish the Etape Caledonia as a unique showcase event for cyclists across the UK and beyond. It is now one of the main fixtures in our events calendar and this year generated over £1m for the local economy.”

Richard Pinn, VisitScotland’s regional director, said, “It takes a great deal of dedication, innovation and hard work to operate a successful event. The team behind Etape Caledonia clearly has these qualities in abundance.

“We wish them all the best for the awards and indeed for the future.”

No explanation requiredFrom the Cyclotoon website at http://www.nealskorpen.com/cyclotoon.html

Etape Caledonia Training Ride

Sunday 22nd August saw a mixed bag of weather on a warm and generally sunny day, but with some heavy showers thrown in to keep the riders on their toes.

The ride headed out of Pitlochry and along the south shores of Loch Tummel to Foss, before heading up over the shoulder of Schiehallion and joining the second half of the Etape Caledonia route at Loch Kinnardochy.

Lunch at Highland Safaris and then a fast run back to Pitlochry with a tail wind and finishing with a sports massage.[flickr album=72157624782600084 num=10 size=Small]

Sunday 8th August 2010 saw round 5 of the SXC series come to Kinnoul Hill in Perth. The weather was great and a large number of spectators and riders contributed to a great day out.

Provisional results from Round 5

Round 6 is at Laggan Wolftrax on 29.8.10.

[flickr album=72157624590684205 num=20 size=Thumbnail]

Isle of Skye – Scottish Hebrides, 29th May 2010.

Watch the “Adventure Show” featuring Skinny Tyres on the BBC iplayer

Hands On Events’ Organiser Alasdair Lawton cannot be accused of staging average events in average locations, and an island built from hills and mountains rising straight out of the Atlantic is always going to provide a spectacular ride. This year (the third for the Skye Sportive) Alasdair was delighted to have doubled the entries from 2009, showing the popularity of these unique island routes.

The wet weather did not deter the 230 starters in Portree and they set off North towards Staffin, riding the first 18 miles in the shadow of the jagged Trotternish ridge. This escarpment, the longest in the UK, offers an eerie backdrop of collapsed mountains bristling with stacks, pinnacles and long cliff faces.

Riders on both the Beag and the Mor follow the same route round this remarkable coastline. The route sweeps around the Aird, the most northerly tip of the Island, before dropping down a steep descent into Uig Bay and the riding surfaces vary from newly laid sections of beautifully smooth tarmac to rougher sections broken up by the hard Atlantic weather.

The two routes split at Carbost with the Beag route heading back towards Portree and the Mor route turning right for another 50 miles of pleasure and pain. Those doing the shorter route may have been thinking themselves lucky at the prospect of the approaching finish line, but many were caught out in an almighty downpour in the last few miles. The Mor riders managed to avoid this and they crossed over the “Fairy Bridge” towards Dunvegan. From here the route hugs the coastline until it crosses the Island from West to East via Glen Drynoch. Back on the east coast again the only challenge remaining was a long drag up Glen Varragill and then an even longer descent down to Portree.

This year’s event was filmed and will be televised on 8th August at 6pm for BBC Scotland’s “The Adventure Show”. Watch again on the BBCiPlayer

[flickr album=72157624716241894 num=10 size=Thumbnail]