Fifteen Scottish national ski team members, including Alain Baxer, Finley Mickel and Graham Bell, have entered the Etape Caledonia, Britain’s only closed road cycle event,which takes place on 18th May. The 81 mile Highland Perthshire spectacular will see riders enjoy closed road conditions and professional support from Mavic, providers of Neutral Assistance support to the Tour de France for the last 30 years.

Olympic skier, Alain Baxter, commented: “Cycling is excellent cross training for skiing; it uses a lot of the same muscles and provides excellent aerobic fitness. Cycling 81 miles around the Highlands will provide a genuine challenge that we’ve all been taking very seriously. Our preparation has been pretty thorough.”

It’s no secret that Baxter is an excellent cyclist; having set cycling records on his way to winning BBC Superstars in 2005. He added: “I’m looking forward to the Etape Caledonia, it’s not every day that you get to ride in professional cycling conditions and the location is simply stunning.”

Fellow professional team member, Andrew Noble added: “There’s a great competitive spirit brewing amongst the ski team, everyone’s looking forward to it and it will be a great way to kick start the summer training program.”

Organisers have seen entries increase this year, with over 2000 people expected to complete the challenge. The event starts and finishes in Pitlochry, with host of attractions for spectators as well as riders. To find out more visit the event website, www.etapecaledonia.co.uk. Entries are still being accepted.

Event Director, Kevin Stewart, said: “Etape Caledonia is looking forward to many more cyclists enjoying the experience of cycling on closed roads and being able to enjoy the fantastic scenery of Highland Perthshire. There are still some places available for those keen to enter the UK’s premier cycle event and cycle alongside the Scottish Ski team and Mark Beaumont, who has just broken the world record for cycling around the world and trained on the roads around Aberfeldy, Kenmore and Pitlochry when he was growing up.”

Ski Team members riding the Etape Caledonia:

Andrew Noble
Alain Baxter
Noel Baxter
Finley Mickel
Graham Bell
Mark Tilston
Mike Pilarski
Tristan Glasse-Davies
Jan-Michael Kochalski
Douglas Crawford
Dave Ryding
Edward Drake
Melissa Piper
Jo Gregg
Sophie Readman

Entries are still open for the event. Visit www.etapecaledonia.co.uk to experience the best cycling conditions anywhere in Britain.

For more information please email [email protected]
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