RtN History
RtN 2011: Aberdeen-Cullen-Ballater-Stonehaven
3 days, with route including Haddo House, New Pitsligo, Banff, Glass, Gairnshiel, Feughside Inn, Cairn o’ Mount, Fettercairn
Registrations:37
Month: June
Weather: Sensational
The turquoise jersey that was a partnership with Aberdeen-based cancer charity UCAN
Sponsors: GOT, CORE, Cadherent, Stronachs, Freelance World
RtN2012: Inverness-Elgin (Glen Moray)-Aberdeen (Gordon Highlanders Museum)
2 days, with route including Loch Duntelchaig, Cawdor, Dufftown, The Acorn (Cabrach), Rhynie, Suie Hill, Castle Fraser
Registrations: 107
Month: September
Weather: Fine, but quite chilly
Sponsors: GOT, Stronachs, John Clark Motor Group, Ticket to Ride Highlands, Eden Court Theatre, Glen Moray, Get-About
The white jersey year that was a partnership with Monty’s Maggie Appeal
RtN 2013: Inverness-Elgin (Glen Moray)-Aberdeen (Craibstone)
2 days, with route including Loch Ness, Inverarnie, Cawdor Castle, Dufftown, Rhynie, Keig, Lyne of Skene
Registrations: 372
Month: August
Weather: Pretty Good
Sponsors: GOT, Stronachs, Marathon Oil, Stena Drilling, PD&MS Energy, Baxter Dunn & Gray, John Clark Motors, Pipelines2Data
The blue jersey year when Aberdeenshire Lord Provost came to Rhynie to greet riders!
RtN 2014: Inverness-Elgin (Glen Moray)-Aberdeen (RGC Countesswells)
2 days with route including Dulsie Bridge, Dava Moor, Boat of Garten, Grantown, Knockando, Dufftown, Rhynie, Dunecht
Registrations: 900 (capped)
Month: August
Weather: Pretty Ropey!
Sponsors: GOT, John Clark Motor group, PD&MS Energy, Marathon Oil, Stronachs, EventScotland, Accord esL, Stena Drilling
The yellow jersey year when the bikes were late arriving in Inverness!
RtN 2015: Inverness-Elgin (Glen Moray)-Stonehaven
2 days with route including Garbole Road, Slochd, Dufftown, Rhynie, Torphins, Knockburn
Registrations: 900 (capped)
Month: August
Weather: Excellent (apparently there was a headwind, but they always say that)!
Sponsors: GOT, Roy Cowie, KCA Deutag, PD&MS Group, Marathon Oil, Stronachs, Accord esL, CORE, Stena Drilling
The green/blue jersey year when everyone who wasn’t doing RtN came to Stonehaven to see RtN and Police Scotland came along to tell me to cancel the event!
RtN 2016: Rhynie-Inverness (Culloden Academy)-Rhynie
2 days, with route including Dufftown, Tomintoul, Bridge of Brown, Nairn, Brodie Castle, Garmouth and the other side of Dufftown
Registrations: 900 (capped)
Month: August
Weather: Pretty good until final afternoon downpour
Sponsors: Walker’s Shortbread, CORE, Wood Group, PD&MS Group, Marathon Oil, Stronachs, Stena Drilling, Wilkinson Helsby, SureVoIP, Roy Cowie
The sky blue jersey year when we clashed routes with Thunder in the Glens and had to reschedule/revisit and wait for motorbikes to take priority over real bikes!
RtN 2017: Castle Fraser-Elgin/Forres-Castle Fraser
2 days, with route including Rothienorman, Rothiemay, Califer Hill, Edinvillie, Rhynie, Keig
Registrations: 900 (capped)
Month: August
Weather: Pretty Good
Sponsors: Walker’s Shortbread, Roy Cowie, PD&MS Group, Marathon Oil, Stronachs, Stena Drilling, John Clark Motor Group, Pipeline Technique, SureVoIP, CORE
The red/tartan jersey year when we tried optional overnight stops in either Elgin or Forres, with two different starts on Day 2. Failed experiment!
RtN 2018: Oldmeldrum/Castle Fraser-Elgin-Oldmeldrum Castle Fraser
2 days, with route including Keig, Rhynie, Rafford, Clochan, Rothiemay, Rothienorman
Registrations: 1,000 (capped)
Month: August (going on December)
Weather: I’d prefer not to comment further!
Sponsors: Walker’s Shortbread, PD&MS Group, Stena Drilling, CORE, SureVoIP, Marathon Oil, Stronachs, Roy Cowie, Fulcrum, John Clark Motor Group
The minty green year when we tried two different start/finish points. Another failed experiment!
RtN 2019: Castle Fraser-Elgin-Castle Fraser
2 days ft, Rothienorman, Foggie, Clochan, Edinvillie, Rhynie, Craigievar
Registrations: 1,000 (capped)
Month: August
Weather: Glorious. Some complaints it was too warm (from folk that weren’t there the previous year)
Sponsors: Walker’s Shortbread, SureVoIP, Fulcrum, PD&MS Group, Stronachs, Stena Drilling, Roy Cowie, Marathon Oil, CORE, John Clark Motor Group
The purple jersey year when nothing too much went wrong at all, so also the year I relaxed knowing I had an event format sorted and nothing could get in the way of RtN 2020!
RtN 2020: Alford (Grampian Transport Museum)-Elgin-Alford
2 days, CANCELLED
Defeated by Covid-19 Pandemic
It would have been the orange jersey year – a jersey that I had so very nearly ordered when things started to fall apart. No events or gatherings happened at all after March …other than those documented by Sue Gray)!
RtN 2021: Huntly
1 day (3 route options), CANCELLED AGAIN.
RtN 153 improvised event. 153 days to ride 158 different (signposted) routes all logged on RtN website
Weather: Sunny every day!
Sponsors: Stena Drilling, TAQA, Nestrans
The year of ‘Spaces for People’ allowing Council’s untold freedom to make better provision for cycling …until you ask them to put up 2,000 small blue signs! Thanks to Nestrans for support and help to persuade Aberdeenshire & Moray Councils to implement a plan to get more people cycling locally in the crisis.
RtN 2022: Elgin
1 day, (2 route options) ft Forres, Rafford, Archiestown, Edinvillie, Dufftown, Keith, Clochan, Garmouth
Registrations: 1,234
Month: August
Weather: Beautiful
Sponsor: Stena Drilling
The year of the first single day event. The year when Moray Council implemented new charges on any events that hadn’t been fully bankrupted by Covid and the year when Moray Sport Centre dropped me an email on event week to say “you know that plan for 400 people to call in for lunch (that we’ve been talking about for some months) we’ve decided we don’t really want to be involved now”! Emergency Sandwiches from Tesco!!
RtN 2023: Huntly
1 day, (2 route options) ft Kennethmont, Insch, Keig, Rhynie, Cabrach, Dufftown, Keith, Knock, Foggie, Rothiemay
Registrations: ?
Month: August
Sponsors: Stena Drilling, Accord esL, Serica Energy …room for more (just saying)!!
Weather: The last 2 have been great and the planet is getting warmer
The year when …we’ll you never quite know!! Hope to see you there.
RtN 2024: ???
The project has started. I would like to bring back a two day event. I think it’s very complicated to do that for 2,000 (more?) people without some level of collaboration from the authorities – to date I have achieved very little in that regard. I have started dialogue with Moray and Aberdeenshire Councils with the idea of a two day event that really tries to take a further step into being a festival that we (at least try) to bring more people to North East Scotland from far and wide.