FAQ
Q. Is Ride the North genuinely non competitive?
A. Very much so! No timing, no racing, no placings. None of that! The RtN 2026 plan will be an event that lasts a maximum of 12 hours (start times from 6.30am-9.30am and finish-line open 2.30pm-6.30pm) – the only thing you need to achieve is to finish your chosen route inside that timetable. The event is firmly established it as a sociable occasion – it can be a fairly long day on the bike that is spilt up with stops along the way. A bike ride that doesn’t provide you with times and doesn’t welcome you goinng fast as you can isn’t for everyone. Scotland has lots of great Sportive events that offer that kind of event.
Q. Am I fit enough to take part?
A. The event is intended for a wide spectrum of abilities. If you are worried that ‘there won’t be people like me’ …you probably shouldn’t waste to much time worrying! If you are starting from a low base in terms of how much cycling you have done, it has to be taken seriously and will require training. Maybe the average participant rides at something around 20-21 km/h (12-13 mph), but if you can maintain an average of 16 km/h (10 mph) over a long and hilly day, then that will be just fine provided you leave at the appropriate time. If 150 km looks too much, then we have a 110 km alternative. We do have a team of support riders to ensure nobody is left behind at the back. The photo gallery on this site hopefully shows a fair reflection on the event and it’s participants.
Q. Are there a lot of hills?
A. The North of Scotland has some wonderful countryside, but it’s not flat! The event takes place in the foothills of the Cairgorms – that’s about as helpful a phrase as we can muster on this topic! It’s not taking place in the heart of the UK’s highest mountain range (annoyingly they didn’t build roads there), but the Cairngorm’s are in view and there is a fair amount of climbing, but nothing extreme – well, not much! We mostly use minor roads that are really quiet and they can be more ‘up and down’ than the main roads. Whether you love them or hate them, hills are intrinsic to the event.
Q. Can I hire a bike for the event?
A. Yes! We work with Cycle Hire Scotland who will be at Glamis Castle on event day – providing a seamless bike hire service for those travelling from within the UK and internationally. To book in advance visit the Cycle Hire Scotland website to select your size and model. Choose from road bikes, hybrids or send your enquiry to cyclehirescotland@gmail.com
Q. What are the roads like?
A. The entire route is on surfaced roads. Much of the route features minor unclassified roads which carry relatively little traffic and are ideal for cycling. There are short stretches on ‘B’ roads, but these are again largely quiet rural roads that are not usually busy. Always ride according to the rules of the road.
Q. How do the different routes work?
There will be 2 route options …150 km and 110 km. They will both be the same price. You will be asked to register for one of these options (but can change your mind until six weeks before – just login to edit your account). Most of the route (all but 7 or 8 km of the shorter route are common to the longer distance. There will be feed stations that should make it fairly easy if you planned to split up and then meet up. The shorter distance is achieved via two sectioins of the longer route which can be missed out. It will be allowed to do one of these sections and not the other, so that means there are really 4 ways to complete Ride the North (as there will be two optios that will be somewhere in the region of 130km (80 miles).
Q. What about start times, how will they work?
Start times will be available from 0630-1000 hrs with your challenge being to get around your chosen route before 1830 hrs. Only riders registered for the 150 km distance will start between 0630-0730 hrs. Select a start time with the simple calculation of the time you expect to need. It’s going to be much more fun to be in the heart of things, so finishing at 1600-1730 hrs than at 1430 hrs. THE EVENT IS NOT A SPORTIVE, we are not inviting you to race the route! Successful completion will be finishing between 1430-1830 hrs. Successful completion will have automatic invite to whatever RtN 2026 will be!
Q. Is there any possibility of bike hire at the event?
A. Yes. We work with Cycle Hire Scotland who will take advance bookings and will be in attendance on event day. The Cycle Hire Scotland website has more information about bikes and charges.
Q. What will the fee be?
A. The fee will be £54 (£45 plus VAT). Refreshments will be ‘pay as you go’.
Q. Is there somewhere to park at the event start?
A. Yes, there is a very large parking field at Glamis Castle. There is no additional charge for parking.
Q. Is there a RtN jersey?
A. With the support of sponsors a RtN 2026 jersey will be available for purchase (at very reasonable rate). More on that at a later date.
Q. How do I get a place on RtN 2026?
A. The timetable is subject to confirmation. Registration is scheduled to open on 22 January (time unspecified), but booking for past participants will be avaialble as a priority one week earlier (on 15 January). It’s hard to gain some sense of demand. If you had a place in 2025 you have the first priority.
The event system retains an account/record of past participations on RtN. If you were registered for an event since 2021, you don’t need to start the registation from scratch, you can login with password (reset available) and add RtN 2026 as a new product. This will allow RtN to retain a proper record of who has done which events (albeit at the time of writing this we have not yet added all historic data)!
PLEASE NOTE that we will be working with a number of charity partners. The last few years have been really challenging for so many charities that do fantastic work to support the disadvantaged or vulnerable – you will know that. There won’t be any rules about supporting charity on RtN, but we owe it to all the wonderful charity partners who do so much to support our event to aim for a fundraising target to beat past years.
Q. Can I raise money riding for my own charity that’s not on your list?
A. Yes Definitely. People always do come with their own charities. Some have split fundraising between their own local interest (the sports club or scout hut fund) and a higher profile charity – that’s great too.
Q. Can I enter a whole bunch of friends or work colleagues as a team?
A. Yes. But demand for places does (potentially) make this difficult so you have to be organised early. Any of our partner charities can take away the stress of this by guarenteeing places for those who are prepared to raise money.
Q. Can I ride the whole route without making stops for refreshments?
A. Ride the North is intended to be more sociable than some other events and we very much hope the refreshments stops are part and parcel of the event – it’s an event for local communities too. We don’t encourage you to ride the route as time-trial and the start/finish times aren’t set out to help someone who is only interested in speed. There are stamps to collect at each check-point. Successful completion is to collect these stamps – this will be recorded at the end and successful completion in 2026 will provide priority booking for 2027.
Q. What if I am struggling on event day?
A. Trying to keep pace with faster cyclists is not advisable …it’s neither safe nor much fun. This is an event that invites participants to ride at a comfortable speed and pace their efforts. If you booked the longer ride and run into challenges, then there is a shorter route available as a bail out. We will have mechanics that will do their best to assist with unexpected bike fails and first aid team to assist if you aren’t feeling right. There will be a sweep vehicle that will collect you if you are unable to continue or are running out of time.
Q. What type of bike do I need?
A. You can use any bike that you feel comfortable with. You are likely to be on it for a good time so it is vital that you use a bike that you are comfortable on. Once crucial detail …over the RtN years there was a drift towards more and more and more road bikes (drop handlebars and lighter weight). It’s a diverse event – whatever bike you have is perfect provided it’s in working order and you can ride it the selected distance.
Q. Can I use an e-bike?
A. It’s a non competitive event and it has been designed to be accessible. For 2026 e-bikes (strictly legal e-bikes that have a motor with a maximum size of 250w) are permitted. However this is a topic that has been unders some review. There is a real mix of policies towards ebikes on cycling events – and we set out to create an event that both challenging but acceessible. In recent years our event has become one day rather than two, has reduced the cycling distance, has a route with less overall elevation and we have extended the time window for completion. There are a maximum of 11 hours to complete 110 km – with 2 hours of breaks, it requires an average speed of 12 km/h (7.5 mph). The future will not be an event with increasing numbers of ebikes. The 2026 event will be the last with a policy of no restrictions on ebikes.
Q. Are there refreshment stops along the route?
A. Oh yes! We will be working with communities on the route to ensure there are refreshments and toilets. The new format of the even t means we are aiming for more stops and there might not be all options at all of them …but we will try to keep you going on coffee, cakes and even some real food! In a departure from past years, the food and drink along the route will be ‘pay as you go’. At many refreshment stops, the funds raised on the day will be used to support local good causes.
Q. Are the routes signposted?
A. Yes, there will be a comprehensive signposting system for the event. Nearer the time we will give you GPX files for download if you prefer.
Q. Why haven’t answered my question?
A. Apologies, if you email info@velodays.com, I will do my best!
