"Wilderness is not a luxury but necessity of the human spirit" Edward Abbey

Overview

2 day self-supported bikepacking gravel ride based on the Badger Divide route which masterfully links several existing routes with one another to create a direct line, >90% off-road and rideable on adventure/gravel bikes, down the heart of Scotland from Inverness to Glasgow, cutting glen after remote glen.  5 timed segments over the 2 days.

#scotduro20 runs on the first weekend in September:
  • Start: Sat 5 September 2020, 9am Inverness Castle [due to COVID-19 there will be no official start, just roll out when you get there]
  • End: Sun 6 September 2020, 8pm Drygate Bar & Kitchen in Glasgow​ [due to COVID-19 there will be no finishing drink, just go straight home]
  • Follow NHS Scotland advice on physical distancing for the duration of your ride. This is not a group event, we ride individually.

​​Key points:
  • The route is 330km long with 5,500m of ascent, mostly off-road (>90% of the distance), to be ridden in two days.
  • You will most likely ride some of this route in the dark so front and rear lights are obligatory
  • This route is rough so at least 40mm tyres are recommended but of course you can do whatever you want.
  • There are 5 timed segments over the 2 days designed to test riders' strength, bike handling, and determination on a variety of surfaces over mixed terrain

Logistics

  • Loch Ossian Youth Hostel are only offering private whole-hostel bookings this year. Unless you're lucky enough to have booked it, please plan to camp responsibly well away from the hostel. Rannoch Moor is pretty big, we're sure you'll find somewhere nice.
  • There is little to no food available between Fort Augustus and Killin, so be sure of your meal plans before leaving town.

Route

330km of the finest Scottish gravel linking Inverness to Glasgow over some of the UK's most remote geography
The route is based on Stu Allan's #thebadgerdivide route which links together a number of existing routes (The Great Glen Way, Corrieyairack Pass, West Highland Way, etc) to create a direct line from Inverness to Glasgow.
Download to your GPS device prior to the event
Navigate to this page on your mobile, then download KMZ file and open in Maps.me app to use as backup navigation
Segments, please favourite them on Strava (see instructions):
  • XDS-1 - section of the Great Glen way; winner will be the best bikehandler
  • XDS-2 - climb to Corrieyairack Pass; winner will be the best climber
  • XDS-3 - fast and slick climb to Loch Ossian; one for the gravel rouleurs
  • XDS-4 - road climb and technical descent followed by fast flat section; rewards Spartacus wannabes
  • XDS-5 - who has anything left in the tank!?

Bonus segment before XDS-4 to honour the late Mike Hall, on a suitably gritty section of the route he would have excelled on - XDS-#bemoreMike

​You are advised to record on multiple GPS devices in case a segment isn't picked up on your primary GPS.

Entry

  1. Join our club on Strava if not already a member
  2. Click “I’m in” on the ​Strava Event - ​here
  3. Star each segment so they appear in Strava
  4. Download version scotduro20 of the GPX track to your GPS; download the KMZ file to your mobile for use with the Maps.me app (offline mapping)
  5. Book your train (including bike reservation)
  6. Be prepared to bivvy on Saturday night
  7. Invite your mates and share on social media using #scotduro20

Results

Rider XDS-1 XDS-2 XDS-3 XDS-4 XDS-5 Total
2019: #ScotDURO19 results
2018: ​#XduroScotland18 v100 Results
2017: #crossduroscotland17 results
#scotduro20 feed...