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Women's cycling collective to tackle Scotland's North Coast 500

The Adventure Syndicate aim to complete route in under 36 hours - and inspire other women to ride

A group of cyclists determined to change the way women riders are perceived including encouraging others to push themselves to their limits will this weekend attempt to ride Scotland’s North Coast 500 route in less time than it took Mark Beaumont to complete it last year.

The challenge marks the launch of The Adventure Syndicate, founded by Lee Craigie and whose members include round-the-world Guinness World Record holder Juliana Buhring and London cycle courier turned author Emily Chappell, as well as other women with a background in adventure and endurance cycling.

Billed as “Scotland’s Route 66,” Beaumont’s ride on the North Coast 500, completed in a shade under 38 hours, was designed to help publicise the route, devised by VisitScotland and which had opened earlier in 2015.

> Mark Beaumont rides “Scotland’s Route 66” in less than 38 hours

The Adventure Syndicate plan to ride it in less than 36 hours on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May in a non-stop team time trial of seven riders, and are inviting riders to join them during their challenge or to offer support on social media.

“If you are an experienced road rider, get on the front and give us a break from the wind. If you are less experienced, jump on our tails,” they say. “If you prefer, ride separately from us altogether or cheer us from the road side.

“Whatever the outcome of our attempt, do come to Inverness on Sunday afternoon to witness us all slumped in a corner of Velocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop eating mountains of cake.  Check Twitter for our ETA.”

Writing about The Adventure Syndicate on her blog, Craigie - who has represented Scotland and Great Britain in XC Mountain Biking - said:

Women and girls can be discouraged from participating in sport for any number of social and psychological reasons but The Adventure Syndicate believes that independent, adventurous travel may succeed where more traditional routes have failed.

Although many women and girls are not attracted by the more overtly competitive elements of cycling, the personal and social benefits of riding for adventure or exploration can ensure a similar beneficial outcome. In addition, the possibilities for empowerment through the planning and execution of an adventurous bike ride can have untold benefits on participants’ self-esteem and confidence.

She summarised The Adventure Syndicate’s goals as follows:

– to encourage and enable our audience to take on their own adventure

– to offer advice and make tangible links with services in local communities that will help more girls and women achieve their adventurous objectives

– to provide an alternative, diverse, powerful female sporting model in the cycling industry where the activity, and not the looks of the participant, takes precedence.

You can find out more about The Adventure Syndicate on its website, and can also follow them on Facebook.

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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9 comments

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jollygoodvelo | 7 years ago
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Quote:

"Why go all that way and then not stop to enjoy your surroundings?"

500 miles is a lot of surroundings.  And having done that entire loop (by car!) I can confirm that at 14mph or so, there will be long sections where nothing really changes... there's one part of the road up on the north coast where you're driving along a plateau and there's literally nothing to look at except heather for miles.

 

It's an awesome challenge.  At this time of year the midges won't be too bad and the prevailing winds should blow them up the west coast and across the top.  Wishing them the best of luck.  

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Blackhound | 7 years ago
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wycombewheeler is correct, they are doing it as a team time trial.  I have only met a couple of the ladies and they are really nice off the bike but hard as nails on a bike.  

My ribs are still a bit sore from a fall  chasing Rickie around an mtb trail in NZ in February.

Will be following there progress for sure.

 

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Eric D | 7 years ago
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Tough roads - good luck!
https://vimeo.com/143976799

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Bob's Bikes | 7 years ago
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I wish them all the best, as to whether this will encourage more females into cycling we can but hope.

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Dnnnnnn | 7 years ago
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"Although many women and girls are not attracted by the more overtly competitive elements of cycling"

While not wanting to get involved in a gender stereotyping row, I think my other half's take on this sort of thing - "Why go all that way and then not stop to enjoy your surroundings?" - is probably the more sensible...

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tritecommentbot replied to Dnnnnnn | 7 years ago
1 like

Duncann]</p>

<p>

"Although many women and girls are not attracted by the more overtly competitive elements of cycling"[quote

wrote:

While not wanting to get involved in a gender stereotyping row, I think my other half's take on this sort of thing - "Why go all that way and then not stop to enjoy your surroundings?" - is probably the more sensible...

 

Does she stare at her stem like Froome when she rides?

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harrybav replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
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Duncann wrote:

"Why go all that way and then not stop to enjoy your surroundings?" - is probably the more sensible...

It's a relay, so plenty off-the-clock time to contemplate the view, I suppose.

Quite busy roads up there, some of them. Route 66 is great for motorbikes..

 

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to harrybav | 7 years ago
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vbvb wrote:

Duncann wrote:

"Why go all that way and then not stop to enjoy your surroundings?" - is probably the more sensible...

It's a relay, so plenty off-the-clock time to contemplate the view, I suppose.

Quite busy roads up there, some of them. Route 66 is great for motorbikes..

 

Says team time trial, not relay.

Avatar
Simon E replied to Dnnnnnn | 7 years ago
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Duncann wrote:

While not wanting to get involved in a gender stereotyping row, I think my other half's take on this sort of thing - "Why go all that way and then not stop to enjoy your surroundings?" - is probably the more sensible...

You could say that about anything - the Tour de France, a club time trial, a Strava segment or even driving to work. Why don't drivers take it easier and enjoy the experience instead of breaking the speed limit everywhere?

The challenge is to beat Mark's time, I doubt it would garner much interest if they said they were going touring round Scotland. I think it's great. I hope it prompts people to ride more, whether they choose to pootle, go touring or enter a race.

I listened to Jack Thurston's podcast chat with Emily Chappell the other week and found it fascinating. Well worth a listen.

Just noticed that emily has put up a blog post about TAS which is also worth reading:

http://thatemilychappell.com/2016/04/the-adventure-syndicate/

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