A Highland welcome for UK's biggest closed road cycling race

THE largest closed road cycling event in the UK will boost the local economy and help establish Highland Perthshire as a cycling destination, the local council claimed yesterday

Perth and Kinross Council said it welcomed the controversial Etape Caledonia cycle race.

Earlier this week, Anti-Closed Road Events, the pressure group formed to oppose the race, announced plans to suspend its protests for two years while it campaigns for a new rival event to be staged in the area.

This Sunday's race along an 81-mile route has attracted a record entry of more than 4,500 cyclists and is expected to raise 430,000 for Macmillan Cancer Trust.

Yesterday, councillor John Kellas, the authority's enterprise and infrastructure convener, said its support for the race was only part of a strategy to put the area on the map as a top tourism destination for cyclists.

A Cycling Festival is also being staged this week in and around Aberfeldy, featuring cycling-themed events and bike rides for people of all ages. On Friday, the festival will feature displays by cycle stunt team the Clan, a cyclo-cross event for young people, unicyling classes for beginners, and workshops on bike maintenance.

"The Etape Caledonia event and the Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival attract thousands of people to the area and give the local economy a huge boost, but they also serve another important purpose," he said. "These events showcase what Highland Perthshire has to offer to the cycling community, and aim to entice them back to the area again and again.

"A survey on last year's Etape showed that the event brought 7,553 visitors to the area, 92 per cent of whom came from outside Perth and Kinross, generating almost 1 million for the local economy.

"These figures show the true value of the event to Highland Perthshire."