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At 8am on September 12th 2020, Torvelo Racing’s Gavin Dempster will attempt to break the now four year old record for cycling the North Coast 500. Supported by his Torvelo Racing teammates, family and friends, Dempster will ride the arduous 516 mile route, with over 33,000 metres of climbing, on some of the most volatile and isolated roads in the UK.

Dempster is one of Scotland's strongest amateur road riders. Most recently he’s made a name for himself in the relatively new world of e-Racing. He placed third in the British national e-Racing championship in 2019 and more recently won the Tour of the Gila - an iconic real world race that switched to the virtual world of e-Sports due the Coronavirus pandemic. It was out on the roads though that his cycling story began. Road and Time Trial wins decorate a distinguished amatuer racing profile most would be envious of. He has previous experience of Ultra distance events too, notably in 2018 when he placed 5th in the TransAtlantic Way Race around Ireland - an experience he’ll draw upon heavily in both the preparation and execution of this record attempt. 

Based in Inverness, Dempster is a founding member of Torvelo Racing, a men’s and women’s Scottish amateur racing club, joining when it was first established in 2019. Restricted by the limited racing opportunities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dempster and the Torvelo team began to look for a new challenge in 2020. A new focus to fill the void. It would need to be something a bit special after months of uncertainty. The allure of a special record, on a special route became too hard to resist. 

Since it was completed in 2015, the NC500 has become recognised as one of the toughest challenges for endurance cyclists in the UK. In 2015, the route was named fifth in the "Top 5 Coastal Routes in the World" listing by Now Travel Magazine, and is often described as "Scotland's Route 66". A special route is the perfect setting for a special record. 

Special records attract special riders. In August 2015, adventure cyclist Mark Beaumont established the solo record for the 516 mile route, completing it in 37 hours and 58 minutes. In May 2016 a team of seven women took on the route with three riding the full route continuously in 36 hours. On 18 June 2016, former pro cyclist and Commonwealth Games medallist James McCallum completed the ride in 31 hours 23 minutes, beating the initial solo record set by Mark Beaumont by more than six hours.

In 2020, will Gavin Dempster add his name to the special riders to have tamed this special route in record time? There’s only one way to find out. You can follow Gavin and the Torvelo team’s progress via his tracker using the link below. 

http://live.opentracking.co.uk/20nc500/?fbclid=IwAR0QPp1KIVp8Hs4EC-DJMSw2sjkcfZTLtT6_iQPxMFkF7X3j8pz20Q44guo

A lack of amateur sport due to Covid-19 pandemic has been frustrating but the pandemic has had a much more significant and further reaching impact on many people in our communities. An easing of restrictions has allowed us to put this record attempt together but there is no easing for the charities and organisations that help those in our communities. This is why we are using our new found freedom to ride as an opportunity to raise money for the Highland Hospice who continue to provide essential palliative care despite facing a significant funding gap following the cancellation of most of their fundraising.

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