Events
September 21, 2026
Cyclists complete their gruelling 3-day bike ride to raise money for the Starr Trust!
In a challenge organised by Webtrends Optimize and proudly co-sponsored by The Implant Centre, the intrepid group of 12 cyclists braved the lochs and highlands of Scotland - and most of all the weather - to complete their 3-day, 222-mile bike ride to raise money for the Starr Trust.
Day 1 saw the group leave from Tarbet, overlooking Loch Lomond, and cycle 90 miles along lochside roads to Fort William, with rainy conditions making for a challenging start to the ride. A highlight of the day was the lunch stop at Oyster Inn, a beautiful 18th Century inn also known as the Ferryman’s Inn due to its proximity to the nearby ferry. The cyclists spent the night at Clan Macduff Hotel, and enjoyed spectacular views over Loch Linnhe.
Day 2 started with Tracey and Dean kayaking over the loch before the group cycled the just over 90 miles to the Kyle of Lochalsh. It was the sunniest of all three days, but also the longest and the cyclists really found it a challenge after cycling almost 90 miles on day one in the rain. The group stopped for lunch close to Loch Ness at Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, the world’s first dedicated rewilding centre. Towards the end of the day’s ride, they stopped at Eilean Donan castle, where Braveheart was filmed, for a photo opportunity before ending the ride at the Lochalsh Hotel. Although the weather wasn’t great this is a stunning location, with a bridge over to the Isle of Skye; Dan Mace from the Implant Centre and Mark Archer (one of our cycle leaders) were actually able to cycle over the bridge to Skye and back even after a full day’s ride!
Day 3 was the shortest but most gruelling of the whole trip; a 41 mile cycle through the Applecross pass with a climb of roughly 5 miles in the pouring rain. The weather was so bad that the visibility during the climb to Applecross was close to zero, and to top things off the planned rest stop was closed! We had hired ex-military bagpiper Jason Faulkner to welcome the cyclists at the end of the ride, but he went above and beyond and joined them at the top of Applecross to play his bagpipes in the wind and rain as the cyclists reached the top; what a legend! (video below)
Some quotes from our riders:
“Thanks Matt for the invite and thank you everyone for making me so welcome! Had a bloody lovely time, count me in for next year”
“Thank you all for the best few days, it’s been amazing! Thank you for helping me get through the challenge and for making my birthday so special”
“Thanks everyone for the great riding and awesome company. Another fabulous Starr Trust ride”
“What a memorable trip! The bagpipes at the end were a master stroke, the video really captures the epic madness of the last day”
“What a brilliant few days! Massive thank you to Matt, Mark, Chris and Tracey for everything you did to make the trip happen and keep us all going. I know there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes and it’s massively appreciated. Great riding, great laughs and a few memories I definitely won’t forget! Absolute legends, thank you everyone!”
“Thanks so much to everyone for such a brilliant few days! Thank you to Matt, Tracey & Dean, Mark and Chris especially for looking after EVERTHING for us. Great work by the newbies, Paul, Sam, Will and Ross! You all fitted in so well and it was great to have you with us!”
“Thank you all for making us newbies feel so welcome and babysitting us through our first proper ride. My body was struggling afterwards but it was 100% worth it. Looking forward to 2027 already!”
Thank you so much to:
Team Leaders Chris Gilkes and Mark Archer who gave their time for free, organising rides on the build up to event and organising the routes and destinations along the way.
Brown’s Bikes, our mechanic over the past 12 years, who has also been the mechanic for Team England, British Cycling and the Tour de France.
Dean Brandon and Tracey Starr, Support Team. Dean donated his time to support the ride whilst juggling his busy life as a prop master in film and TV, and Tracey from the Starr Trust has been amazing organising and supporting the ride as always!
Thanks also to our sponsors:
Matt Smith of Webtrends Optimize, who organised the ride and was the main sponsor
Co-sponsor The Implant Centre, especially Guy and Bill, and cyclists Sally McClusky, Anna Ruston and Dan Mace
Rich Bates of Cognitive Law, also a Trustee of the Starr Trust
Will Beer of Servo Private Wealth
Paul Thatcher of THL Accountancy
Sam Attfield of Café Du Van
Ross Barnett of Socium Team International
Amazing food was donated by the community and very much appreciated; thanks to:
Tesco Church Road and the Droveway
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