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The Tiso Overland 500 is a circular bikepacking route that covers over 500 miles of Scotland's finest gravel, singletrack and quiet country roads.
Throughout the route, Tiso stores will act as checkpoints.
At these checkpoints, riders can stamp their brevet cards, collect trail clean bags, chug down some coffee, gobble up cake and replenish essentials.
Trail clean bags? Brevet card?! Keep reading, there's more to it.
For those with a competitive spirit, this is your chance to ride the route for the fastest time. Results will appear on the Tiso Overland 500 Leaderboard.
To redeem your spot on the board, you need to record your attempt at the route via an app or wearable tech. Examples include Komoot, Strava, Garmin, Map My Ride, etc. When you have completed the route we need the total 'Elapsed Time', from start to finish, this will include any stops, breaks or delays. On Strava you will need to make sure that your cycle type is set to 'Race' to get total time from door to door.
Please send your results to overland500@tiso.co.uk
Are you going to take the crown?
Want to have a purposeful adventure? We have partnered with Trash Free Trails to encourage riders to complete the Tiso Overland 500, mindfully.
Make the Tiso Overland 500 a purposeful adventure!
Brevet cards will be available to collect from checkpoint stores. These cards allow riders to record their route the old school way and to have a momento to keep!
On one side of the card, riders can record the time it took to complete the stages and collect stamps from the checkpoint stores.
The other side of the card has inspiring ideas on how to have a purposeful adventure and connect to nature.
Our trails are our home, so we need to look after them, collectively! In partnership with Trash Free Trails, we are encouraging riders to pick up any litter they might find on the trails and to take their own litter with them.
Trail clean bags will be available to collect from checkpoint stores. Take these with you on the route and reuse them where you can.
Nomadic bikepacker, Andy Cox (@doubletrackfanatic) created the Tiso Overland 500 route. Andy is the creator of the well known European Divide Trail that rides across Europe.
590 miles of stunning Scottish scenery!
The surfaces vary, with the majority of the route being off-road - a mix of natural terrain, unpaved surfaces, gravel, asphalt and paved surfaces.
The route is hosted on Komoot and Strava.
There are 7 checkpoints. These checkpoints are Tiso stores: Inverness OE, Tiso Aberdeen, Tiso Dundee, Perth OE, Edinburgh OE, Glasgow OE and Aviemore OE.
It’s up to you. The checkpoint stores are there to allow you to have some rest or to stamp your brevet card. If you are racing, you must follow the GPX route that passes the checkpoint stores.
The name 'brevet' comes from the word for 'certificate'. The card should be carried by riders and is used to record the time and date at each checkpoint. Riders can have their card stamped at checkpoint stores along the route.
Brevet cards are available to collect from checkpoint stores. The checkpoint stores included on the route are: Inverness OE, Tiso Aberdeen, Tiso Dundee, Perth OE, Edinburgh OE, Glasgow OE and Aviemore OE.
Trail clean bags can be collected from checkpoint stores.
Take a trail clean bag with you on route and collect any rubbish you see on the way. Remember to take your own rubbish with you and not leave anything on the trails. You should dispose of the rubbish properly when you get to a town and reuse your trail clean bag where possible. Leave no trace!
The trail clean bags are made of biodegradable polythene and are biodegradable.
To race the route you need to record your attempt at the route via an app or wearable tech. Examples include Komoot, Strava, Garmin, Map My Ride, etc. When you have completed the route we need the total 'Elapsed Time', from start to finish, this will include any stops, breaks or delays. On Strava you will need to make sure that your cycle type is set to 'Race' to get total time from door to door. Please send your results to overland500@tiso.co.uk for the chance to appear on the Tiso Overland 500 Leaderboard.
The route is mainly gravel making it ideal for a gravel specific bike such as the Cannondale Topstone. You can ride it on a mountain bike, gravel bike, cyclocross bike or even a road bike with gravel tyres! We recommend tyres thicker than 32c or 1 1/4 inches for a comfortable ride.
Riders are liable for themselves on this route. Tiso, Trash Free Trails, Cannondale and any other partner brand do not take liability for any riders. This route is a recommendation and might be subject to change by riders for unforeseen circumstances such as adverse weather or closed roads.