Congratulations to Caroline Livesey for setting a new WUCA World Record for the Scotland (NC500) course in these categories: Solo, Officiated, Female 18-49, upright bike.
This will also be non-age group Guinness Record. (once accepted by Guinness)
Way-points:
| Waypoint # | Way point | est mileage | est kms | est cumm /miles | Est cumm/kms |
| Start-1 | Inverness Flora MacDonald Statue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Beauly | 13 | 20.4 | 13 | 20.4 |
| 3 | Muir of Ord | 2 | 4.6 | 15 | 25 |
| 4 | Contin | 5 | 8 | 20 | 33 |
| 5 | Garve | 8 | 12 | 28 | 45 |
| 6 | Achnasheen | 15 | 25 | 43 | 70 |
| 7 | Lochcarron | 21 | 34 | 64 | 104 |
| 8 | Applecross | 18 | 29 | 82 | 133 |
| 9 | Kinlochewe | 41 | 67 | 123 | 200 |
| 10 | Gairloch | 19 | 31 | 143 | 231 |
| 11 | Ullapool | 55 | 89 | 198 | 320 |
| 12 | Ledmore | 17 | 28 | 215 | 348 |
| 13 | Lochinver | 17 | 28 | 232 | 376 |
| 14 | Drumbeg | 14 | 22 | 246 | 398 |
| 15 | Kylesku | 10 | 17 | 256 | 415 |
| 16 | Laxford Bridge | 16 | 26 | 272 | 441 |
| 17 | Durness | 19 | 30 | 291 | 471 |
| 18 | Tongue | 29 | 47 | 320 | 518 |
| 19 | Thurso | 43 | 69 | 362 | 587 |
| 20 | John O Groats | 20 | 32 | 382 | 619 |
| 21 | Dingwall | 108 | 175 | 490 | 794 |
| 22 | Muir of Ord | 6 | 10 | 496 | 804 |
| 23 | Beauly | 3 | 5 | 499 | 809 |
| End-24 | Inverness Flora MacDonald Statue | 11 | 18 | 510 | 827 |
Rider’s Narrative:
Rider Narrative Summary: Caroline Livesey
North Coast 500 (NC500) Fastest Female World Record Attempt
Rider: Caroline Livesey
Start: 04:00, 2 June 2026
Start Location: Flora MacDonald Statue, Inverness, Scotland
Finish: 12:22, 3 June 2026
Elapsed Time: 32 hours 22 minutes
Finish Location: Flora MacDonald Statue, Inverness, Scotland
The North Coast 500 Fastest Female World Record attempt was successfully completed by Caroline Livesey, who finished the 516-mile route in 32 hours and 22 minutes.
I began the ride at 04:00 on 2 June 2026 at the Flora MacDonald Statue in Inverness, the traditional start and finish point of the North Coast 500. I had given myself and the crew a whole week of weather window in the first week of June as I wanted to have minimal darkness on the route. I did not want to miss out on the views! In the end I decided to go on Tuesday 2 June at 0400 because very unusually for the NC500, the wind was forecasted to be light for the whole two days. True to that prediction, conditions throughout the attempt were generally favourable for fast riding, with light winds for most of the route. There were periods of heavy rain but they were mostly short lived (until the last 100km), but there was regular light rain and the majority of the time wet roads. There was only one period of sunshine on 3 June in the morning which was short lived. At times there was low cloud, mist and fog, especially overnight, which reduced visibility drastically. I was often asked by the officials to put lights on during the day, and at night I had to be extremely careful with the road conditions and fog. Temperatures were lows of 10 degs at night and at most 15 degs during the day, but for the majority of the time it was around 12 degrees.
The motivation for attempting the record was threefold. First, it was a personal challenge to discover what was possible physically and mentally over one of the United Kingdom’s most iconic endurance cycling routes. Second, the ride was used to raise money for a charity that I am a co-founder of. Third, and perhaps most importantly, it was intended to inspire more women to take on ultra-endurance cycling challenges and to demonstrate what female athletes are capable of achieving. At the time of the attempt, there remained a significant gap between the men’s and women’s records, and part of the goal was to move the women’s benchmark closer to what I think we are capable of.
For the attempt, I used two bicycles: an Orbea Ordu TT bike and an Orbea Orca Aero road bike. Additional equipment included a Rudy Project Wingdream helmet, Velotoze clothing, EZ Gains products and disc wheel cover. Tyre choice was 28 mm at the front and 30 mm at the rear on both bikes. Gearing is critical on this route as there are some very steep climbs, and I had a 11/34 with 39/53T on the road bike especially to allow me to manage my effort on those climbs. A prototype Velotoze aero rain jacket proved particularly effective during the wetter sections of the ride, and I was careful to have a longer stop and full kit change before going into the night section.
Nutrition was carefully planned and included a combination of liquid and solid fuel sources. These included Precision Fuel & Hydration products, Precision Chews, Precision Hydration drink mix and hydration tablets, Precision Energy Gels, rice pudding, bananas, Snickers bars, protein shakes and a small amount of Coke at the end. The strategy allowed regular carbohydrate intake throughout the ride while providing variety over the course of more than 32 hours in the saddle. In the end the summary of my nutrition intake left me at nearly 50g/hr.
One of the highlights of the attempt was experiencing the spectacular scenery of the North Coast 500, particularly along the west coast. The route offered constant views of mountains, coastline and wildlife, making it one of the most memorable cycling experiences I have undertaken. Equally important was the support of an outstanding crew, whose organisation, encouragement and attention to detail played a crucial role in the success of my record attempt.
The most difficult aspect of the ride was towards the end when the route goes onto the busier A9 road as you head back towards Inverness. Having been on small country lanes for much of the route, it is a demanding mental switch to be on busy roads at a time when I was feeling significant mental fatigue.
One unusual aspect of the attempt was the remarkably light wind conditions. The North Coast 500 is well known for challenging weather, particularly strong coastal winds, yet the route experienced unusually calm conditions for much of the record attempt.
After 32 hours and 22 minutes of riding, I cycled up to the Flora MacDonald Statue in Inverness in an absolute deluge of rain, completing the circuit and establishing a new Fastest Female North Coast 500 time some 4 hours and 20 mins faster than the previous time.