The number of cycling events in Scotland continues to rise – and the latest sportive launch looks as fab as the rest. On May 27, the inaugural Robert Millar Sportive offers 46 or 95-mile routes through the ever-so-scenic (and somewhat hilly) Trossachs and Campsie Fells, to the north of Glasgow.

The background to the event is poignant, as it pays tribute to Tour de France legend Robert Millar, who began his training as a teenager with the Glasgow Wheelers, based in the Campsies.

Millar, who was born in Glasgow in 1958, is acknowledged as Scotland’s greatest Tour cyclist. His fourth-placed finish in the 1984 Tour de France was a record for a British rider and has since been matched only by Bradley Wiggins in 2009. Millar also made a huge contribution to Scottish and British cycling.

The ride has been launched by Glasgow Wheelers captain David Lang, Brian Smith, the Endura racing team manager,  and former professional cyclist Billy Bilsland, who recalls the young Millar training on the very roads that the sportive will now follow. Millar was a pupil of Bilsland at his circuit training classes in Glasgow in the late 1970s.

The Robert Millar Sportive, which aims to raise money to develop young Scottish cycling talent, will take riders on the roads that helped to develop Robert into a world famous professional cyclist, including the renowned Tak me Doon (Kilsyth – Lennoxtown) and the notorious Crow Road.

Find out more at Robert Millar Sportive 2012