Strong winds and showers failed to defeat thousands of Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Caledonia cyclists on Sunday.

Although there were grey clouds overhead, the carnival atmosphere still prevailed for cyclists and spectators alike.

More than 4,000 riders took their place on the starting line in Pitlochry before being waved off at 6.37am to tackle the 81-mile course.

The high spirits continued in the hills, with friends and family braving the cold to cheer on the riders as they made their way up Schiehallion.

Among those buoyed by the outstanding support out on the course was keen rider Gerry McCann, father of missing Madeleine.

''There were a lot of people out there in really foul conditions and had been there since 7am cheering us on,'' he said. ''It's such a special event because it's on closed roads and it really gets the support of the community, which makes me come back every year.

''It was quite difficult this year, however, because of the strong winds and this made me work a lot harder.'' 

This is the third time Mr McCann has taken part in the Etape Caledonia, with this year's event being all the more poignant as it occurred the day after Madeleine's ninth birthday. 

After the race he headed back to Glasgow to meet up with his family before they returned to Leicester.

Also rushing home following the event was Australian David McIntosh, who recorded the fastest time of the day.

The 36-year-old insolvency lawyer from London managed to climb three positions from last year to take first place. He was just 10 minutes behind the fastest ever finish of three hours, 27 minutes, 38 seconds, recorded by professional cyclist Evan Oliphant last year.

''It was good to be first over the line,'' Mr McIntosh said. ''I was hanging on at the end, even though I was pretty tired and I kept looking behind me to see if anyone else was coming. The wind made it so much harder for people to come back though.''

Having taken part in the event for the last five years, Mr McIntosh vowed to return next year and is also considering signing up for the new Etape Pennines event.

The organisers of the Scottish sportive announced yesterday that they have already opened up pre-registration for next year.

Applicants will be given an exclusive 24-hour window to put their name down for the event, which regularly sells out.

Despite demand for the 5,250 spaces far outstripping supply, James Robinson, managing director of organisers IMG Challenger World, said the Etape Caledonia would not get any bigger. 

''We are already at full capacity, which is why we are currently developing the Marie Cure Cancer Care Etape series,'' he said. ''With more events taking place under this banner, more people can get involved. 

''We are very, very pleased with how things went today and have once again had the support of the people of Pitlochry and other areas, which has been fantastic. ''Preparations for next year are now under way.''

 ■Courier features writer Jack McKeown was one of the Etape competitors. Found out how he fared in Tuesday's paper