Hampshire's New Forest National Park is an exceptionally popular cycling destination - and it's easy to see why.

Covering 566 kilometres squared, it's made up of woodland, grassland, heathland and woodland enclosure.

There's miles of relatively flat roads which add up to a perfect playground for groups of mixed ability, and with winter weather in full swing it's a good place to head if you're looking to clock up base miles without an uphill struggle.

If you're looking for summer targets, the area plays host to two events run by our sister company, UKCE.

In April, there's the New Forest Spring Sportive and Cycling Festival. Held over a full weekend, there's rides on both Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19.

Routes vary from 30 to 80 miles, with the promise of a food village, beer tent and live band for all to enjoy on return.

Much later in the year (ideal for those setting a distance target), there's the New Forest 100, on Saturday September 19. Whilst the hero event of the day is the century long ride, there are 30 and 60 mile routes on offer too.

Buy why is it worth a visit? Here's five reasons...

You'll go quite fast

There's much, much more to a good ride than a high average speed. However, getting tucked into a nice rhythm, perhaps with a steady chaingang or paceline among friends, is a fun way to spend a morning and does come with a certain satisfaction.

The highest point within the New Forest National Park is Pipers Wait, near Nomansland - its summit stands at 129 meters (423 feet). Which is, erm, not very high.

The roads are stunningly flat, so if you want a fast century ride, or would like to keep a group of varying abilities together, this is the one.

... or, chill out and enjoy the views

Flat roads don't mean you have to go fast - if that's not your style, you can just enjoy the expanses of heathland and woodland either side.

The park, and its surrounds, were classed as a 'National Character Area' by Natural England, thanks to its geodiversity - it'd take you a long time to get bored of your surrounds here.

Wild ponies make good companions

Nobody "owns the roads" anywhere, but in the New Forest, the wild ponies have a pretty good claim on the area, and everyone has to look out for them.

The park is home to the indigenous New Forest pony, as well as many other breeds of wild horse and cattle.

The beautiful creatures can roam as they please, over fields, through villages - and wondering across the road. They give the park a unique quality and are lovely to admire - just take care to give them plenty of space.

You'll roll through quaint villages

You won't find any sprawling towns in the New Forest - mostly small villages - the largest three being Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst and Burley.

Rest assured: there's plenty of options for coffee and cake stops.

The UKCE sportives begins at the rather spectacular Somerley House in Ringwood - a 1750 designed stately home.

Riders cross the River Avon, thread through the lanes to explore the villages of Linwood and Fritham, with those on the long route heading off to Farley, West Winterslow and West Dean. The route back re-crosses the River Avon, to visit Cranborne, Verwood and Three Legged Cross.

Make a weekend of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7unfdhBzUuk

The New Forest is a popular tourist location - which means that it's well set up for those looking for a good meal and a comfortable bed for the night.

Our UKCE team has of course been visiting every year, and thus had a chance to sample the local delicacies.

Recommendations include Brockenhurst’s Pig Hotel and Lime Wood Hotel for sumptuous food, whilst the village of Ringwood can offer up a host of pizza restaurants and cafes if you're after something more casual.

When you're weaving through the heart of the North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty (AONB), with its rollercoaster hills and seemingly endless miles of chalky farmland, it's hard to understand why the expanse of green isn't more of a cycling destination.

Perhaps the area is overlooked in favour of the nearby Chilterns and Cotswolds, or perhaps it simply gets confused with the North Downs which stretch from Farnham, Surrey, to Dover in Kent.

Either way, the North Wessex Downs sprawl over 1730 kilometres squared - and there's a lot of scope there for cycling adventures.

North Wessex Downs landscape

The AONB creeps into the counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Layers of chalk, formed over 150 million years ago, are the instigator for the stunning rolling terrain on offer in the area.

The expanse was crowned an AONB in 1972, but its history goes back much further. Signs of this can be seen throughout, such as in the etching of the Bronze-Age Uffington White Horse, seen leaping across the valley at the northern end within the Ridgeway escarpment.

The terrain varies greatly - though it is almost entirely a chalk landscape. The backbone of the North Wessex Downs is formed by open downland, responsible for the panoramic views over remote and dry valleys. But there's woodland too, namely the Savernake Forest and West Woods.

Elsewhere, there's high chalk plains, such as that at the tip of the Salisbury Plain, offering up spacious landscape. The River Kennet runs through the centre of the North Wessex Downs, with a lowland 'bowl' curving its way around Newbury.

On the road, you'll find quiet country lanes sloping through the flat valleys, but stingingly steep climbs, such as Walbury Hill - which leads up to the highest chalk down in England.

For those seeking something more sedate, there's paths along the likes of the Kennet and Avon Canal and picturesque villages and market towns to explore.

Going off-road in the North Wessex Downs: The Ridgeway

The North Wessex Downs are home to Britain's oldest road - though we use the term 'road' loosely, you'll find a gravel or cyclocross bike somewhat more appropriate on last stretches of the route.

The complete trail is 87 miles long, with a start in the World Heritage Site of Avebury. The most popular section to ride is the 43m/70km stretch from Overton Hill to Streatley on the River Thames, where most of the route is off-road.

The route accumulates 2421ft/738m of climbing, so it's no walk in the park.

Whilst within the North Wessex Downs stretch, riders can expect to come across the likes of Iron Age forts, and the figures of white horses carved into the chalk. Passing into the Chilterns, the course ahead becomes more closed in and wooded.

Road cycling in the North Wessex Downs: Ridgeway Rouleur

Clearly, within those 1730km squared, there's going to be a pretty huge catalogue of recommended roads.

Thankfully, Cycling Weekly's sister company UK Cycling Events (UKCE) has devised routes of 32, 55 and 80 miles which explore the very best of the area.

The route is all new for 2020, and sees riders exploring the secluded valleys and woodlands of the ancient Ridgeway, as well as skirting out into the Chilterns AONB before hitting the North Wessex Downs for proper.

Entry costs £35 to £40, or £3 to under 16s. This is a an extra special event, with some additional features at HQ - including live music, an event village, recovery zone and activities to keeps kids busy.

As well as the festival vibe additions, you'll also get all the normal features: well stocked feed stations, mechanical support, parking, full route marking, electronic chip timing, on-line results, finishers medals, pick-up wagons, event photos and more.

For those looking to rank their performance, rider finish times will be awarded a gold, silver or bronze standard.

Interested? Read more and sign up here 

Cycling clubs in the North Wessex Downs

There's plenty of local cycling clubs in the area.

Newbury RC has its base just off the southern edge of the Downs, and the 1925 established club offers rides to suit a range of abilities. On the northern end, there's Swindon Wheelers, formed in 1923 and offering a similarly wide remit.

Stop for coffee: Honesty

Of course, there are many great cafe stop locations in the area. However, the Honesty Group won our top pick, based on their eight different locations in Berkshire and Hampshire, from Hungerford (the Northern end), to Inkpen (central) and Kingsclere (right at the Southern tip of the AONB).

Basically, if you're riding in the North Wessex Downs, you're rarely far away from one.

Not only that, they use rainforest alliance coffee beans in their own blended coffee, and bake a selection of delectable treats without additives, chemical flavour enhancers or preservatives.

Every time I ride to Brighton, I kick myself for ever leaving - sailing between the heathy grassland either side of Ditchling Road (aided, in part, by a massive tailwind), every yard ridden feels like one yard closer to home.

Even if your experiences within the South Downs National Park and High Weald Area of Outstanding Beauty aren't rose tinted with memories of university life and late-teen freedom, it's hard to deny the appeal of this band of chalky riding terrain which spans the neck of Sussex.

The area is laden with testing climbs, as well as panoramic views that throw up a sea of patchwork fields and forests, laced together by the roads that any lycra clad cyclist's dreams are formed of. And if the metaphor isn't enough, the actual sea is never far away.

If you're keen to explore the area, and want to make sure you see the very best, our sister company UK Cycling Events hosts the Orro Sussex Downs Classic sportive on Saturday September 7. Or, if you're heading out alone, here are some of the climbs we recommend you tick off...

Ditchling Beacon

Strava segment here

The final climb of the annual London to Brighton ride, Ditchling Beacon is nothing like the little teaser at the end of the LondonSurrey 100.

The 1.5 kilometre stretch averages 8 per cent, and tops out at 11.2 - the Beacon represents a proper challenge for the most seasoned of riders.

The early slopes are fairly sedate, and then you'll round a corner to reveal the sort of ramp you really hope you saved some energy for.

The gradient doesn't really let up until you reach the car park at the top. From here the views across the South Downs stretch out for miles - then you've got a gradual upward slope along Ditchling Road to Brighton.

Kidds Hill, Forest Row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtwv_OFcA0

Strava segment here

You'll find Kidd's Hill over in East Sussex, over near Forest Row. The climb is colloquially called 'The Wall', and it shouldn't take too long to figure out why.

The ascent is 1.5km long, with an average of 9 per cent. 'The Wall' comes at the steepest stretch, and the max gradient is 13.2 per cent.

Priory Road

Strava segment here

A longer climb at 2.7km, Priory Road has a shallower average gradient, at 4 per cent. Like Ditchling Beacon and Kidd's Hill, it features on the Orro Sussex Downs  Classic sportive, erupting as riders turn their backs on Forest Row.

The KOM belongs to Jesse Yates, son of Sean Yates - in 5 minutes 39 seconds, whilst the QOM is held my Emily McLoughlin with 6-45.

The more gradual nature of the climb means that you can choose to smash it, or ride steady and enjoy the woodland views either side.

Devils Dyke

Strava segment here 

Devil's Dyke is a popular beauty spot, and has status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The deep v-shaped valley is especially popular among walkers -  but of course riding means you get to see a lot more.

The climb itself comes in two stages, over 4.2km. As a result, the average gradient is only 2 per cent - but that's largely because of the rollercoaster-esque nature of the fast dip in the middle.

The max gradient is 12.3 per cent. You'll have plenty of time to take in your surroundings - the men's KOM is 7-26, owned by Surrey local Elliott Porter, whilst the QOM goes to Sophie Coleman at 9-21.

Butts Brow

Strava segment here 

This is not a climb to tackle straight after a lunch stop.

At 1km, Eastbourne's Butt's Brow averages a rather eye watering 13 per cent, peaking at 19 per cent in places.

It's worth noting that you won't be able to build this climb into a loop, since there's nothing but bridleways and footpaths at the other end, so it's an out-and-back sort of climb.

Bo Peep lane

Strava segment here

Like Butt's Brow, this is a road to nowhere, and the profile isn't dissimilar either. The climb between Selmeston and Alciston concludes with a car park - so you'll only ever be riding up it to ascend back down.

The average gradient over 2km stands at 7 per cent, with lower slopes as steep as 20 per cent.

The KOM/QOM titles are kept with the family - with siblings James and Jos Lowden holding the respective crowns.

Firle Beacon

Strava segment here 

A few miles from Bow Peep lane is Firle Beacon. The climb looks down on Charleston Farmhouse - which literary buffs may recognise as a common destination for Virginia Woolf, who frequently made the six-mile journey from her home in Rodmell to visit her sister.

At 1.3km, this climb averages at 10 per cent - and it's a pretty steady grind all the way to the top.

Take some time to survey the views before heading back down - many years have passed since Woolf's Bloomsbury Group roamed here, but you can almost forget the hands of time have clicked on so far as you survey this vastly uninhabited wilderness.

Whether you’re seeking bucket-list climbs, or eyeing up a triple-figured milestone for your next achievement, the Mendips should absolutely be on your 'to ride' bucket list.

Packed with a variety of terrain from 20 per cent corners to exposed flatlands, with limestone cliffs, gorges, dramatic valleys and lakes around every corner, not to mention a few lumps in between, this Somerset haven is a region of the UK that should be on every cyclist’s must-do rides. 

If you want to make sure you explore the best roads of the area, why not sign up to the UK Cycling Events (UKCE) Sigma Sports Mendips Sportive, on Saturday July 27? There are routes from 34 to 100 miles and the UKCE team has planned rides which promise to bring you the very best of the Mendips. 

Breathtaking scenery

Consistently voted as one of the best locations for cycling in the UK, cycling doesn’t get more dramatic than a ride through the Mendips. 

Even on a rainy day its quaint far-reaching vistas can offer views over the Somerset Levels, the Quantocks, Glastonbury and even Wales that will have you aching to peel the bike out with curiosity.  What more could you expect in a land littered with so many dramatic gorges and ancient woodland?  

Both epic and standard routes even cut their way through Cheddar Gorge which possesses a beauty, and a climb, that will take your breath away.

Incredible climbs

Thanks to natural ridges like Banwell and Cheddar, this is a region bursting with iconic hill-climbs, some of them gruelling. 

UK Cycling Events has featured three in its 103-mile epic route and each one can present a challenge depending on how you want to tackle them.

Cheddar Gorge

Though certainly not the most mountainous, Cheddar Gorge is one of the most visually spectacular climbs not only of the south west, but arguably of the entire UK, largely owing to the way it weaves through imposing sections of rock that easily resemble something out of Jurassic Park.  

Not that you’ve barely time to consider the vast walls of sheer limestone brilliance, as once through the town, the climb starts to ramp its way up to 16 per cent. Steep and punishing through the lower bends, it’s hard work at first.

The further you ride, the easier it becomes. But as the gradient relaxes to 4 per cent, it forces you to choose whether to attack and ridden at full gas it can bite, especially if you sprint to the junction.

Ebbor Gorge

This ascent begins gradually, and you can get into a steady rhythm as you rise away from the A371.  Before long, turn left at a T-junction and it really kicks up. 

For the next 1.5km this silently misleading beast averages nine percent but has you twisting through corners with some cheeky 20 per cent slopes. Though brief they’re enough to require some proper gas if you want to maintain pace.   

Burrington Combe

Not as visually spectacular as Cheddar Gorge, and not as steep as Ebbor Gorge, this 4.3km climb sits somewhere between. With its position on top of a high point in the hills running alongside Beacon Batch, it has a five per cent average gradient. Don’t be fooled however. You’ll still gain over 200m of altitude and it’s perpetuated with a series of tough little ramps, the steepest at around 25 per cent, making for an undulating ascent.

Variety of terrain

Don’t be fooled though; it’s not all lung-busting climbs and Strava segments. There’s something for every cyclist. The hillier areas of the Mendips are blissfully offset against the Somerset levels to the south, an area which is blessed with pan-flat roads that can look like something straight out of West Flanders. 

If you opt to try the sportive, the first half-hour is much like this, with a view of the Mendip ridge as you turn north. Opt for the epic route, and aside from the climbs you’ll take in a series of secluded Somerset villages and all the delights of Chew Valley Lake. Even if you avoid the infamous Cheddar, it’s still breathtakingly beautiful.

Off-road, there’s miles of trails to cater for novice to more experienced riders. With a network of hills, bridleways, singletrack and county roads, they’re best ridden through spring and summer when they’re dry. Beacon Batch, the main ridge, is popular with cyclists and there’s more bridleway near Burrington Combe. 

Plenty of coffee and cake opportunities

For a region packed with so much drama, it’s only fitting that it should harbour several great pit stops to soak it all in. The climb up Cheddar Gorge is easily soothed with a delicious cream tea at The Mousehole Cafe at Cheddar, offering great-value food and friendly staff, with an outdoor area that is well-used by the local cycling clubs. 

>>> 8 laws of cycling nutrition which can't be ignored 

Venture further south to the heart of the Sedgemoor Levels and you’ll discover Sweets Tea Rooms at Wedmore, a popular stop with cyclists open Wednesday to Sunday, with home-cooked breakfast, delicious food and a wide selection of cakes to keep you going those extra miles.  

For something more simple and rustic, why not stuff your pockets with farm-made pies and scotch eggs from Priddy Good Farm Shop? A small and family-run cafe and shop with local produce in the heart of the Mendips, it also serves breakfast and light lunches and is a bit of a hidden gem.  

>>> Enter the Sigma Sports Mendips Sportive at UK Cycling Events here

Historical significance 

Designated an official Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this medieval landscape packed with gorges and caves has long been famous for its relics of prehistoric history which are scattered around its plateaus and woodlands. 

It’s even attracted the pro cyclists, since the iconic pass through Cheddar Gorge featured in the 2018 Tour of Britain, so with a bit of help from Strava you can even test yourself against a few Tour de France winners.

Add to that some curious place names like Dundry Downs, Pudding Pie Lane and Dag Hole, and you can’t help but feel like you’re taking a journey through time as you pedal through this ancient and epic corner of the UK.

You’d have to have been hiding under a rock to miss out on the headline news that gravel riding is à la mode right now.

Cycling’s sometimes cliquey road riding fraternity is suddenly and simultaneously expressing a desire to explore the undiscovered. We all want to disappear into a cloud of dust thrown up by fat tyres whilst remaining agnostic about the ratio of lycra to merino. Some of us are even wearing baggy shorts - not under duress.

When gravel and adventure bikes first wheel skidded onto the scene, the standardised response from the British media mob was “it looks fun, but does the UK doesn’t really have the terrain for it?” (and “isn’t it just a ‘cross bike?” but we’ll not deal with raised bottom brackets and geometry here).

>>> Bikepacking explained: everything you need to know to get started

It’s a fair point. Gravel riding was largely born in the US – where there’s the promise of miles upon miles of uninterrupted flint strewn roads, hosting the likes of established events like Dirty Kanza.

It turns out we’re not so under catered for in the UK either, we just need to try a little harder to stitch together the available trails. This, at least, was my opinion following a three-day ride along the North Downs Way – exploring sections of the 220 kilometres that runs from Farnham, Surrey to Dover, Kent.

Bikepacking: Welsh adventure

The NDW celebrated its 40th birthday this September, and Cycling Weekly was invited to its party - both to sing Happy Birthday to the trail on Sunday morning (yep, really, with Scouts and a vicar present and everything) and to test out the rideable route (GPX here) devised by the national charity for cyclists, Cycling UK.

A rideable NDW would be the third trail of its kind, behind the South Downs Way and the Pennine Bridleway which was launched in 2012. The route Cycling UK’s ride guru Keiran Foster has devised currently features 53km of road, making it 75 per cent off-road.

Most of the included road is there because sections classified as footpaths create an obstacle to the continued use of the trail. Unlike in Scotland, where 2003's Land Reform Act has opened up more of the countryside to cyclists, in Wales and England currently less than a fifth of the Rights of Way network is open to bike riders.

Using the road is an interim measure, whilst Cycling UK fights to have these pieces of the puzzle upgraded to bridleways in order to simplify the route – reducing the road sections to just 40km, leaving 18 per cent road, most of which is light on traffic.

“Britain’s network of walking routes are envied around the world. In England and Wales, however only about 20 percent of that network is legally accessible for cyclists. Cycling UK is determined to open this up further," explained Cycling UK's CEO Paul Tuohy.

Tuohy joined us for the ride aboard a cyclocross bike, regaling us with stories from his road racing and time trialling days over chips that seemed to have been cooked in the same frier as some very fishy-fish (an odd delicacy, but everything tastes good when you're hungry enough).

The ride was split up over three days, with a bivvy/camping stop at a livery yard in Burham, Tonbridge and a luxurious night spent at a Premier Inn in Ashford.

Representing Cycling Weekly, I arrived aboard a customised 'Isen All Season' adventure bike – sporting 1.8” wide but entirely slick Compass Naches Pass tyres.

Panic levels were high when I was presented (wearing a collection of Assos and Castelli lycra, I might add) with my ride buddies: MTB journalists on full suspension boingy bikes complete with dropper seatposts and lockouts for the road.

My concern was unfounded however. There were brief sections where a combination of bike choice and lack of off-road skill got the better of me, but the vast majority was completely manageable on an adventure bike fitted out with the right tyres - even for someone who rides about 10 hours off-road a year in that chilled-out interim between race season end and the beginning of training-in-earnest.

"It really lends itself to being ridden on a gravel bike or hardtail mountain bike" said Foster, the man who’s been working on the route.

"It could be argued that the cycling scene in the UK really went off-piste when it adopted the American ’mountain biking’ culture rather than the French VTT, Vélo Tout Terrain - we are building increasingly technical trails for ever more specialised bikes, when most of our semi-natural trails and rights of way in the UK, certainly in the South, can be happily ridden on an adventure bike or hardtail ," he said.

It was only really on a few potions of day one - from Guildford to Burham - where my adventure bike choice proved to be a disadvantage. Roots, large rocks and technical drops got in my way - but then on an adventure ride no one is in a hurry, so the mountain bikers just waited - as I did atop of the road climbs where their hefty suspension weighed them down.

The second and third days rolled by in a whirl of fireroad, flint and grassy fields - all of which were completely rideable on a drop bar bike - and arguably they're exactly what the off-season road rider is looking for: expanses of open space to let go as the miles tick by without too much technical terrain to muddy the joy.

Speaking of mud - it's fair to say all of these comments apply more in the dry weather we enjoyed this September - the wooded bits would have been harder following heavy rainfall.

The highlight for me had to be the Pilgrims Way - which covers 119 miles from Winchester to Canterbury and overlaps with the NDW. The prehistoric track has a past steeped in history, and as the name suggests, drew pilgrims from far and wide. It still does, though many now seek self-fulfilment in the outdoors as opposed to religious gratification.

It was here that I swapped bikes with one of the resident mountain bikers, swinging my leg over a full-sus machine with a dropper post that didn’t really work (do they ever?). The exchange left me grinning from ear to ear as I boinged over the ruts and roots that had required a ‘think-fast’ manoeuvre on a rigid bike – but it wasn’t to last too long – my own stead was returned with the comment “you can have your terrifying bike back!”

The swap-ee was a good few inches taller than me, and the narrow bars probably didn’t suit her – but it’s fair to say choosing an adventure bike is a good option if you want to work on your handling whilst the closer you go to the dark side of MTB the easier negotiating the terrain will be, and the faster you’ll be able to go.

My second highlight of the trip features outside of the riding terrain - but was facilitated by it.

The route brought together representatives from cycling's diverse tribes: roadies, mountain bikers, thoroughbred adventure riders and utilitarian commuters could all enjoy what was on offer. Pleasure in pedalling is a language we all understand - and there's plenty of gravel and adventure terrain in the UK which we can share.

Cycling UK’s off-road LEJOG

The Cycling UK North Downs Way route has been tailored to be accessible by all corners of the cycling population. Indeed, it's a step towards an entirely off-road LEJOG - a 1,000 mile route being developed by Cycling UK, using the soon-to-be Coastal Path.

“In 2020 the Coastal Path is due to be completed, which is why Cycling UK is sharing it’s ambition for what should come next: an off-road Land’s End to John o’Groats route open to everyone: walkers, horse riders and cyclists,” explains Tuohy.

Sam Jones, Cycling UK's communications officer who joined us for the the NDW way ride on a Surly Surly ECR with plus sized tyres said: “Like the road LEJOG, Cycling UK’s off-road version will be a challenge that will test a rider’s skill and endurance. We’re not planning on tarmacking existing trails, but rather using, linking and upgrading existing rights of way so it will be an adventure.

"The beauty of our vision is that some parts will be accessible to all, but others areas will definitely keep you on your toes!”

The ambition is for rideable routes along the North Downs Way and Ridgeway to be complete in the next five years, with an off-road LEJOG route ready for 2020 and complete in the next 15 to 20 years.

Length: 60km

Highest point of ride: 125m

Jon Cannings is a returning road and track racer, and Emma-Kate Lidbury is one of the country's top triathletes.

They are both sponsored by Wiggle, the mail order company that supports several riders across a number of disciplines, and in 2010 will sponsor the Wiggle Super Series of 10 road and four off-road cyclo-sportive events running throughout the year.

The first Wiggle road event will be the New Forest Spring Sportive, which will be held on April 18. It starts in the charming village of Brockenhurst, right in the heart of the National Park, which is where we meet the series promoter, Martin Barden of UK Cycling Events, along with Cannings and Lidbury, who are doing a course recce.

Barden is particularly excited by this event, as he grew up close to the New Forest and has done a lot of cycling here.

"With speed limits of 20-40mph, good road surfaces, really nice scenery and often good weather, there can't be a pleasanter place in the country to hold a sportive, and to cycle in general," he points out.

It's true, even the weather agrees today, which is a nice surprise at the end of an icy winter and a difficult one for cyclists all over the country.

It is worth noting, as we follow Cannings and Lidbury, that the New Forest roads have hardly been touched by the tarmac-shattering ice that has wrecked some pretty stretches elsewhere in the country.

Two routes

The New Forest Sportive has two routes, a 56-mile and an 83-mile loop, both of which go north from Brockenhurst then east over rolling forest and heath roads. The route then heads south, hitting a very stiff hill first, and on down the Avon valley before a more exposed eastern leg back towards Brockenhurst. The shorter route then heads straight back to the start, and the 86-miler does an extra loop along the coast, east of Lymington.

Barden is expecting a good turnout for the New Forest and for the whole series, which has some imaginative names like the Jurassic Classic, and really spectacular routes. He is passionate about the whole sportive movement in cycling.

"When I was young my family were into sailing, which is a really family friendly sport. When we all went away at weekends there would be something for everyone to do," he says.

"That's the style of thing I'm trying to promote in cycling now, putting on events in great locations that are a challenge for the cyclist, but where there are attractions for kids and things for the non-cycling partner to do while the event is on. I also pick locations because they are just a nice place for the whole family to go and spend a weekend."

Rider approval

Today's route cuts out the most northerly bit of the sportive and the Lymington loop from the longer route, but when we stop to take some pictures in the dappled light of the forest's Ornamental Drive, I find that the ride gets Cannings and Lidbury's approval.

Cannings has just moved to this area after getting a job in buying for Wiggle. He's been away from racing for a while, but is eager to get back. "I stopped racing because I got a job as a guide with Club La Santa on Lanzarote. A lot of people train there but there's no racing, except for triathlons," he says.

He was the TLI under-23 British champion and has raced in Belgium. "I loved that, it was a great experience, but you soon know where you stand as a cyclist, so being a guide and now working in the industry is how I can pursue a career in cycling. But now I'm settled, I thought I'd start racing again to see how it goes," he explains.

Cycling was something that Cannings discovered as a teenager in Bristol but Emma-Kate Lidbury found her way into triathlon when she was 25, and entirely by accident.

"It was five years ago. I'm a freelancer now but then I worked full time as a journalist for a local newspaper," she says. "They wanted someone to take part in a local tri event and write about the experience. I'd been a swimmer so I though, why not, for the job, and had a go. I was hooked."

Lidbury won the European title for her age group in 2008 and is now a full-time triathlete, although she still writes about triathlon and fitness for magazines. She's also become a quite committed cyclist.

"I love the synergy of triathlon, putting the three disciplines together on race day, but surprisingly because I had no background in it at all, cycling has become my strength," she says.

Lidbury intends to use her cycling strength to concentrate on 70.3 races this year, or half-Ironmans as they are sometimes known. Strangely, although they are longer than Olympic distance, Lidbury reckons that 70.3 and Ironman events suit strong cyclists more than other triathlons because the bike makes up a larger proportion of them.

"Cyclists certainly have the aerobic fitness for triathlons and the leg strength. They just need to do some running to get their legs used to it and take some swimming technique lessons.

The engine is there already," she points out.

This route is nothing if not varied. The northern leg is all forest, heath and gently rolling, but the southern leg starts with a shock, a 25 per cent hill in Blissford. And, as we get there, "suicide donkeys," Barden notes. Animals rather than cars are the hazard to cyclists in the New Forest, and as Cannings and Lidbury descend to start the big hill one or two mean-looking ponies leave it late to clear the road. "They can be unpredictable," Barden says.

The River Avon stretch passes easily, although floods have recently washed up a bit of gravel onto the road. "It'll be OK on the day as we sweep the parts of the course where we know there's a problem," Barden says.

Then in Bransgore the riders turns back towards Brockenhurst, and it's tough going on exposed terrain into a keen easterly wind.

At the end though, Cannings and Lidbury have enjoyed the ride. Barden is all smiles too. "Cycling is going through such a period of growth at the moment, and sportives fit so well into people's lifestyles," he says.

"Of course racing is the ultimate challenge, but these events are a challenge that more people feel able to take on."

Which way?

Start in Brockenhurst and head north on the unclassified road that leads into the forest along Ornamental Drive.

The redwoods and Douglas firs on either side it were planted around 1860.

The forest section continues north of the A35 then changes to a mix of heath and forest. The heath sections are where a lot of ponies hang out. Turn left on the B3078 and follow to Godshill, where turn left to Blissford and the roller-coaster 25 per cent hill.

Continue on the unclassified road south along the edge of the Avon flood plain, through Ringwood, where the leisure centre featured in the outdoor shots of BBC's The Brittas Empire, and on to Bransgore. Turn left to Burley and right to Brockenhurst, taking care crossing the A35.

Your guides...

Jon Cannings

Age: 29

Lives: Southampton

Occupation: buyer

Emma-Kate Lidbury

Age: 30

Lives: Oxford

Occupation: triathlete and journalist