Somewhere, possibly in a lost shipping container, possibly in the corner of a factory in the far east sit boxes of finishers medals for the 2020 Etape du Dales. They are forgotten relics of a sportive season that never was, their purpose unfulfilled. Trinkets of goals never achieved, and smiles never cracked.

>>>>Subscribe to Cycling Weekly magazine for more features every week

“We all got caught out.” says Etape du Dales organiser Nigel Bishop recalling the effect the pandemic had not just on his 2020 event but the summer months when cyclists of all forms take to their bikes to pit themselves not against others as much as the clock and the terrain just for the hell of it. 

For Bishop the pandemic caused a raft of logistical headaches, postponements and cancellations - he never saw those finishers medals he ordered, the ones we presume are missing - before his event’s delayed return in August 2021.

“I've organised it for the Rayner Foundation now for eight years, and it's probably the most stressful one that we've had to deal with and all the fallout from it did make it a very stressful time,” he recalls.

Having been “caught out” by the onset of the pandemic a booming domestic holiday market nearly saw him, and his riders, well… caught short.

"You just don't think of these these things affecting your events but we couldn't get chemical toilets for love nor money,” he says. “When you've got the potential of 1,000 cyclists descending first thing in the morning all wanting to use the toilet the facilities just weren’t sufficient. 

Because everybody was staying at home, all these pop up campsites which were allowed under Covid regulations had taken our toilets. It's not like the centre of Manchester, Leeds or Bradford where you can ring up a building company and say ‘can we have a dozen toilets?’ If you say they’re to go to the top of Tan Hill. They’ll just respond with ‘where's that?"

Now 2022 is primed to be a successful return for cycling participation events. There is even a feeling that Covid could prove a long term blessing in disguise for the country to embrace cycling culture once again after the feeling of the post 2012 cycling boom had started to stagnate

To read the rest of this feature and get a full 2022 UK sportive calendar buy the March 3 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, on sale in store and online now. You can also subscribe to CW and get the magazine delivered to your home every week. 

The 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ showed the world what everyone from Yorkshire knew all along: that God's Own Country is an incredible place to ride your bike.

The good news is that there are more cycling sportives in Yorkshire than ever taking place, so we've rounded up some of the best.

>>> What is a cycling sportive?

Vale Velo Sportive

When: Saturday, June 13 2020

Where: York Auction Centre, North Yorkshire

More information

The Vale Vélo sportive offers a stereotypical Yorkshire ride with hard roads and steep hills. The standard and short routes taking in some of the best roads around the Yorkshire Wolds and the Vale of York with just over 900m of climbing on the standard route, it is a speedy course that will not only test the legs, but also bring you some great views.

Ride Yorkshire Sportive

When: Sunday, August 9 2020

Where: Thisk Racecourse, Yorkshire

More information 

Starting out north and heading through the Vale of Mowbray, the Ride Yorkshire Sportive covers some easy miles on the gently rolling terrain before reaching the mid point around Northallerton where you start some serious climbing - Yorkshire cycling at its best!

If you want to avoid that, the short route cuts them out for you. Epic, standard and short routes of 102 miles, 81 miles and 39 miles are available.

>>> Nine things only Yorkshire cyclists know

>>> What to pack for every sportive

Selby Three Swans Sportive

When: Sunday, September 6 2020

Where: Selby

More information

A fundraiser for Yorkshire Cancer Research (but with no minimum fundraising target), the Selby Three Swans Sportive offers distances of 48, 101, and 160km, meaning there should be a route for everyone no matter what their ability. Starting and finishing in Selby, the all three routes are generally flat, so this might be a nice relaxing way to finish the season, with a nice boost to morale thanks to a high average speed.

Ronde Van Calderdale

When: Sunday, April 5 2020

Where: Roberttown, near Dewsbury

More information

Held on the same day as the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, this fundraiser for the Kirklees Cycling Academy takes in four less cobbled climbs than its Flandrien cousin, but as many locals will argue, the cobbles in the area are harder than the ones found in Flanders. Starting in Roberttown it takes in monsters like Shibden Wall and the final climb, Trooper Lane, which has sections over 30%. Medium and long routes of 58 and 74 miles. Limited to 350 riders as the sportive is on open roads.

>> The 14 best cobbled climbs in the UK

The Etape du Dales

When: Sunday, May 17 2020

Where: Grassington, North Yorkshire

More information

May is a big month for the county with the Tour de Yorkshire. The Etape du Tour sponsored by the Dave Rayner Fund, which also is sponsoring our very own CW5000 challenge, is a continuation of this Yorkshire festival of cycling with a 110km long route with shorter routes available. Starting in Grassington and finishing in Threshfield, this sportive takes in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and goes as far north as just below Kirkby Stephen. If the weather is good, this would be a gorgeous but challenging ride.

Bristol is a real gateway part of Britain. Whichever way you head from the city there is countryside to interest the cyclist, with Wales, the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills just a stone’s throw away.

>>> Eight reasons why riding in Dorset is great

If hills aren’t your thing, the Somerset Levels aren’t to far away either. In short there’s something for every cyclist near Bristol.

>>> Best cycling sportives near London

UKCE Wiltshire Wildcat sportive

When: Sunday March 8, 2020

Where: Salisbury Racecourse, Netherhampton, Salisbury, Wiltshire

More information: UKCE Wiltshire Wildcat sportive

You’ll find the longest, toughest climbs at the start of this early season event. At 73 miles (or 43 on the short route) this is decent work-out for the time of year, and with over 4,000 feet of climbing most will need at least a little preparation. Heading west, you’ll cross Salisbury Plain, then enter Dorset before heading south, in a loop back to the start.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Yorkshire

UKCE Jurassic Beast Sportive

When: Saturday May 16, 2020

Where: National Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, BH20 6JG

More information: UKCE Jurassic Beast Sportive 

A longstanding favourite from Cycling Weekly's sister company UKCE, this sportive promises to loop riders through unspoilt Dorset villages, hitting the edge of menacing looking climbs before heading through the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to tackle some of the beasts. Riders head towards the coast for views of Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove and Poole Harbour, before beginning the return journey.

Black Rat Challenge

When: Sunday May 17, 2020

Where: Marlwood School, Alveston, Bristol

More information: www.blackratcycle.co.uk

Very few sportives take you through two countries or allow you to ride over a suspension bridge, but the Black Rat Challenge does. Starting just north of Bristol the ride takes you across the Severn Bridge into Wales, before heading north and looping back through the Forest of Dean. Despite a stiff climb early on, it is here you will find the main ascents of the day.

There's three distances available: 87km, 120km and 181km.

Bike Bath

When: TBC

Where: The Recreation Ground, William Street, Bath

More information: www.bikebath.co.uk

Bath itself is surrounded with hills, and though the 2020 routes are yet to be announced, we expect routes to include plenty of ups and downs. A long standing calendar fixture, organisers of this event promise a free medal for all participants, and a post ride bar.

UKCE Cotswolds Sportive

When: Saturday May 30, 2020

Where: The Fire Service College, London Rd., Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire

More information: UKCE Cotswolds Sportive 

Boasting some steep climbs, the Cotswolds is one of England’s most beautiful areas. While riders on all three of the available routes will visit some of its picturesque climbs, those tackling the 102-mile Epic will face the pleasure of eight arrow straight miles along Buckle Street, an old Roman road, before tackling the toughest ascent of the day.

UKCE Mendips Sportive

When: Sunday July 12, 2020

Where: Strode College Sport Centre, Church Road Street, Somerset

More information: UKCE Mendips Sportive 

This sportive may start and finish on the flat lands of Somerset, but the middle miles of the 74- and 36-mile routes contain some serious climbing, tackling the Mendip Hills. Though some of the earlier climbs are the more difficult, the final ascent of the day is through the stunning Cheddar Gorge, before the final flat miles.

Great Western Ride

When: Sunday July 19, 2020

Where: Long Ashton Park & Rideb Bristol

More information: www.greatwestonride.com

A 57-mile recreational ride from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare, taking in the Mendips and Somerset Levels. This is the eleventh edition of the event, and it's a truly friendly and welcoming ride, open to all.

UKCE Malvern Mad Hatter Sportive

When: Saturday July 25

Where: Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire

More information: UKCE Malvern Mad Hatter Sportive 

The Mad Hatter visits three of England’s most beautiful counties; Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and with it both the Malverns and Cotswolds. Despite this it is not the hilliest of events, with the climb of Great Malvern the toughest of the day. The three distances range from 38 to 100 miles.

2019 Date: Saturday 4 May

Enter at: ukcyclingevents.co.uk

Distance: Short 25 miles, Standard 5o miles or Epic 88 miles

Major climbs: Loads. Notably Dartmeet and Widecombe

Terrain: Extremely hilly and undulating

Participants: 500

Best bit: Well-stocked feed stations and easy course signage

Worst bit: Dartmeet climb

Even worse: Widecombe climb

>>>Enter this year's Sigma Sports Dartmoor Demon >>>

If the Dartmoor Demon isn’t the hardest event in the Sigma Sports Challenge Series, then it must come seriously close. I started to lose count of the amount of times I saw a morale-crushing sign warning me about an impending 20 per cent gradient up ahead, and that was just on the standard 55-mile course.

The only other option was to ride the 95-mile course, something that would have taken better legs and a stronger mentality than I carried with me that day. The standard course included a tough 1,677 metres of climbing, and I couldn’t even consider doing almost double that.

Nevertheless, the difficulty of the course (aside from having me face down over my handlebars most of the time) had no bearing on the brilliant aesthetics of the surroundings. If you’ve never seen or cycled Dartmoor, it’s a unique experience that is recommended especially for the ever-stretching vistas, where you can see the road laid out for miles ahead of you.

The entire day was blessed with sunshine, but strong winds are often inevitable on the moors and created some difficulty in the most exposed areas, as you fought through cross and headwinds to the next climb.

I started off with the first group of the day and was pleased to be able to ride as a group, at least for a short while, though it certainly brought a false sense of security. Things broke up quickly as the group hit the first climb at 14 miles; a long but steady effort that gave no indication of the steep ascents that were to follow.

In hindsight, it would have been better to at least look into the course before taking it on. But as I rolled out alone from the welcome relief of the Science in Sport gels and flapjacks at the first feed station around 25 miles, I had no idea that two of Simon Warren’s 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs were imminent.

Double trouble

Hitting Dartmeet was a shock. However, once I was over the 1km beast with a maximum gradient of 20 per cent, I was convinced the worst was over. Then came Widecombe.

Not that Widecombe is any steeper than Dartmeet, but coming so closely after it (less than 10km) was the real hammer blow.

Seeing riders sitting at the side of the road gave me little encouragement halfway up, but the sight of the next feed station at the top spurred me on. Like everyone though, the climb descended into nothing more than a slow grind.

I spoke to many other riders on the finish line who agreed this was the toughest part of the day, despite another hard climb coming towards the end.

While two punctures put a sour note on my day, a personal lack of preparation didn’t detract from the feeling that this was a well-organised and directed event.

If you’re looking for your next bike-based challenge then check out this year's Sigma Sports Dartmoor Demon

A recovery drink from SiS and some hot food indoors at the host venue, Exeter Racecourse, was well received by all at the finish, and as the leg pain subsided, everyone could feel a sense of achievement at completing such a punishing course.

Former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio has launched a day of cycling events at the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit.

The Chichester track will be the venue for a sportive, circuit racing and a ‘scootathlon’ for the kids during the weekend-long event from Saturday, June 8 to Sunday, June 9.

Dallaglio and UK Cycling Events, which is part of the same organisation as Cycling Weekly, will offer a weekend of activities at Track Fest.

UKCE has joined forced with Dallaglio RugbyWorks, the charity founded by the rugby star in 2009.

>>> Enter the Dallaglio Track Fest Sportive SAVE 10%

Dallaglio said: “Track Fest is going to be an incredible event, helping to raise money and awareness for Dallaglio RugbyWorks.

“UK Cycling Events are generously donating a portion of the ticket price to this amazing charity working with some of the UK’s hardest to reach teenagers to ensure that they can achieve stable, secure and happy futures in education, employment or training.

“This is a cause that is extremely close to my heart and I am thankful to everyone who has book their place.

“Your donation is already helping to make a difference to the lives of young people across the UK.”

Dallaglio RugbyWorks offers a long-term skills development programmes for young people, based on the values of rugby.

Each year, the charity helps hundreds of teenagers outside of mainstream education develop their skills to get them into employment and training.

Track Fest weekend will feature a host of events for cycling fans and cars lovers, starting with a supercar track day on Saturday.

Then on Sunday there will be a sportive offering a choice of three routes, followed by circuit racing from elite to fourth category level.

A children’s scootathlon will also take place on Sunday, along with Cycle Goodwood which allows families to ride the famous circuit.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Yorkshire

Kids can also take part in rugby coaching skills sessions held throughout the day.

Entries to all events include a £5 donation to Dallaglio RugbyWorks.

UKCE events manager Natalie Hicks said: “We’re thrilled to work with Dallaglio Rugbyworks who share our belief in creating opportunities to be active and engaged in something you love doing, which can have a profound impact on a person’s life. We love helping people to enjoy cycling, and we hope that young ones will be inspired at this event.

“We’ve worked closely with our partners to create a day not only for the serious rider who wants to clock up some miles, but those looking for family fun. Riders can still expect to enjoy the same quality of interesting and safe routes that feature across all our sportives, with the added perks of being able to bring the family to ride traffic-free on the Goodwood circuit.”

For more information or to enter any of the events, visit UK Cycling Events website.

Here’s what you can expect at the Dallaglio Rugbyworks Track Fest Sunday, June 9:

Track Fest sportive - Registration from 7.30am

Cycle Goodwood - 11am - 12.45pm.

Scootathlon - starts 12 midday. Registration from 10.30am

Circuit Racing - 2-5pm. Registration from 2.30pm.

Rugby/Cycle Skills sessions - sessions at intervals throughout the day from 10am - 3pm.

The New Forest Spring Sportive has announced a new sponsor for 2019, bringing with it some welcome perks for riders.

Organiser UK Cycling Events, which is part of the same organisation as Cycling Weekly, has announced that Freewheel.co.uk will be the new headline sponsor for the cycling challenge, and revealed plans for an event village including some top cycling brands and activities.

To publicise the partnership, Freewheel is offering a major prize of £2,000 worth of cycling goodies, including a shiny new Genesis Equilibrium Disc 10.

>>> Cyclosportive and cycling events calendar 2019

UK Cycling Events Manager, Natalie Hicks, said: “We’ve been running the event for nearly a decade and year on year we’re pleased to welcome so many returning riders as well as those who haven’t experienced this bucket-list ride, but it’s recently been craving a new sponsor to give it a fresh breath of life.

“We’re thrilled to have Freewheel on board. Their support will completely transform this event and help bring those extra special things that will take it to the next level.”

The sportive takes place on April 13-14, based in the beautiful and prestigious grounds of the Somerley House Estate.

Taking in some of the best scenery of the New Forest National Park, the sportive offers routes ranging from 20 miles/48km with altitude gain of 840ft for beginners, up to 81miles/130km with an elevation of 2,539ft.

The route features plenty of short, sharp climbs along both the standard and epic routes to test the legs.

Riders will enjoy well-stocked feed stations, with sustenance provided by the event’s nutrition partner Science in Sport.

The route will be fully sign-posted, with on-course mechanical support and of course a medal to mark your achievement.

And anyone looking for some extra recovery can get a massage in the event village from Six Physio.

Expert ride leaders from Njinga Cycling will accompany the event to help with pacing.

As an added perk, all riders will be given a 10 per cent discount to shop online at Freewheel.

Marketing director at Freewheel, Kellie Parsons, said: “We are so excited to be sponsoring our first sportive and what a great place for it to be.

"The New Forest is known for beautiful road cycling, so we couldn’t be happier.

"Freewheel.co.uk is all about giving cyclists the best consumer experience possible while supporting local bike shops.

"It’s all about getting bums on saddles and we can’t wait for April.”

>>> 15 of the best international sportives to ride in 2019

Freewheel is a new cycling website that aims to offer cyclists something different, while supporting independent shops nationwide.

Shoppers can browse top brands and, by nominating a local bike shop, the purchase will support that business, giving you the benefits of buying online without undermining bricks and mortar retailers.

Entry for the Epic and Standard routes costs £40, while the Short route costs £31. Riders buying two tickets will receive an extra 10 per cent off. For more information, route, competition and entry details visit the UK Cycling Events website.

UK Cycling Events, which is based in the New Forest, works to ensure riders are aware of the New Forest Cycling Code and respects the local environment.

The New Forest Spring Sportive (formerly part of the 'Super Series') has become one of the biggest events of the sportive calendar. It’s such a popular early-season test that it runs on both the Saturday and Sunday – and yet it still sells out before the day. Now in its seventh year, it is a flagship event for UK Cycling Events in the South of England.

Saturday 13 April & Sunday 14 April - Event HQ is the spectacular stately home, Somerley House in Hampshire.

Somerley House was designed by Samuel Wyatt in 1750 and has been in the Normanton family for five generations since it was bought by The 2nd Earl in 1825. The house and its gardens sit high up over looking hundreds of acres of parkland. Winding its way through this beautiful parkland is the well-known river Avon which stretches the full length of the 7,000 acre estate. With the event HQ set up right in front of the house, it will provide a stunning setting for the start and finish of the event.

The new venue is not only a beautiful location but it also has logistic advantages, including a different entrance for cars and exiting riders and a mile long driveway to split riders up before they start cycling on public highways.

The ride itself has two routes, a 67mile standard route with 2030 feet of climbing and an 84 mile epic route with 2480 feet of climbing.

Starting just outside the National Park, near Ringwood, the ride starts in the south-west corner of the Forest and completes an anti-clockwise loop along unspoilt and quiet back lanes with picturesque views.

As the ride progresses, taking in the views of the rolling scenery, there are a number of hills to challenge the legs; short, sharp climbs popping up every now and again to keep you on your toes. Riders wiggle their way through the beautiful New Forest villages of Sway, Beaulieu and Lepe before heading north and back into the centre of the district.

As the route reaches the most central point of the forest, Lyndhurst, riders cross the M27 and approach the events major climb of the day, just outside Nomansland. It’s steep, but fairly short, so it shouldn’t force too many riders from their bikes. Once at the top, it’s downhill all the way – with one spiky hill exception around Stuckton and the final feed stop – as you roll back around the edges of the Forest, back towards Somerley House.

To book your place visit ukcyclingevents.co.uk

The ‘No Excuses’ sportive series will take place in March, featuring two events in the Midlands and South West, with over half of proceeds going to Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

It comes as the charity announces it has extended its successful two year partnership with specialist sportive organisers, UK Cycling Events, and will take up the position as a headline sponsor of ‘No Excuses’.

This year alone, the ‘No Excuses’ series raised a total £38,762, the majority made possible by cyclists choosing to donate their entry fees at the events. In total, the partnership has raised more than £140,000 for dementia research, with funds given to support the charity’s groundbreaking research projects across the UK.

Plans are now in place to launch a further two cycling sportives in Autumn 2019. Both events will support Cycling Down Dementia, the charity’s popular winter cycling campaign which every year encourages hundreds of riders to get in the saddle and help raise cash. Details will be released in spring.

Julia Sobik, Senior Sporting Events & Partnerships Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with UK Cycling Events for another year and become the headline sponsor for ‘No Excuses’.

“We can’t thank all the riders enough for raising so much money for pioneering dementia research over the past two years and look forward to another hugely successful year.

“There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and the condition has a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of families. Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are now one of society’s biggest medical challenges, but with research they can be overcome.

“The vital funds raised will help us in our mission to make life-changing research breakthroughs possible for people with dementia.”

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

Natalie Hicks, UK Cycling Events Manager, said: “Alzheimer’s Research UK is a progressive charity with a world-class research programme and we’re thrilled to make them our chosen charity partner for a third year running.

“Judging by the grave statistics, it’s likely many of our riders and their families will already be affected by dementia in some way, or will be in future. By entering our events, we’ll be giving riders more opportunities to make a positive difference, with a method that’s unique to all our events.”

The No Excuses series consists of two sportive events in Staffordshire and Exeter. UK Cycling Events will be giving away free spaces on both events to riders who enter, turn up and ride.

All riders who do will be given the option to get a full refund, unless they choose to donate it to Alzheimer’s Research UK. Any riders who don’t turn up to ride will see 90% of their entry fee given to charity.

There’s also a ‘Half Excuse’ ticket option, for riders who simply want to secure a place on the start line, but these tickets will not be refunded.

Riders can enter online at UK Cycling Events here:

Alzheimer’s Research UK No Excuses - South West

Alzheimer’s Research UK No Excuse - Midlands

All three events will see epic and standard routes, with finisher medals, fully stocked feed stations, fully-signed routes, and on course medical and mechanical support.

UK Cycling Events (UKCE) has joined forces with Sigma Sports for a second year combining some of your favourite rides with the NEW Ride Yorkshire and Suffolk Spring Classic plus the scenic Mendips Sportive.

Bookings are now live for the Sigma Sports Challenge Series, featuring 10 road events across the UK.

Series rides include the popular West Coast Classic.  Starting from Preston on Sunday 7 July, this is your chance to experience the best of the north west coast with the option to tuck into free fish and chips after a hard day in the saddle.

Sigma Sports Challenge Series dates for your diary:

Saturday 16 March: Wiltshire WildCat - Salisbury

Saturday 23 March: Surrey Hills Cyclone - Cranleigh

Saturday 30 March: Suffolk Spring Classic - Newmarket

Saturday 4 May: Dartmoor Demon - Exeter

Sunday 26 May: The Arrow - Market Rasen

Sunday 7 July: West Coast Classic - Preston

Saturday 27 July: Mendips Sportive - Somerset

Sunday 11 August: Ride Yorkshire - Thirsk

Saturday 5 October: Box Hill Original - Dunsfold Aerodrome

Saturday 19 October: Cobbler Classic - Turweston Aerodrome

Ian Whittingham, Managing Director at Sigma Sports, an online cycling and triathlon retailer with a flagship store in Kingston-upon-Thames catering for all abilities, said: "We're excited to partner with UK Cycling Events for a second year and it's great continue to be a part of such a popular and well known series of events.

“We're  busy bringing the high-quality, in-store, service you'd expect from Sigma Sports to our online offering, and this is a great chance for us to get out there and meet enthusiastic cyclists from all over the UK."

All 10 events will feature an epic, standard or short route, and will be fully supported mechanically and medically. Riders can also expect fully stocked SiS feed stations, well signed routes, route marshalling, and a finisher medal.

Visit UK Cycling Events now to book your place.

Natalie Hicks, Head of UK Cycling Events said: “We’re proud to deliver the very best event experiences for our participants and this means working with trusted brands like Sigma Sports.

“With their continued backing, we have evolved the Challenge Series and added some great new events encouraging more participants to benefit from the outstanding areas of cycling the UK has to offer.”

The Ashdown Forest in Sussex plays host to Big Tim's Big Day Out on Sunday, September 2, offering three routes designed by former pro rider Sean Yates.

The event is in memorial to former Great Britain rider and time trial ace Tim Stevens, who was a well-known and well-loved figure in the south-east cycling scene.

Stevens passed away in August 2016 having been diagnosed with bowel cancer. The ride will raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital, which treated both him and his wife.

There are three routes on offer, all starting and finishing at the Ardingly South of England Showground. The longest is the Grande, clocking up 90 kilometres. The Cortado serves up a 50-kilometres route, while the Espresso is a family-friendly 19 kilometres. The rides are priced £32, £28 and £16.

>>> Obituary: Tim Stevens (1960-2016)

More details of the rides, including route maps and profiles, can be found on the event's official website.

Everyone taking part in the ride can enjoy free beer, free food and live music at the Ardingly Showground.

Stevens was 55 when he passed away in 2016. He started making an impression in cycle events at a young age, becoming a junior time trial competition winner.

He chopped nearly half a minute off the existing junior 25-mile competition record in 1978, clocking 53-15.

Seamlessly moving into the senior ranks, Stevens continued to take numerous victories both in time trials and on the road and was well known to love grim, wet conditions. His muscular physique often caught out his racing rivals too, who mistaken believed that Stevens could not climb – how wrong they were.

He was then picked for the 1985 World Championships, riding in the team time trial for GB alongside Pete Longbottom, Dave Mann and Dave Williams.

In among his work and family life, Stevens continued to compete throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In 2013, he set himself the challenge of beating the pro riders' Strava times on Box Hill, aiming for go under nine minutes to raise funds for the Royal Marsden who had looked after his wife Jenni as she was treated for breast cancer.

Shortly before his death, film maker Duncan Murdoch created a film of Stevens as he prepared for the 2016 East Surrey Hardriders time trial. He competed, but it was to be his last race.

Soon after Jenni was given the all-clear in early 2016, Stevens was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

What is a sportive?

A cycling sportive is a mass participation, organised cycling event.

Distances and climbing profiles vary dramatically between rides – meaning there is a sportive out there to suit every rider, from the complete beginner to the competitive racer looking for a challenge.

Traditionally, sportives take place on the road - but there are off-road options including gravel and 'adventure' rides and mountain bike events too.

Where can I find sportives in 2018?

There are many calendar resources that can help you find events either in your area, or covering the sort of distance you're looking at.

If you want suggestions as to the best ones to ride, we've got info on sportives we'd recommend in the UK, abroad, and those in the immediate future:

• The best British sportives to ride in 2018
• Best international sportives 
• Hardest sportives in the UK
• The best cycling sportives in Yorkshire
• Best cycling sportives near Manchester
• Best cycling sportives near London

For a collection of sportives organised by UK Cycling Events, just click on the banner below.

What’s the difference between a sportive and a gran fondo?

Cycling sportives in the UK are not races.

In fact, organisers are often barred from listing finish times in order, in an attempt to reduce the chances of riders adopting a ‘heads down’ mentality.

>>> Sportive listings: check out UK sportives 

Some do provide 'Bronze', 'Silver' and 'Gold' (or similar) time standards, giving those with a goal in mind something to work towards - but any achievements are based on personal accomplishment, not competitive spirit.

Sportives are designed to bring groups of riders together, creating a feeling of camaraderie as everyone completes the route in friendly conditions.

Closely related to sportives, but not quite the same, are gran fondos. With their roots in Europe, gran fondos are races – and they recently arrived in the UK.

The Tour of Cambridgeshire, as an example, is an annual UK gran fondo. You can enter to ride in the competitive Gran Fondo wave, or just ride it as a sportive. The event forms part of the UCI Gran Fondo series – riders can use the ride to gain a place at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships typically taking place in August.

What can you expect at a sportive?

Sportive entry costs vary between events – and as a result so do the facilities and services provided.

Events run by UK Cycling Events, for example, cost between £26 and £35 (or £3 for under 16s).

Facilities at these event include mechanical and medical support, full route marking, public liability insurance, food and drink at feed stations, a finisher gift and medal and a ‘pick up wagon’ in case you run out of steam.

Key provisions you can expect at all sportives are route marking, and feed stations – these are pretty fundamental to ensuring everyone has a good day out.

Many organisers will also email out GPX files for the route in advance, so riders can follow turn-by-turn navigation.

How long is a sportive?

There really is a sportive out there for everybody.

Most organisers promote one day of rides, with several routes on offer.

>>> 20 of the best sportives to ride in the UK

Shorter options are usually in the region of 25-30 miles, whilst the classic long route option is frequently 100 miles - though there are some super sportives which are much longer.

The organiser will usually list the elevation information alongside the event, too, and it's worth checking this and comparing it to the rides you're used to completing to give you an idea what to expect.

Closed road sportives

There are several closed road sportives taking place in the UK – the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 (and its 46 mile younger sibling) – is probably the most famous.

The RideLondon event enjoys entirely closed roads – in 2017 around 24,000 riders took on the 100 mile ride and over 100,000 people took part in events over the weekend.

Closed road sportives are generally more expensive – RideLondon 2018, for example, comes with a price tag of £69. However, in return riders enjoy the almost indescribable feeling of a group of cyclists truly owning the road for a day and these rides often attract masses of cheering spectators that can make even the shyest heart swell.

What sort of bike do you need for a sportive?

You can complete a sportive on any road worthy bike - it's not uncommon to see people completing the road miles on mountain bikes and hybrid bikes are very common.

The most dominant bike choice at the average sportive is the road bike - the drop handlebars provide varied hand positions for climbing, descending and flat road full gas efforts (should you feel inclined). Lightweight frames and speedy 23-25mm road tyres help the miles float by easily, too.

For those looking to invest in a bike, with sportives at front of mind, there is also a genre of road bike designed specifically for rides of this kind. Sportive, or endurance, bikes feature lightweight frames, drop handlebars and fairly skinny tyres - as per the conventions of a road bike - but with a focus on comfort for long days out.

Features include a more relaxed geometry, all-weather ready disc brakes and often tyres on the wider end of the scale (28-30mm).

What happens when you arrive at a sportive?

Most sportives follow a fairly similar format.

Usually, you'll receive specific instructions around parking, signing on and GPX files before the big day.

On arrival, you can expect to be ushered into a car park if driving. Then you'll sign on, perhaps gain yourself a place in a seeming endless queue for the toilet - before wheeling your bike to the start line.

It's likely there will be a timing chip attached to you or your bike, and once you roll over the line you're on your way.

Riders will often group together and share the workload, but you're more than welcome to ride alone. You'll just need to follow the arrows laid out along the route - and there will likely be feed stops along the way to keep your energy levels topped up.

>>> Guide to group riding 

Assuming all goes well, you'll continue to follow the arrows until you reach the finish. In many cases, there will be a ride split, where you can opt to decrease your distance if you've planned on doing the longest distance and changed your mind.

Arriving at the finish, you may be presented with a medal or gift, and there's often someone there to give you a massage for a small fee. Free for everyone is a glowing sense of achievement and likely a dose of ravenous hunger.

If you bump into any trouble, you should have an organisers number and the option of calling for help if need be.

What should you take to a sportive?

Organised sportives will feature feed stations, and there should be someone on hand to lend mechanical support if need be.

However - you do need to be self sufficient in the face of the most common eventualities: needing food and drink, and getting a puncture.

>>> Guide to nutrition during a sportive 

Whilst you can expect feed stations to be well stocked (UK Cycling Events works with PowerBar to provide nutrition) - you cannot guarantee the food and drink on offer will agree with your stomach, and you might want nibbles between the stops.

It's also worth taking a spare tube, tyre levels and a pump or Co2, as you would on a normal ride. Though there will be someone on staff able to fix a puncture, you'd have to wait for them to get to you - so it's a lot quicker if you take items needed to fix one yourself much quicker.

>>> The best saddlebags to keep your cycling essentials in 

Dressing well is key to having a good day too. You may be out for several hours, and it's possible that weather conditions could change, so pack provisions to cater for this, such as a gilet, or waterproof packable jacket, providing you with the versatility required to stay comfy.

>>> What to pack for every sportive

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As with any long ride, a pair of comfortable shorts or bib tights with a quality chamois will help to keep you comfortable. A base layer under your jersey is also a good idea, to stop sweat cooling on your skin at stops, and most events require you to wear a helmet.

How do you prepare for a sportive?

The training plan you put in place ahead of your sportive will be dictated by what your goal event is, and where you are now.

Regardless of the distance between your two goal posts, the number one rule is that you should build up an increase in distance gradually.

>>> Cycling training plans

Most riders plan their training around shorter rides during the week, and a long ride on the weekend. For a sportive rider, the long ride will often be the 'key session' and this can be used to build distance.

For example, if your target ride is going to be 100 miles, and your longest ride so far has been 50 miles, then you just need to gradually increase the milage of your weekly long ride - in the region of five extra miles each week.

It's also a good idea to add a 'milestone' training event along the way - for example enter a sportive of 75 miles a month or so before your big day.

Many sportive place a heavy emphasis on climbing - so your short rides in the week can be used to work on this. If you need to do them indoors, try some power hour turbo sessions to increase your leg strength - and if you have the chance to train outdoors during the week, try some longer hill rep sessions to prepare you for the ascents.

>>> 10 ways to improve your climbing

Since what comes up must go down, work on your descending too, so you can be sure of enjoying the thrills on the day.

Are you training for a sportive? Tell us about your upcoming events in the comments... 

>>> Enter the Wiggle Steeple Chase sportive here

KNOW THIS

When is it?

Saturday 11th August

Getting there

The start and finish are at Huntingdon Race Course, less than a mile from the A1 and A14. It’s a short ride along the B1514 from Huntingdon railway station.

Stay here

There is a Holiday Inn at Huntingdon Race Course, PE28 4NL. As we went to press, twin rooms were available for August 10 for £66, or £86 with breakfast (www.holidayinn.com).

Route profile

Rider reviews suggest that the Steeple Chase is a popular sportive for cyclists taking on their first century ride. There are no easy 100-mile routes, but the absence of prolonged climbs makes this a manageable challenge, and you will still accumulate the better part of 900m (3,000 feet) during the course of the day. There are shorter routes of 48 and 61 miles if the epic distance feels out of reach.

Feed stations

There are three feed stations on the longer ride, but it’s still worth packing gels or energy bars.

Timing

This is a non-competitive event, and the roads are open to traffic, but chip timing will record your speed. across the full route.

Enter now at ukcyclingevents.co.uk

Into rural England

With me is my immediate next door neighbour Zac, a podium-bothering duathlete and triathlete. While I might feign shivers at club ride coffee stops, in the hope that another rider says, “Oh, are you cold? I thought you were looking thin. Have you lost weight?”, Zac really is that lean, hence his arm-warmers as we start this ride on an overcast day. We leave behind the ghostly-quiet Huntingdon Race Course, hop over the A14, and cruise through Brampton.

A small bridge lifts us over four lanes of thundering traffic on the A1 and drops us onto a singletrack road, flanked by shoulder-high cow parsley, nettles and wild grass, backed by dense hawthorn and blackthorn hedges. The contrast between this head-clearing peace and the roaring Great North Road is as dramatic as it is delightful. As yoga instructors unfailingly seem to say at the start of a class, “Deep breath, and relax...”

Dilly-dally in the shadows

We skirt the footings of Grafham Water, catch the briefest glimpse of Grafham village church, sail past a field of linseed as blue as the Mediterranean, and dive headlong down a double-digit descent on our way to Kimbolton.

A school in magnificent grounds stands at the edge of town, gatekeeper to a high street of shops, cafes and pubs rendered in bright colours. At the end of a street an ancient oak lynchgate stands before the stunning St Andrew’s Church, and as we dilly-dally in its shadow, a woman emerges from the Old Swan Pharmacy opposite.

Leaving Kimbolton, we pass an industrial estate built on a former airfield where the US Air Force’s 379th Bomb Group was stationed during the Second World War. A memorial commemorates their deadly exports, 330 bombing missions between 1943 and 1945, rather than their friendlier imports of the jitterbug, Coke and nylon stockings.

We’re heading towards the square-towered church at Stow Longa as we pedal north. The moment its tower slips below the horizon behind us, the steeple of Spaldwick’s church rises to guide our navigation. From here it’s a short hop over the A14 again and a chance to gloat at all the drivers beetling along a road that seems to feature daily in traffic bulletins. A short, sharp climb forces us out of the saddle and delivers us to Barham (tiny, ancient church, no steeple) then on to Buckworth, where the tip of the spire claims to have been the highest point in Huntingdonshire for longer than seven centuries.

On our skinny wheels we’ll have to leave such point-to-point riding to our knobbly-tyred, mountain biking brothers, but it does feel as if the towers, spires and steeples are points in a giant dot-to-dot, connected by a trace of tarmac that leads us from Cambridgeshire into Northamptonshire.

Crossing the county boundary also signals a change in village architecture. Geologists would identify Northamptonshire’s local stone as oolitic limestone, but in layman’s terms think honeyed Cotswold stone and you’re bang on the money. Some of the houses are drool-inducing; in Fotheringhay and Cotterstock there’s not a home that would look out of place in the opening pages of Country Life. There are royal connections, too, with Shakespeare’s hunchbacked villain Richard III born in Fotheringhay Castle, and Mary Queen of Scots beheaded there. The castle is long dismantled, its stone and timber used to build the Talbot Inn, in nearby Oundle.

Uncleat and admire the view

Fotheringhay church remains, however, and with its tower and octagonal lantern above it’s the most beautiful of any we see on this Steeple Chase. Zac and I uncleat for a moment as we cross the River Nene, to look back and admire the church perched above a water meadow.

The route planners of the Steeple Chase sportive suggest the ride’s elevation profile resembles “a collection of holy roof structures”, each short, sharp climb and steep descent represented as a steeple-shaped triangle.

On the road, none are overly arduous. There are no sustained efforts or killer ascents, but there are just enough contours to separate one view from the next. The subtlest changes of wind and gradient are enough to alter our speed from a steady 17mph to a brisk 23mph, with no extra effort. There are few descents steep enough to induce braking or even stop pedalling, which means that by the time we reach Oundle we’re feeling pretty peckish.

Straight outta Pilton

As we leave Pilton, the road straightens Roman-style, and nudged by a tailwind I can sense Zac’s temptation to flatten his back and time trial the better part of 10 miles to the horizon. During university holidays he would return to the area, smash a handful of Strava KOMs, then steal away to his studies like a modern-day Scarlet Pimpernel.

His focus is on half and full iron distance triathlons, and even 50 miles into a ride he would normally be hurtling along roads like this, stretched out on aero bars. So it’s something of a relief that I don’t watch a fluoro yellow blur vanish into the distance.

The route sneaks into Bedfordshire, past more jaw-dropping houses, more churches, more steeples to chase, until we eventually rejoin the outward section of our route just south of Grafham Water.

Wiggle Steeple Chase Route Map

Climbs

1 Belton’s Hill to Barham
This cheeky little ascent, directly after crossing the A14, will force every rider to stand on the pedals. Its gradient hits 15 per cent in places, and averages seven per cent along its 300m. Strava KoM: 35 seconds.

2 Lutton Road, Polebrook
Typical of the climbs on this sportive, this innocuous one-mile ascent averages just three per cent. Be warned, however, that the steady accumulation of one uphill after another brings to mind a war of attrition. Strava KOM 2.16

3 Pilton to Old Weston
A Strava segment in waiting, this is a long straight, and with a tailwind and a group of riders prepared to work together, it’s an opportunity to turbo boost your average speed along almost
10 miles.

4 Catworth Climb
Select the correct gears and you can stay in the saddle as you spin up this hill, but with more than 60 miles in your legs it’s two-thirds of a mile that will sap your energy reserves. Strava KoM 1.40.

Full details of Velo South, a new 100-mile closed road sportive, have been announced, with a testing route through the South Downs starting and finishing at the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

The event, which is organised by the same company behind Velo Birmingham which will return in spring 2019, will take place on Sunday, September 23, with spaces for up to 15,000 riders.

Organisers have already received more than 25,000 pre-entries and expect the event to sell out quickly when entries open on March 1. Anyone wishing to enter the event needs to pre-register online.

>>> Eight hardest sportives in the UK

The route will start from Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit near Chichester, with riders covering a lap of the circuit which hosted the 1982 Road World Championships before heading north-east into the South Downs National Park and up the first testing climb of the day.

There will be six points on the route for riders to receive mechanical assistance and food and drink, before a final KOM at Harting Hill around the 85 mile point ahead of a downhill final few miles back towards Goodwood.

Along with RideLondon and the Tour of Cambridgeshire, Velo South is one of only three closed-road sportives in the south of England.

The sportive is one of a number of events to take on the spectacular terrain of the South Downs, with other events such as the Orro Sussex Downs Classic, which takes place on September 8, providing good preparation for Velo South, or even as an alternative for those who don't get in.

The event has the support of local authorities along the route, with Horsham District Council among those authorities looking forward to welcoming the riders.

>>> 20 of the best British sportives in 2018

"We are delighted that this major cycling event is going to be coming through so many areas of Horsham District," said Cllr Gordon Lindsay, Cabinet Member for the Local Economy.

"It will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase our unique district at its best - an exhilarating ride for the competitors and a real spectacle for local residents and visitors to enjoy.

"The ride will also provide opportunities for local businesses and will be a boost for local tourism as food and drink providers and accommodation providers will all be able to benefit."

UK Cycling Events (UKCE) has joined forces with Science in Sport (SiS), the sports nutrition pioneers, in a new two year partnership designed to help participants gain an extra edge to their riding.

Science in Sport will supply on-course nutrition to more than 80,000 endurance cyclists, at 80 UK-wide events next year, including the popular Wiggle Super Series, and the further expanded Brewin Dolphin Velo Series.

As well as boosting energy levels with on-course nutrition, riders will benefit from nutritional expertise from Science in Sport and its ambassadors at selected events throughout the season, in addition to a free fuelling guide to help cyclists adopt the right nutrition strategy for their event.

To launch the partnership, every rider booking onto a 2018 ride at UK Cycling Events will be offered the chance to claim a Science in Sport nutrition bundle to help maximise training and recovery.

Stephen Moon and CEO at Science in Sport, said:

“We’re delighted to be offering every rider taking part in UK Cycling Events a nutrition bundle with every entry containing our innovative, science-based nutrition products. This fantastic nutrition bundle will give UK Cycling Events riders the opportunity to fuel like Team Sky, British Cycling and our other elite partners”

Riders will be sent an opportunity to claim their Science in Sport nutrition bundle via their online booking confirmation.

A small charge will be required towards postage and packaging, however there will be no charge for the products included in the bundle which includes two Science in Sport REGO Rapid Recovery sachets to support recovery after a long ride, and six Science in Sport GO Isotonic Energy Gels with a flavour of your choice.

Science in Sport has been fuelling the success of dozens of Olympic, Paralympic and World Champions since 1992. It currently fuels Tour de France winners, Team Sky, as well as the Great Britain Cycling Team, providing nutritional expertise ahead of key competitions. Science in Sport ambassadors include one of Great Britain’s most decorated Olympians, Sir Chris Hoy.

Bookings can be made at www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk

Natalie Hicks, Head of UK Cycling Events, said:

“It’s our aim to help more riders to experience the very best of cycling, so the chance to provide riders with the same nutritional expertise and outstanding products that are being adopted by world class teams, is really exciting.

“Nutrition is the one area that we often find riders can overlook during training and events, but having the right fuel can make a big difference. We’re hoping riders with book onto 2018 events and take advantage of the offer available.”

In early June this year I was sitting at my computer quietly going about my own business, when I was fortuitous enough (I think… I’m still a little confused actually) to receive an email inviting me along to ride the Maratona dles Dolomites.

Clicking the provided link, a collage of amazing visuals now festooned my monitor; yes, of course I’d heard of the Dolomites before and had admired them from afar courtesy of fragmented Giro d’Italia coverage — but this was the first time I’d really looked at the region.

>>> Can you blag your way around La Marmotte?

It’s amazing how selective one’s senses can be; whilst once this was just another mountain range, it now quickly morphed into, quite possibly, the most delightful place on the face of the planet - perhaps even more so than the Wetherspoons in Ilfracombe, and that takes some serious doing.

Yes. A thousand times, yes. My reply to the mail was not an ambiguous one, and before long tickets had been booked, hotel rooms had been reserved and a place on the long 138km route of this, one of Europe’s, nay, the world’s foremost Gran Fondos, had been secured.

Of course, completing the longest course was by no means an obligatory part of the trip; you even had the option, “...and please let us know which route you’d like to ride” came the email sign off.

Three distance options were available, starting from the short Sella Ronda at 55km with a not insignificant 1,780m of ascent; followed by the Medio, specced at 106km with a hefty 3,130m of climbing; and finally the longest, simply known as The Maratona — at 138km in length with a ridiculous 4,230m of climbing woven perversely into the parcours, this was far too beastly to be awarded a playful sobriquet.

However, I did the mathematics, and quickly concluded that the long Maratona route would be a walk in the park. 138km? That’s barely 80 miles.

I did that for fun last Saturday. Although it was in Hampshire. And was punctuated with about 15 Cornish Pasty and caffè latte stops. And had it been any flatter I probably wouldn’t have had to use my pedals. But let’s not get bogged down in the details here.

Even upon a mandatory trip to my GP (“without a medical certificate you will not be allowed to ride”) who had the unenviable task of deciding whether or not I would retain the status of being alive after the event, my confidence could and would not be curtailed, even if she did do a disconcerting amount of umming and ahhing during the consultation.

I’d do one training ride — as well as continuing my daily commute - and be done with it. I customised this preparatory outing in order to best replicate the Maratona course in the English Home Counties; Box Hill in Surrey, as well as being a slope of sorts, also contains at least two real life hairpin bends, and tagging on a traverse of Leith Hill as well as labouring up the spitefully precipitous Barhatch Lane, I surmised that my legs had been sufficiently primed, and hey, I might even get a podium place here; I mean, surely no one could be as fit as me.

The day of the trip dawned bright and balmy in the UK so I jammed an assortment of sunny cycling attire into a sports holdall and made haste to Stanstead Airport where I acquainted myself with the Italian alcoholic beverage industry, whetting my whistle with a foursome of pre-flight Peronis and half a Moretti for luck.

Alighting at Treviso airport, a few clicks up the road from Venice, I basked in the north Italian heat for a few all-too-brief moments before we (there were other journalists present) were bundled in a car and driven in the direction of the mountains.

Popping ears soon became flavour of the day as we rose and rose, and, before long, found ourselves ensconced intermittently in thick cloud many hundred of metres above sea level.

Watch: How to ride long climbs

The views, as expected, were magical. The jagged, snow-capped peaks, so emblematic of the Dolomites, now enveloped us, and we drove — a little motorised spec, negotiating a humble path through this truly incredible terrain.

Arriving at our hotel my first sensation upon stepping from the vehicle was how absolutely and totally freezing it was. There I was in shorts and a t-shirt while others clumped around the place in skiing clobber. I was an idiot. A cold, semi-drunk idiot.

Four AM the following morning and the alarm goes off.

I open the balcony door and quickly shut it. It is bitter out there.

Rifling through my sports holdall, the warmest item of attire I manage to unearth is a gilet. I have no arm-warmers, no gloves, no skull-cap, no brain? I’m an idiot.

A cold, semi-hungover idiot. Convening in the breakfast hall with my acquaintances and a heavy smattering of other riders, we exchange stories of restless slumbers and thermostat tweaking before riding down to the start line from the hotel, which is based halfway up — or rather halfway down — one of the climbs we will be descending, the Passo Gardena.

The start line is bristling with riders — 9,000 of them to put an exact figure on it.

And although smiling for selfies and group photos is taking place en masse, an earnest aura radiates amid the chill of this early July morning.

These people know what’s ahead. For many, this will be their first time riding the Maratona, for others, an opportunity to better their time from previous years.

We are a diverse peloton of many different ages and many different nationalities - but, yes, we have one thing in common; a day of prolonged pain and suffering awaits us all.

But some of us would be suffering less than others. Some of us had Box Hill in our legs.

I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at the profile of the Maratona dles Dolomites course before, but to find any flat in it would require an extremely powerful microscope. It is literally all ups and downs.

So when pulling out of the starting pen to be immediately greeted by the slopes of the Passo Campolongo, the route’s ‘easiest’ climb, the grinding, it appeared, was to commence from the outset.

Other than the fleeting and, quite frankly, terrifying descents, this was more or less constant and unrelenting exertion.

I thought back to my trip to the GP and her incessant clucks of concern as I toiled up the Passo Pordoi. A climb regularly used in the Giro d’Italia, the Pordoi, although boasting views of ethereal proportions, managed to sap a huge amount of happy from my heart, and by the time I’d reached the summit of this 9.2km beast of a climb, I finally mused that I may, just may, have come here under-prepared. I was an idiot. A cold, tired, desperately under-trained idiot.

I weighed up my options, teeth chatting beyond control as I descended the Pordoi. Would I still be able to manage the full 138km course? Yes, but I would probably meet God en route.

How about just completing the 55km Sella Ronda? Hmm, seems a bit of a cop out to come all this way and ride 30 miles — albeit a very, very difficult and iconic 30 miles.

What about the Medio then? At this juncture, that probably sounds like the best course of action. I congratulated myself on still being able to muster lucid thought, and continued up an over the Passo Sella, (5.5km, 7.9%) followed by the Passo Gardena, (5.8km, 4.3%), then through the starting/finishing village of Corvara, and up and over the over the Passo Campolongo (5.8km, 6.1%) again.

Approaching the point where one was bound to choose between the Medio and Maratona route distances, I decided to have a stern word with myself.

This is a once in a lifetime experience, I told myself. This is the kind of ride that really separates the men from the boys; this is one for the grandchildren, the time you took the on Italian Dolomites and ground, ground, ground them in submission. You must bring this ride to the conclusion it deserves; riding the Medio route would serve it no justice at all…

Yet, it appeared that, while bearing left and therefore eschewing the slopes of the legendary Passo Giau (9.9km, 9.3%), I decided to ignore my own advice and subconsciously made the decision to complete the Medio route.

And toiling up the tarmac of the Passo Falzarego (11.8km, 6.7%), just about turning the lowest gear throughout the entire 12kms, wincing with pain as I rode, I’m pretty certain that this was the correct choice.

The mountains are a wonderful place to turn a wheel. But events like this require respect, and I came home with an enormous amount for the Italian Dolomites, as well as the beginnings of a robust sniffle and a shattered pair of thighs.

I was an idiot. But a slightly wiser one than I had been a few days ago.

Cycling, eh. It’s just one big learning curve.

But on the plus side…

We were fortunate enough to eat a meal at the Boe Alpine Lounge which is mainly accessible by cable car (and a rough steep gravel track) and affords diners incredible far-reaching views of the Dolomites.

Post-Maratona dinner was partaken of at Ciasa Salares, a michelin-starred restaurant deep in the heart of the Dolomites.

The chef prepared an exquisite six course meal which was partaken of in the wine cellar. Perhaps the restaurant’s piece de resistance though was a chocolate room which Willy Wonka himself would’ve been proud of. We are literally talking cascading chocolate fountains here!

The days are getting shorter and temperatures are beginning to settle into a milder routine than those we became used to over the peak of summer - but that doesn't mean it's time to stop challenging yourself on the bike.

If you've enjoyed riding sportives this year, you don't need to stop now - there's still a host of events to keep you spinning, right into the winter.

>> Cycling sportives: everything you need to know

We've picked out a selection of some of the most exciting looking sportives and cycling events coming up in the next few months, to help you plan your targets and keep the motivation high until next spring.

The best British sportives

Circuit of Kent

When: Sunday September 9

Where: Sevenoaks, Kent

More information: kentcyclosportive.co.uk

This sportive offers routes of 40, 80 and 130km through the Kent countryside South East of Sevenoaks.

Some testing drags will knock back your average speed, but the rolling route should suit most.

New Forest 100

When: Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September

Where: New Forest, Hampshire

More information: New forest 100

Choose to ride one of three routes, from 48 to 160 kilometres, through stunning scenery in the New Forest.

Under 16's ride for £3, whilst adults pay £31 to £40 to enjoy a fully supported spin through the autumn colour of the forest.

Cornwall Coast and Clay

When: Sunday September 23

Where: St Columb Major, near Newquay, Cornwall

More information: cornwallcoastandclay.co.uk

Run by volunteers, this Rotary International event offers four distance options from 37 to 160km.

The range of rides should mean there's something for everyone who makes the trip to the far South West.

Fell Beast Sportive

When: Sunday September 23

Where: Carlisle Racecourse, Durdar Road, Carlisle, Cumbria

More information: Fell Beast Sportive 

Opt to ride anywhere between 59km and 162km over the rugged terrain in Cumbria.

The 'Epic' Beast route covers around 2,000 metres of climbing over its 162km - so this one could represent an excellent challenge to provide you with motivation throughout the upcoming winter months.

Ay Up! Yorkshire Sportive

When: Sunday October 7

Where: Thirsk Racecourse, North Yorkshire

More information: Ay Up! Yorkshire Sportive 

Yorkshire has gained a reputation for being one of the most spectacular places in the country to ride - having hosted the Tour de France Grand Depart as well as the annual Tour de Yorkshire men's and women's stage races.

Explore the landscape for yourself - rides vary from 49km to 144km, with three routes available.

RideIt! Wiltshire

When: Sunday October 21

Where: Wiltshire College, Chippenham, Wiltshire

More information: Wiltshire RideIt!

Rated as a 3/5, this route will provide some lumpy ascents but should be well suited to the time of year.

Ride anything from 24km on the 'fun' route to 128km on the long - and children (with a fee paying adult) ride for free.

The Tour of Flanders Sportive ride takes place on the Saturday before the race itself and attracts 16,000 riders, of whom around 4,000 are from the UK.

The 2017 ride offered four routes: the full pro route covered 237km and started in Antwerp, finishing in Oudenaarde some 80km away. There was a 200km route starting in Antwerp too.

There were also 141km and 74km options starting and finishing in Oudenaarde. The benefit of finishing where you start is obvious, although all but the 237km route missed out the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen. I opted for the 141km route.

From the start, you had around 9km of flat tarmac before hitting the first cobbled climb. The Wolvenberg is a fairly gentle 700m climb on a residential street with well-dressed cobbles, although it does pitch up to 17 per cent at its steepest.

For anyone used to UK climbs, the gradients will be familiar; they’re similar to roads in the Surrey Hills or Chilterns, but most of the Flanders climbs are shorter.

What sets them apart from UK climbs is the cobbles and narrowness. The former make progress harder while the latter can lead to your path being blocked by other riders and those who have taken to walking.

>>> 17 of the best international sportives to ride in 2017

Fortunately, crowding was only an issue for me on two climbs: the Koppenberg and the final climb of the day, the Paterberg. In general the 16,000 riders are well spread out, although the feed stops are huge and busy.

Interspersed between the climbs are flat sections of cobbles. The advice is to ride them hard, so that the bike floats over the bumps.

Nevertheless they are hard going, particularly the descents, with my eyes feeling as if they were about to pop out by the end of some of the longer ones. The majority of the course is on undulating tarmac roads though, so there’s time to recover in between.

On to the Koppenberg

The first feed zone came after 30km. Choosing to skip this, the climbs and cobbled sections ticked by until the next feed zone at 77km, in an industrial park on the edge of Oudenaarde. There was a huge number of riders here; I quickly tracked down an energy drink, packaged waffles and banana halves before heading out.

It was only 4km from the feed station to the Koppenberg, one of the iconic climbs on the route. Turning onto the narrow climb, it was apparent that getting past the many riders choosing to walk would be difficult and I opted to join them. It was hard enough to walk up the cobbles with road cleats.

More climbs, cobbles and another feed station brought me to the long, fast descent to the base of the Oude Kwaremont, scene of Philippe Gilbert’s race-winning move and Peter Sagan's crash the following day.

>>> Can an amateur with a motor beat Johan Museeuw up the Kwaremont?

Even the day before the race, the road was lined with spectators cheering on the riders, with VIP marquees also set up for the next day. Not particularly steep, the Oude Kwaremont was followed by a ride along a narrow bike path to reach the Paterberg.

Watch: How to ride on cobbles

At 400m long, the Paterberg is short, but it ramps up to 24 per cent. I might have made it to the top, but with a rider stopping ahead, other riders changed their lines and I found myself riding the earth at the edge of the cobbles. When another rider moved right, it was either stop or ride into a ditch.

From the Paterberg, there’s a fast descent then the wide flat road to the finish, where groups of riders were heading to the line at 30kph plus. Running past the grandstands and over the finish line was certainly a fitting culmination to the ride.

The bike

Cycling Weekly was a guest of Belgian bike brand Ridley and rode its new Fenix SL Disc. It’s one of the new breed of endurance machines with 12mm thru-axles, hydraulic disc brakes, clearance for tyres up to 30mm and a position which is not overly upright.

We ran 28mm Vittoria Corsa tyres. It’s definitely an advantage on the cobbles to have wider tyres which can be run at lower pressures, helping with grip and smoothing out the bumps. Among a group of ten journalists, there were no punctures on the ride.

The bike was equipped with Shimano Ultegra mechanical shifting with hydraulic disc brakes. Ridley had kitted it out with a semi-compact 52/36t chainset and an 11-28t cassette. If you can get up hills in the UK with those ratios, the climbs on the sportive shouldn’t pose any problems.

Spectating the Tour of Flanders

With the Tour of Flanders the next day, there’s an opportunity to see how the pros do it. Since the race follows a convoluted route around Oudenaarde, it’s relatively easy to find places where you can see the riders pass multiple times, or move to see them pass at a different point.

Even in small towns on the route from Antwerp there are crowds though and at some key points people stand four or five deep, so your view may be limited. Accessing the finishing straight is also quite difficult due to road closures and the large crowds.

While the number of sportives in Scotland may not be able to match the number of events in southern England, specifically sportives near London, the quality and quantity of events north of the border has certainly improved in recent years.

What's more, if you're after a leg-tester, then these events are often among some of the hardest sportives in the UK, with no shortage of long, hard climbs to really put you through your paces.

Finally, considering the expanse and beauty of Scotland, it is surprisingly poorly served by sportives, so make sure you get your entries in early.

Wattbike No Excuses Falkirk

Where: Falkirk

When: Sunday, March 26

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/no-excuses-sportive-falkirk

The Wiggle No Excuses series is coming north of the border for the first time in 2017. The concept is simple: you pay your entry fee, then if you turn up and ride, the organisers will return your entry fee, no questions asked.

>>> Best cycling sportives for beginners

As an added bonus the Falkirk location is easy to reach from Glasgow and Edinburgh, meaning there's literally no excuse not to get on your bike for this early season event.

Evans Ride It! Callander Road Sportive

Where: Callander, Stirling

When: Saturday, April 8

More information: www.evanscycles.com/evans-cycles-callander-road-sportive-saturday-8th-april-2017-EV292062

Ranging from 25 to 87 miles, there are three routes to choose from for this spring time test. You’ll need your early season climbing legs to take the strain of the 6600 feet of ascent the long route dishes up as it head through the heart of the Trossachs.

Etape Loch Ness

Where: Inverness, Highlands

When: Sunday, April 23

More information: www.etapelochness.com

The route of this sportive is simple, but the riding certainly isn't. Starting and finishing in Inverness, you'll head south east along the northern bank of Loch Ness, making your way all the way to the bottom, where you'll turn back along the other side to get back to Inverness.

>>> 12 of the best upcoming sportives to ride

The bad news is that that involves a fair bit of climbing as the road heads away from the loch and into the hills at the mid-point of the route. But at least you won't have any traffic to worry about, as the event is run entirely on closed roads!

Tearfund Drumlanrig Challenge

Where: Thornhill, Dumfriesshire

When: Saturday, April 29

More information: www.drumlanrigchallenge.btck.co.uk

Last year this charity event raised more than £11,000 for the Tearfund charity, a Christian organisation supporting the world’s poorest communities.

All three routes start and finish in the grounds of the magnificent Drumlanrig Castle, where vast quantities of cakes and sandwiches are available for participants.

A lumpy affair, the new 81 mile route will see riders climb 5,000 feet, though on the way some of those cakes will be available at the food stops, making it all worthwhile.

Marmotte Ecosse Gran Fondo

Where: Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

When: Sunday, April 30

More information: www.golazocycling.com/Tour_of_Ayrshire

This event ticks about as many boxes as a sportive could. A Gran Fondo, this is a race at the front and a sportive further back down the field, and all on closed roads.

It is also a qualifying event for the UCI’s Gran Fondo World Championships and part of the parent company’s Marmotte series, which includes events all over Europe.

Though it is only 70 miles, gnarly roads and some steep ascents are certain to tire the legs.

King of the Mountains Sportive

Where: Aboyne, Aberdeenshire

When: Sunday, May 14

More information: www.komsportive.co.uk

As you can probably guess from the name, there is no shortage of climbing in the King of the Mountains Sportive, which tackles the toughest and most spectacular roads that north eastern Scotland and the Cairngorms have to offer.

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There are two routes to choose from (110mi and 100km), with the highlight of both being the ascent to the Lecht ski station, which will take riders almost 30 minutes to climb.

The Solway Sportive

Where: Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway

When: Sunday, May 14

More information: www.dumfriescc.btck.co.uk/SolwaySportive

Organised by Dumfries Cycling Club, this event is easily accessible from the north west of England as well as much of Scotland.

You won’t find too much in the way of climbing on any of the three courses, but with sections of the medium and 71 mile long routes along the Solway Firth, wind blowing off the sea is bound to set another challenge.

Tour of the Kingdom

Where: Dunfermline, Fife

When: Saturday, May 27

More information: www.dunfermlinecc.com/sportive

Another sportive organised by a cycling club, this time Dunfermline. Of the three routes the 99 mile Black course is sure to challenge, especially with more than 5,000 feet of ascending.

There is little respite throughout the day as it undulates all the way round. Even the run along the coast past Kirkcaldy provides little opportunity to take it easy.

Brewin Dolphin Ochil Hills 100

Where: Loggend, Fife

When: Saturday, June 3

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/ochil-hills-100-sportive

The Brewin Dolphin Ochil Hills sportive takes in some of the best riding that the Ochil Hills have to offer. The route is peppered with tough climbs, and if your legs aren't quite up to the full 100 mile route, there are also 42 and 75 mile options available.

>>> Best cycling sportives near Bristol

There is also the option of a Velo Club entry, which will let you ride and chat with a special VIP guest, and receive breakfast and coffee at the start, and a complementary massage on your return.

Isle of Mull Sportive

Where: Tobermory, Mull

When: Sunday, June 4

More information: www.mullsportive.co.uk

That this event takes place entirely on the Hebridean island of Mull makes it almost unique. While the majority of both the 43 and 87 mile routes follow the island’s coast, neither course is flat, with the longer route climbing well over 6,500 feet.

It may be more difficult to get to Mull than many other places, but such a challenge in these idyllic isolated landscapes makes this a must do event.

Oh, and proceeds go to local causes.

Trossachs Ton

Where: Stirling

When: Sunday, June 18

More information: www.action.org.uk/trossachs-ton

There are two different routes for this Stirling-based sportive, both of which head west out of the city to give your legs a rude awakening in the Fintry and Gargunnock Hills.

>>> Best sportives near Cambridge

However the main challenge is the ascent of Dukes Pass, a tough 4km climb that is tackled once on the shorter 75 mile route, and twice on the longer 105 mile route.

The Loop

Where: Garve, Ross-shire

When: Saturday, July 8

More information: www.hivelo.co.uk

One of two events organised by the Highland Velodrome Trust - a charity aiming to create a central hub for cyclists to train in the area - this is quite possibly the United Kingdom’s most northerly sportive.

With very nearly 7,000 feet of climbing over 108 demanding miles, this is a tough challenge for all but the very fittest. Though The Loop takes place at the height of summer Highland weather can be unpredictable, so be prepared.

Evans Cycles Ride It! Lanark Road Sportive

Where: Lanark, South Lanarkshire

When: Sunday ,July 30

More information: www.evanscycles.com/evans-cycles-lanark-road-sportive-sunday-30th-july-2017-EV292071

A decent amount of climbing awaits those who head either south from Scotland’s central belt, or north across the English border for this event in the Cheviot hills.

The 80 mile long route begins and ends on fairly flat roads, so expect the middle miles to contain much of the 4,700 feet of climbing.

Bealach Mor

When: Saturday, September 2

Where: Kinlochewe, Scotland

More information: www.handsonevents.co.uk

The Applecross peninsula on the west coast of Scotland may be remote, but it's making the trip to ride one of the most spectacular roads in the UK: Bealach na Ba. This hair-pinned climb is the highlight of the Bealach Mor sportive, climbing over 600m over its 10km length, with spectacular views of the Isle of Skye from the summit.

Tesco Bank Tour o’ the Borders

Where: Peebles, Scottish Borders

When: Sunday, September 3

More information: tourotheborders.com

This closed road event starts and finishes in Peebles and takes in the beautiful border country. While there are only 4659 feet of climbing on the 74 mile long route, the monster gradients of the Talla Wall, early in the ride, are bound to take their toll.

With closed roads come minimum speeds, though a limit of less than 10mph should be manageable for most.

Closed roads, beautiful scenery and a manageable route, as Graeme Obree says in the promotional video “why wouldn’t you do it?”

Galloway Gallop

Where: Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries

When: Sunday, October 1

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/galloway-gallop-adventure-cross

For something a little different, the Galloway Gallop offers the riders to test their off-road skills on the tracks and paths of the Galloway Forest Park.

Intended for mountain bikes or cross bikes, the Galloway Gallop is largely made up of forest roads, with plenty of testing climbs (rewarded with stunning views) to test the legs.

The Culloden Cycle Challenge

Where: Culloden, Inverness

When: Saturday, October 7

More information: www.hivelo.co.uk

Take trip into British history by riding this event in the north of Scotland. The names for each of the three rides celebrate the Battle of Culloden where the Jacobites were defeated by the Duke of Cumberland’s men in 1746.

At 21 and 42 miles respectively the Skirmish and Wee Battle will not prove too taxing, though the Big Battle is enough for many.

By the time riders roll into the finish at the Battle of Culloden visitor centre they will have 85 miles behind them and be safe in the knowledge that their entry fee has helped the Highland Velodrome Trust.

If you're new to riding, then there are more cycling sportives for beginners than ever before, with plenty of events offering shorter, flatter, but no less scenic routes to go along with the hard sportives for stronger riders.

>>> Best cycling sportives near London

You can also rely on most events these days to offer basic levels of mechanical assistance, so although you will have to fix your own punctures (sorry!), if you suffer something more serious then you'll be given help to sort it out.

>>> Beginner cyclist: tips and tricks to get you off to the best start

The Rocket

When: February 11

Where: Amberley, West Sussex

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/the-rocket-sportive

This early season event is the perfect sportive for newer and experienced riders alike to find their legs for the months ahead. The shortest route is just 16 miles in length, but still manages to take in some pretty South Downs countryside, plus the option of a 33 mile route if you're feeling a little more confident in your ability.

Ware's Cambridge?

When: March 12

Where: Ware, Hertforshire

More information: www.sportiveuk.co.uk

Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire might not exactly be world-renowned for their spectacular riding, but they can still boast some quiet lanes with barely a car in sight, perfect for new riders looking to escape London at the weekend. The shortest 30 mile route heads north from Ware, and includes a well-stocked feed station just past half distance.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Yorkshire

Wiggle Spring Saddle Sportive

When: March 26

Where: Newmarket, Suffolk

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/wiggle-spring-saddle-sportive

Another East Anglian event for your diary, the Wiggle Spring Saddle starts and finishes in the salubrious surroundings of Newmarket Racecourse, taking in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Essex over the course of the 40 mile short route. The terrain is generally flat, and what hills there are will test you without leaving you on your knees.

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Hemel Hillbuster II

When: April 23

Where: Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

More information: www.dens.org.uk/events/the_hemel_hillbuster_ii_e11

Even if you're completely new to cycling, 25km doesn't seem like a long way. However, don't underestimate this event, because as you can probably tell from the name, there is barely a metre of flat road. If you're feeling a little more ambitious then there is also a 60km option, but whatever route you choose, you can look forward to hot food to warm you up once you get back to HQ.

The Arrow

When: May 6

Where: Market Rasen, Lincolnshire

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/cycling-weekly-the-arrow-sportive

For riders who are less enthused by the prospect of lots of climbing, The Arrow is the perfect event. Covering 52 miles, it's certainly not short, but most of the route sticks to the flatlands around Lincoln, with only a bit of uphill to catch you out at the end.

>>> Best cycling sportives near Cambridge

Iron Mountain Sportif

When: June 24

Where: Abergavenny, Gwent

More information: www.abergavennyfestivalofcycling.co.uk/index.php/sportif-2017

Held as part of the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling, the Iron Mountain Sportif offers a range of routes, including 20 and 40 mile options. The shorter routes heads south along the River Usk with only one major climb to tackle, while the 40 mile route offers more climbing as it loops east towards the English border (although there is at least a downhill finish back into Abergavenny).

>>> Best cycling sportives near Bristol

Wiggle Northern Angel Sportive

When: August 13

Where: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/wiggle-northern-angel-sportive

Northumberland is another part of the world that is underappreciated as a cycling destination, with quiet roads crossing spectacular landscapes. This event is easy to get to, as it starts just on the outskirts of Newcastle, with plenty of support and well-signed routes so there's no chance of anything going wrong.

Wiggle Wye Valley Warrior

When: August 19

Where: Chepstow, Monmouthshire

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/wiggle-wye-valley-warrior-sportive

Starting and finishing in Chepstow, the organisers of the Wye Valley Warrior have been kind enough to offer a flat 15 mile warm up along the River Wye to get your legs going at the start of the ride. The bad news is that you do eventually have to climb up out of the valley, but you do at least have a downhill run to the finish on the banks of the Severn Estuary.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Scotland

Cross Border Sportive

When: September 3

Where: Lanercost, Cumbria

More information: www.crossbordersportive.wordpress.com

As you can probably guess from the name, this sportive takes in two countries, heading over the border into Scotland for a significant part of the route. Most of the climbing is out of the way early on the shortest 30 mile route, although if you fancy a bit more of a challenge at the end of the season, then the 50 mile option could be do-able too.

Event organisers have announced the routes of the Maserati Tour de Yorkshire Ride, with three different options available for participants in 2017.

Routes of 100km, 75km, and 45km will offer amateur riders of all abilities a chance to ride on the same day on the same roads as the pros on the final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire, with the longest route packing in a massive 1,974m of climbing.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Yorkshire

Starting and finishing in the town of Stocksbridge just to the north of Sheffield, the event is expected to attract over 5,000 riders, with entries available on the Maserati Tour de Yorkshire Ride website from 1pm on Monday, January 16, with those who have pre-registered given priority.

Sir Gary Verity, CEO of Welcome to Yorkshire, said that the routes offered a unique opportunity for normal riders to ride the same roads as the pros and experience having fans out on the course cheering them on.

>>> Best cycling sportives near London

“One of the great and truly unique things about cycling is that you can ride the same roads as the world’s best riders, and what better way to do so than with top-class support and thousands of other cyclists joining you along the way," Verity said.

“The routes have been designed to cater for riders of all abilities, and finishing on the same line as the pros will be an amazing experience.”

The 100km route should be hard enough to challenge even the most experienced sportive rider as it heads north out of Stocksbridge with tough climbs at Holmfirth and Emley Moor.

However the most difficult section is saved for last with a circuit to the south of Stocksbridge, which includes the 1.6km climb of Walker Edge with an average gradient of nearly 10 per cent as well as two other testing ascents before a downhill section to the finish.

This difficult southern loop also makes up much of the course for the 45km route, while the 75km only takes in the northern section of the 100km course.

London is probably not the first place you would think of as being the centre of sportives, but there are plenty of great organised cycling events either in the capital or just a short pedal away.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Yorkshire

We round up some of the best events for 2017.

>>> What is a cycling sportive? Everything you need to know

Hell of the Ashdown

When: Sunday, February 19

Where: Charles Darwin School, Biggin Hill, Kent

More information: www.hell.gb.com

The 'HOTA' is a well-established, early-season ride that incorporates not only a climb-packed 107-kilometre route, but also the high chance of very cold conditions – possibly even snow. Whatever the weather, there's little to beat the Kent and Sussex countryside navigated by the route, which takes in testing climbs such as Toys Hill, Twyford Lane, Hogtrough Hill and Kidds Hill, also known as 'The Wall'.

>>> Hardest cycling sportives in the UK

Wiggle Ups and Downs

When: Saturday, March 11

Where: Surrey

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/wiggle-ups-and-downs-sportive

As its name suggests, The Wiggle Ups and Downs sportive is another early-season test that takes in its fair share of hills. There are three routes to choose from, ranging from 48 to 80 miles, all taking in the picturesque chalk downland of the North and South Downs south of the capital.

St George's Sportive

When: Sunday, April 23

Where: Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire

More information: www.southernsportive.com/st-georges-sportive

Although devoid of a stand-out big climb, the St George's sportive takes place in and around the Chiltern Hills, which means the roads are constantly undulating. Its late April date, on St George's Day (April 23), means that the weather should be picking up after the dreariness of a British winter – often the perfect time for a sportive.

Cycling Weekly Surrey Hills Cyclone

When: Saturday, May 20

Where: Lingfield Racecourse, Surrey

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/cycling-weekly-surrey-hills-cyclone-sportive

There's something for everyone in Cycling Weekly's own Surrey Hills Sportive, conveniently located to the south-west of London. The three routes range from 48 to 160 kilometres, but all tackle some of Surrey's most well-known hills and with the well-appointed surroundings of Lingfield racecourse hosting the start and finish.

>>> Best cycling sportives for beginners

NightRider London

When: June 10-11

Where: Lee Valley Velopark, London

More information: www.nightrider.org.uk

One of the few cycling events to truly take place in the capital, the NightRider traverses London's streets overnight and takes in some of the most iconic landmarks. Starting at the Lee Valley Velopark, the circular 50 or 100km routes travel past the likes of Picadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, St Paul's Cathedral and Tower Bridge. And the event includes a well-deserved breakfast.

>>> Best cycling sportives in Scotland

Dunwich Dynamo

When: July 8-9

Where: Pub on the Park, Martello Street, London Fields, Hackney

More information: www.facebook.com/groups/DunwichDynamo

This is a very different event, for a number of reasons. It is a 'turn up and go' ride, so it doesn't have an entry fee. It's at night and is not way-marked. You are handed a map at the start in Hackney and you find your way to Dunwich, approximately 200km north of London in Suffolk. Around 2000 riders took part in 2016.

Prudential RideLondon Surrey 100

When: Sunday, July 30

Where: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London

More information: www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk

The London 2012 Olympic legacy event goes from strength to strength, attracting thousands of riders to its closed roads route out into the Surrey Hills and back for 100 miles, following the route of the 2012 cycling road race. The ballot entry system means that getting a place can literally be like a lottery, but it's a ride that all cyclists should try at least once.

Palace to Palace

When: TBC

Where: Buckingham Palace, London

More information: www.princes-trust.org.uk/support-our-work/events/palace-to-palace-2017

This fund-raising ride for the Prince's Trust starts at Buckingham Palace and finishes in Windsor Castle, offering a unique trip by bike. In between, the ride takes in Richmond Park and travels through the Surrey scenery with 72km and 145km routes on offer.

Wiggle Chiltern Classic

When: Saturday, August 5

Where: Buckinghamshire

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/wiggle-chiltern-classic-sportive

The chalky slopes of the Chiltern Hills to the north of London provide the backdrop to the Wiggle Chiltern Classic. The three routes are hosted by the countryside sat between Oxford to the west and Aylesbury and High Wycombe to the east, and travel through remarkably unspoilt countryside and pretty villages.

Marlow Red Kite

When: Sunday, September 3

Where: Marlow Sports Club, Buckinghamshire

More information: marlowredkiteride.co.uk

Another ride utilising the hills of the Chilterns is the aptly named Marlow Red Kite, named after the magnificent bird of prey that has made the area its home. Three route distances top out with a long and challenging 160km version, which heads north-east up and over the Chilterns and back again.

Circuit of Kent

When: September, date TBC

Where: Sevenoaks, Kent

More information: www.kentcyclosportive.co.uk

One of Britain's longest-running sportives, the Circuit of Kent is still an event that offers solid organisation and a fantastic route and sees hundreds of riders return each year. The event arguably takes place when Kent is looking at its very best, with the bulging fruit orchards basking in the autumn sunlight in between the area's trademark oast houses.

ICAP L'Etape London

When: September TBC

Where: Lee Valley Velopark

More information: humanrace.co.uk/event/letape-london

The L'Etape London is organised by Human Race, who are now owned by Tour de France organiser ASO... so this event has a direct link to the Tour in more ways than just following a similar route to the 2014 Tour's stage three. After the start in Lee Valley Velopark, the route heads north-east and up as far as Saffron Walden in Essex via Epping Forest (185km route option).

Cycling Weekly Box Hill Original

When: Sunday, October 8

Where: Cranleigh Showground, Surrey

More information: www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/cycling-weekly-box-hill-original-sportive

Box Hill is a popular destination for cyclists for a number of reasons, not least the zig-zag road heading to the top and the amazing view of the surrounding countryside when you get there. This sportive takes in several other testing climbs in the vicinity, including Leith Hill and White Down (TBC).

Quebrantahuesos is Spain's largest Gran Fondo and takes place the third Saturday of June in the stunning, but brutal setting of the Pyrenees on completely closed roads.

The name Quebrantahuesos literally translates to "bone breaker" and is also Spanish name for the Bearded Vulture, a endangered bird only found in the local area. It's an ominous and fitting title that leaves you with a good idea of what can be expected.

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The event has been going for 26 years and was originally started by the local Peña Ciclista Edelweiss cycling club. Since humble, grass roots beginnings, the event ballooned in Spain's biggest Gran Fondo.

With 11,000 entrants, Quebrantahuesos is huge. Despite the large number of riders, the event remains relatively unknown in the UK, especially compared to events such as La Marmotte and the Etape du Tour - I was one of only 82 competitors from the UK this year. Perhaps Quebrantahuesos is like a cool indie band that none of your friends have heard of yet, but are destined for big things in the UK.

When and where is it?

The route starts and finishes in the small town of Sabiñánigo, in northern Spain and the event is held annually on the third week of June. From there you head North into the Pyrenees, taking in the Col de Somport, Marie Blanque and Portalet. All three climbs are Hors Catagorie and the whole route is on closed roads.

My experience riding the event

One of the biggest challenges riders face in Quebrantahuesos is the heat. Staying hydrated is tough and with temperatures of 30ºC and higher common, the heat can be very challenging for riders coming from more milder climes. However, in 2016 when I rode, instead of the unrelenting Spanish sun, we had to contend with mild temperatures and sustained rainfall, which was unusual for the event.

The average temperature for my ride was just 12ºC and as I lined up at the start at 6:30am it was just 6ºC according to my Garmin. While unusual for Spain, I took comfort in the fact that I had a large amount of experience riding in similar conditions. I struggled to hide my amusement as local riders entered the starting pens, shivering, dressed seemingly for arctic warfare with full deep tights, jackets, gloves and buffs.

You are set off in waves and the organisers do a great job both in terms of the size of waves and gaps between them. The wave you are in depends on your number with the first wave containing ex-pros, celebrities and riders who have previously recorded fast times. Five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain rides the event most years and was riding this year too.

Having dressed for the ride and not to be stood in a chilly starting pen, I was glad to get moving and get warm. I was aiming to do a decent time, so instantly started moving up through my wave, positioning myself near the front of what was a huge peloton.

You head out on a huge highway with motorbike outriders. The bunch was much safer and relaxed than what I have experienced in events such as RideLondon. It struck me that the average rider doing Quebrantehuesos has much more cycling experience and have probably been cycling longer than those tackling a UK sportive.

This is evident, not just in the group riding skills, but also in the level of their kit (lots of riders on tubulars), and their clothing, which is often custom club or team kit.

The pace was high and terrifically exciting. It's not often you get the chance to be swept along in the slip stream of a huge bunch doing 50kph on closed roads. After a few minutes near the front of my peloton, I clocked three riders, all in the same team strip, motor through on the right hand side and straight off the front of the bunch. Not everyone seemed interested, but I instantly figured that these three were going for 'a time.'

Without hesitation, I sprinted onto the back of them. We were joined by a couple of other riders and set about bridging to the wave in front of us. It was a hard 15-20 minutes of riding in no-man's land, but we caught them just ahead of the first major test of the day - The Col du Somport, which is 26km at 3% gradient with the final 10km averaging 6%.

The Somport is normally a very busy road, making it not suitable for cyclists. I rode the climb pretty hard, as I wanted to try and stay with some of the strong riders around me, the hope being I could get a decent tow off them. With the rain pouring, the support on the climb was fantastic - enthusiastic locals cheering, ringing cowbells and running along side, makes you feel like you are riding the Queen stage of a Grand Tour and certainly spurs you on. As I crested the summit, spectators were even offering news paper to stuff inside jerseys.

The descent off the Somport was very wet. Fortunately I think this actually made it safer, with riders being sensible and not taking risks. It became very clear on this wet descent that the marshalling was the best of any event I have done. Any potentially hazardous section or corner was preceded by large signs and loud and bright marshals, giving you plenty of warning. This makes everything much safer, and crucially, increased my enjoyment.

At the bottom of Somport, groups once again formed and allowed us to bomb along at 50kph, heading towards the village of Escot and the ominous Col du Marie Blanque. Marie Blanque has featured in a number of Tours de France and is rated by Eddie Merckx as one of the hardest passes he ever had to climb.

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With stats of 9.1 km at 8% the climb doesn't appear to be especially difficult on paper. Statistics can be misleading. This climb is savage as the final 4-5km don't dip below 10% with each kilometre harder than the last. Pacing is therefore key and it is advisable not to get lured in by the relatively gentle lower slopes. One of the kilometres averages 13% with maximum gradients much higher and I saw many riders reduced to walking large parts.

Having successfully negotiated the second of the days climbs and survived the descent, the route took me towards the Col du Portalet. Having ridden pretty hard up the first two climbs, the event started to bite. I unashamedly wheel sucked my way through the valley to the small French town of Laruns.

Laruns marks the base of not just the Col du Portalet, but also the stunning Col d'Aubisque. You wind through the village over a river to a fork in the road where heading right ascends the Portalet and a left turn takes you up the Aubisque. The Portalet is not especially steep, but what it lacks in gradient, it makes up for with its energy sapping length. I was seriously feeling it and the prospect of a 28km col was daunting. My morale took a further hit when my group seemingly accelerated at the base of the climb.

As I watched the companions who had been with me since Somport ride away, I resided myself to lower wattages and slowly (and I mean slowly) ticking off each of the 28km of what is an absolute grind. My group had contained several very small, very lean, very tanned, Spanish mountain goats who I had convinced my self were all ex-pros. They probably weren't, but telling myself they were made me feel better when I was dropped by them.

>>> What to pack for every sportive

My heart rate wasn't high, but fatigue was setting in and my average speed was plummeting like Felix Baumgartner. Up until the Portalet it had been a respectable 34kph.

With 9km to go, you reach the dam and there is a feed station near here too. Fortunately it had stopped raining by this point and I took to the task of just grinding it out and hanging in. It is a beautiful route, even in the inclement weather I experienced. Beyond the reservoir, the last 3-4 kilometres of the climb opens up into a valley and you can see it winding to the summit.

I started to reel in some of my previous ride companions, something which really spurred me on in the final 7% slopes. These riders had tried to keep with the pace of the now out of sight Alberto Contador lookalikes and had spectacularly blown up one by one. On my way to the summit I passed several of them at truly unspectacular speeds.

 Video - How to climb the Kitzbuheler Horn, one of the toughest climbs in the world

Sitting in what must have been a rain shadow, the descent off the Portalet was dry. It isn't especially technical and the road is wide enough for four HGVs or coaches. The closed roads really come into their own at moments like this. With wide sweeping turns and tonnes of run off you don't have to brake, it's a hugely enjoyable descent and I was swooping down at 80kph (something I didn't know until I looked back at my Garmin data).

Descending the Portalet, I felt jubilant, I had done it and all that remained was a casual slightly downhill run in to the finish. Except, I hadn't and there wasn't. I, like many others had forgotten Quebrantahuesos' final sting in the tail - the Hoz de Jaca mountain, a short but cruel (10% gradient) climb.

Take a look at the route profile and the Hoz de Jaca looks a like an innocuous pimple next the three monsters you have already conquered, however, it still felt bigger than any climb I have done in the UK and a serious test of both physical and mental strength coming where it does in the event. The descent is pretty technical too, with some sharp bends and the odd bit of gravel. The lower part opens up though and very fast as you head out onto the final run in home.

With 20km to go I was alone as I hit the final run in to Sabiñánigo. With a couple of carrots up the road I decided to empty what was left in the tank and went into time trial mode. I chased down my targets and was myself swept up a short while later by a large group riding through and off. This group was really motoring, so I gladly sat in and gave myself chance to recover. No-one seemed to mind.

The final run in was fun, with loads of support from locals cheering people on. The small town of Sabiñánigo really gets behind the event and there is a really positive atmosphere. Crossing the finish line, I was empty, exhausted and elated with a huge sense of achievement. I collected my medal, pint, large portion of paella and laid down on the grass, well and truly broken. Job done.

My finish time was 6 hours 32 minutes which it turned out, was just a couple of minutes slower than Miguel Indurain. It's fair to say that despite being 52 'Even Bigger Mig' is still in great shape. Also highlighting the slightly humbling notion, that even if all the current Tour de France riders were forced to compete in their fifties, I still wouldn't win!

 Tips for the event

• The gate opens at 6:30 so get to start early. You may be waiting around a while but this means you can potentially have ~8000 people behind you. The beauty of this? You will constantly have other riders passing you that you can draft off, increasing your overall speed.
• Take plenty of kit for different weather options. I had planned to ride in summer kit expecting 30ºC temperatures, but fortunately packed Rapha's Wet weather Shadow kit. On the day I had this kit was superb.
• Stay hydrated. I got round with just two 750c bottles (which i finished). However the average temperature was only 12 degrees and about a 3rd of the ride was spent in rain. Having spoken to veterans of the event, you would be advised to stop at feeds and get more fluids in normal conditions.
• Try and save something for the final two climbs
• This event has two routes: Quebrantahuesos Gran Fondo (200 km) and, if you fancy something slightly less daunting, the shorter 'Treparriscos' Medio Fondo (85 km).

The Bike

My bike of choice was a Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod in team colours. With several monster climbs, weight was at the forefront of my mind, so I made some modifications. It was fitted with Dura Ace Di2, a super-light Fizik Arione 00 saddle and Fizik 00 40cm handle bars. For power measurement I used Power Tap P1 pedals. Although these pedals are quite heavy, they are easy to transport and fit. They were really useful for pacing my efforts on the long climbs too.

>>> Review of the Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Team Edition

The wheels were Mavic's new Cosmic SL C 40mm carbon clinchers. I was nervous at the prospect of using carbon clinchers on long wet descents, but the new Mavic's are superb. Overall, the bike weight was a UCI illegal 6.4kg. It performed superbly and I struggle to think of another machine I would have wanted for such a challenge. Regarding gearing, I opted for 52/36t with an 11-28t rear. You may want consider a 50/30 chainset, if you are worried about the Col du Marie Blanque.

How to enter

The 2017 edition will be held on the 17th of June and you can enter by heading over to the Quebrantahuesos site. Entry is via a ballot which opens in November. Price for sign up lottery is €4. The results of the ballot are announced in January with successful applicants then able to purchase an entry for €60. If you don't have a cycling licence, you may be required to purchase a Spanish day licence for €10 too. Regardless this event represents excellent value. There are also charity places too.

How to get there

The nearest airport is Zaragoza which is about 130km from Sabiñánigo. Both Madrid and Barcelona are about 450km away. Other potential options are Pamplona and Biaritz, both of which are fairly small airports. When visiting the Pyrenees I have flown to these airports and rented a van to transport both people and bikes.

Where to stay

There are quite a few hotels in Sabiñánigo where you may find accommodation, but demand is high, so I recommend booking far in advance, otherwise you could be a significant distance from the starting point. One option many riders opt for is to camp the night before. There are several sites for this.

Note! Sign up for the 2017 edition is now live. To sign up for the event and to find out more information, click here. 

Web: www.fredwhittonchallenge.co.uk

Distance: 112miles

Major climbs: 10

Terrain:  Vicious

Number of finishers: 1,750

Average time: 8hr 45 min

Best: The climb of Newlands Pass.

Worst: The climb of Hardknott Pass.

God knows why I keep coming back; maybe I think it will get easier, or maybe, just maybe one year it might not bloody rain. This was my fourth crack at the Fred Whitton, which is without doubt the toughest, baddest sportive in Britain — and the standard by which all others have to be measured.

There’s no easy route, no soft option — it’s 112 miles or nothing. This is a true challenge, not some jolly in nice country lanes.

This year saw a tweak to the route as the HQ was moved from Coniston to Grassmere, allowing a decent warm-up before the first climb instead of the usual 500m. Of course it was raining, but not consistently, just heavy showers, which, combined with a high of 11°C, meant jacket and leg-warmers all day.

Once on the road, I soon warmed up and found my legs and was comfortably gapping my group up the climbs. However, it would have been foolish to continue alone, so I held back, knowing that I’d make swifter progress as part of a bunch.

The first proper challenge of the day is Honister Pass, and by some miracle the road was almost dry. I felt pretty good on its vicious 25 per cent slopes even on my 39/26 chainset (I probably should have fitted a compact for this ride).

Time to climb

After Honister, through the first feed and it’s straight up Newlands Pass, which is without doubt one of my favourite places on Earth. The view out over that perfect green valley just makes me smile from ear to ear.

Following the long descent, it’s on to the Alpine-esque forested bends of Whinlatter Pass before you start the lumpy journey over towards Cold Fell. What’s usually a pitched battle against driving wind and rain was this year quite pleasant, in the dry and with a favourable wind helping to blow us across its beautifully barren tops.

Down to the second and last feed in Calderdale, it was then on to the mighty and magnificent Hardknott Pass. As you catch sight of it, and with 100 miles in the legs, it’s enough to make you want to just turn round and run away, but you can’t; you have to cross it.

I almost managed to wrench my large gear up, but at the second-to-last hairpin, I threw in the towel, got off, and had to make the walk of shame past the photographers as they happily snapped away.

As the 30 per cent slopes eased to a more civilised 20 per cent, I remounted, but then bang — both hamstrings cramped at once. Aaarrgh! I was now in trouble; as soon as the pain eased, I had to move — standing still would waste time. I hobbled on until the slope became gentle enough for me to put my leg over the bike to gingerly carry on to Wrynose. Thankfully they survived this ascent, leaving the final 10 miles.

With all the major obstacles now behind me, I smashed it. In this event, you must leave everything on the road, squeeze every last drop from the lemon. I crossed the finish line broken, cramping from head to toe and just like the three previous rides here, vowing never to do such a stupid thing again.

Missed it? Try this...

The Slate Stinger (now September 28) also covers some of these truly epic climbs.

www.bookmyride.co.uk

The Vätternrundan — a 300km circuit of a vast lake in southern Sweden that has been run since 1966 — ought to be on every cyclist’s bucket list. Held over two weekends near the summer solstice in June, 30,000 riders took part in the event in 2013 around the shoreline of Lake Vättern.

Taking into account the number of participants and the number of kilometres cycled between them — nearly eight million — this event has every right to call itself the world’s largest recreational bike ride.

The 2014 edition sold out in 12 minutes, but a few cycling holiday specialists still have places available as part of packages. Marsh-Mallows, a Majorca-based British operator, is running a trip to the Vätternrundan for the first time this year. And as owner and founder Dan Marsh explained, he already has more experience of Sweden than most.

“Emelie, my wife, is Swedish and was brought up in Stockholm. When I met her friends, they all talked about the ‘Swedish Classic’ [four races in four disciplines] that involves cross-country skiing: Vasaloppet, 90km; cycling: Vätternrundan, 300km; swimming: Vansbrosimningen, 3km; running: Lidingöloppet, 30km.

The trick is to do all four in one year. I used to think they were bonkers but once our kids are older, I’ll be doing it.”

Marsh himself rode the Vätternrundan two years ago: “It felt quite daunting, even with Swedish connections — flights, transfers, accommodation, the language, the format, when to arrive and when to leave,” he said.

Marsh-Mallows’s package takes care of all that, meaning all participants need to do is book flights to Stockholm.

“This is not like the Etape, an Alpine challenge or one of the 100-mile UK sportives where you lose your mates within the first hour or so,” said Marsh. “You have to ride in a group, share the load and work together. By coming with us, you will all start together — whether that is with friends from home or people you have just met… and you will definitely make some new friends.”

The Marsh-Mallows itinerary includes three nights — Thursday June 12 to Sunday June 15 — in a four star hotel on Lake Vättern, 15km away from the start in Motala, all transfers and meals in local restaurants.

Prices start at 1,560 euros. www.marsh-mallows.com

There are two annual organised rides two weeks apart in February that are promoted by two old South London cycling clubs over almost identical courses starting from adjacent Kent villages.

One of them costs £5 to enter, which you pay when you turn up at Knockholt village hall. For your fiver, you receive an Audax-style route card and a friendly word of warning.

You state how long it will take you to complete your chosen distance (68K or 100K), and then you wait for your start — riders are set off at intervals in small groups according to estimated completion time for the course. This ride prides itself on its old-school, no-frills ethos.

The other ride used to be just like that, but in 2006 it re-branded itself. Now it’s the biggest and best winter sportive, takes over a school in Biggin Hill for its HQ, has 1,500 riders who pay £30 each and who enjoy electronic chip timing, marshals at every turn, masseurs and a hot meal afterwards.

If you haven’t guessed by now, the first is the Old Portlians reliability trial and the second is the Hell of the Ashdown sportive, formerly the Catford CC reliability trial.

So what happened? Is it that the Catford has simply sold out, gone soft and taken the MAMIL’s shilling? Or is it that the Old Ports and the other traditional clubs that organise reliability trials are stuck in the past and failing to attract a new type of cyclist who wants a challenging ride but expects facilities to be up to a certain standard, doesn’t want to risk getting lost, isn’t interested in the reliability or navigational side of cycling and is happy to pay more? Will these other clubs eventually follow the Catford’s lead?

Reliably informed

Sydenham Wheeler and cycling writer turned frame-builder Richard Hallett has ridden the Kent-based reliabilities — his club also runs one — all his cycling life. “The Catford was always the best,” he says, “because it attracted all the top roadmen in the South-East.

“Anything could break – a pedal, spokes, a crank could fall off”

One year there was a bunch that had Sean Yates in it and three current or former national champions.” Hallett describes a whittling-down process that resulted in just one rider being left with Yates, who, at that point, decided to “wick up the pace”, looked back and the rider was gone.

It sounds like road racing, and it virtually was. Reliabilities were regarded as the foreplay before riders plunged into the season proper, where racers could size each other up, indulge in a bit of shadow boxing and get in some hard, competitive miles.

What’s more, the ‘reliability’ aspect, quaint though it now seems, was a much bigger deal than it is now. “Until the 1990s, when they became more reliable, it was a challenge for your bike not to fall apart,” says Hallett. “Anything could break — a pedal, spokes, a crank could fall off, you could have 20 punctures. Old tubs seemed to hoover flints up,” he says.

“There was no such thing as a tyre that didn’t puncture at the merest hint of a flint.” Hallett explains how in the days before clinchers were made to fit racing frames, reliability trial riders would resort to heavy tubs such as the Wolber Renforcé. “They were obviously crap,” Hallett says.

They had canvas inside them as if they were made from some sort of satchel. Whatever puncture-resistance they had was expected to come from the thickness of the tread.” Hallett laughs when he remembers the Wolber Invulnerable 84, which had a steel mesh belt inside it rather like chain-mail.

“Cycling was more fun in those days,” he concludes, as he returns from what he calls “a nostalgic trip in the wild hinterlands of 1980s cycling when it was the preserve of just a few eccentric people and plumbers.” Plumbers? “Yes — it was the sport of the semi-skilled worker,” he says, but you had to be quite wealthy to do it, so it could only be done by those members of the working class who could afford a grand for a bike — 10 grand in today’s money.”

Why would the Catford turn their backs on all this?

Catford CC president and Hell of the Ashdown assistant organiser Steve Airey takes up the story. “In 2006, the old Catford reliability only attracted 80 riders, and Rik Vandieren, the then president, felt it had run its course.

So to attract more riders and possibly new club members, Mike Morgan and Rik came up with the sportive idea. Rik came up with the name ‘The Hell of the Ashdown’ obviously after the Paris-Roubaix Hell of the North nickname; Mike with his internet and graphics skills sorted the website and created the graphics with the devil and trident.

“That first year, we got 350 riders; the next year saw 700 riders. In 2009, entries were capped at 1,000 and sold out within 24 hours but because of the weather forecast there were fewer starters and even fewer finishers,” says Airey. “I marshalled at the bottom of Ide Hill, the snow started at 10am and went on until I finished at 3pm.”

Route re-think

It’s an incredible rags-to-riches story, but as Airey explains, it took more than a gimmicky name and flame job for the website. With increased numbers of riders, the route had to be rethought. Vandieren ran the first HOTA over the same route as the old reliability trial, but when Bryan Stout took over as organiser, he realised the sheer number of riders meant it would have to come off the main roads. Stout says: “I took over from Rik and introduced the route, which with minor changes is the one used today. This incorporated as many of the stiff southern climbs that could be crammed into 100K as possible.

But it also introduced riders to interesting villages, scenic views from hilltops and seldom-used lanes and byways of Kent — and also parts of Surrey and Sussex they might not have been through before.”

Stout might have moved the riders away from murderous motorists and into a more bucolic setting, but with bucolic comes a whole new set of challenges. Airey says: “In 2010, the Toys Hill residents were concerned about the speed of descending riders, and there had been a previous accident where a cyclist went up the driveway by the green into a parked car and had to be airlifted — not on our event, I might add — and they were moving to ban us from the area.

About eight of us from the club committee had a meeting with them, allayed their fears and put in extra precautions such as the chevron arrows on the green and the cones across that driveway to highlight that the road bends to the left [as it descends steeply]. Since then, they have been our biggest fans, fought our corner in the local press and even marshalled at the event themselves!”

But that’s not the end of it. Airey continues:“Cudham Lane residents put in a complaint to Kent Highways this year that meant [organiser] John Palfrey had to attend a few meetings with them, produce our risk assessments and proof of liability insurance before they would allow us to run the event.”

And even when local residents and the Highways Agency are satisfied, the HOTA team regularly has to deal with complaints from the participants themselves. This year, early starters were faced with black ice on the descents of Hogstrough and Toys Hill and some fell off. The nearest marshals communicated this back to the HQ as soon as they were aware of it and starters were warned, some choosing to delay their starts.

However, Airey and Palfrey had to deal with disgruntled riders on the event’s Facebook page for the following few days. Former organiser Stout, who used to scare participants by dressing up as the devil during his tenure, is still playing devil’s advocate: “The merest hint of ice and snow now causes entrants to demand that the event be cancelled,” says Stout. “It was always accepted that tackling these conditions was part of the ‘reliability’ aspect.”

Tough riders

Stout’s comment, although tongue-in-cheek — highlights the big difference in attitude between reliability trial riders and the sportivistes, who pay £30 and expect to be informed about every potential patch of ice on 100km of road.

Have the Catford bitten off more than they can chew? Wouldn’t it be easier to have stuck with 80 tough racing men turning up to a village hall on the day, as neighbours the Old Portlians and the Sydenham have? As reliability expert Hallett says, the Catford has always been a forward-thinking club. Airey simply says: “I think mostly as a club we like to put on an event that we would want to ride. There is a passion in the club to put something back into the sport.”

Dedication

Catford CC dedicate the 2014 event to entrant Kevin Lane, who was killed while out training the week before.

Preparing the route

Catford CC president and assistant organiser Steve Airey has been in charge of the Hell of the Ashdown route, signage and marshals since 2011. He says: “The route has been tweaked a bit since 2011; we have changed crossings of busy roads to crossroads with a better line of sight of oncoming traffic.

We also opted to cut out Baileys Hill and bring the riders up Ide Hill so they have a safer left turn into the feed control — there were too many riders taking chances cutting across traffic when it was a right turn in. My job also entails coming up with last-minute diversions for roadworks or blocked roads.

“I take the Friday and Monday off work and go out with Tony Beaumont to put out the signs we had planned from the risk assessment. On the Friday, we usually get as far as Ashdown Forest  but this year we got so wet we gave up at Forest Row.

On the Saturday, Peter Hayes and I go out and put up the remainder; from this year, we leave the Cudham Lane to Hogstrough ones [at the beginning of the route] until Sunday morning, as they always get pulled down.

“Sunday, I go ahead of the ride to do a final route check, and hand out marshals’ bibs and flags. This year I phoned back to warn about the ice and put up extra signs at Hogstrough and forewarned the marshals there. Once back at HQ, Peter Hayes and I go around behind the ride to remove all the signs.

“Organising marshals is probably the hardest part,” says Airey. “Trying to cajole 58 people to marshal the route and hold them to it. For the last three years, we’ve got the appointed charity to try and provide 30 volunteers to ease the burden on the club.”

Where does all the money go?

Sportives are often accused of profiteering. So where does all the money go?  “Last year we made about £19,000 profit,” says Catford CC president Steve Airey. “We usually give half of it to the nominated charity but last year we rounded it up to £10K to give to [children’s hospice] Demelza.

Before Jeff Banks stepped in to sponsor the under-23 development team, it was used to pay the lads’ race fees and we bought a team van for them too. Now, whatever is left over goes towards our events that make a loss, like the hill-climb. That was especially expensive last year because we had to pay to have the road closed.”

Sportive signage

How many signs does it take to waymark a 100km sportive?

• Large ‘cycle event’ signs x 5
• Medium ‘cycle event’ signs x 21
• Small ‘cycle event’ signs x 8
• Caution cyclists x 9
• Cyclists dismount x 6
• Care rough road x 2
• Stop crossroads x 1
• Ice diversion x 1
• Care cycle crossing x 1
• Slow on bend x 1
• Fluorescent yellow cycle route arrows x 22
• Catford Cycling Club chevron arrows x 32
• Fluorescent orange arrows 100
• Cyclists prepare to stop x 5
• Circa 400 cable-ties and 100 screws

Words Andy Lulham | Photos Daniel Gould

When people talk of the ‘Surrey Hills’ they naturally think of Box Hill, famed for its zig-zags and the nine ascents during the 2012 Olympic men’s road race. Box Hill is easy to get to and relatively easy to climb, but there is a higher, tougher hill no more than 10 miles away.

The prize for highest point in Surrey goes to Leith Hill, but it’s a bit further off the beaten track. There’s no coffee shop or visitor centre at the top, no biker’s cafe or busy, four-lane A-road at the bottom. It’s also a popular route for cyclists and many local sportives use it. What many people do not know, however, is that there are more than eight different ways of climbing it — which would have made for a much more challenging, if not chaotic, route for the Olympic road race.

Local cyclist John Leitch hit upon the idea of basing a sportive around the different routes up Leith Hill but was worried at the cost of putting on an organised day, so he devised the ‘Octopus’; making it more of a reliability trial with a charity — Room To Read — benefitting from donations.

“Rather than spend money on signage, support and first aid it seemed more sensible to appeal to the more adventurous cyclist and try and raise money for a good cause at the same time,” John told us.

John is the kind of wily, wiry cyclist who is distinctly of the ‘old school’ department: steel-framed bike, down tube shifters, and an unflappable modest confidence that hints at effortless climbing in the Alps and Dolomites. Words such as ‘Stelvio’ and ‘Marmotte’ are dropped in to the conversation without a pause to check for widened eyes or nods of approval. From a modest creator comes a modest start: the car park of Dorking’s swimming pool, where we met up with John.

While John wouldn’t be joining me for the whole ride, I had company in the form of Dale, Nick and Simon. I felt a little like the wheezy, tubby kid who had got to pick the sports day line-up. Dale, who travelled up from Southampton, is a diesel of a cyclist and had recently completed a 24-hour Manchester to London ride. Simon, the youngest and lightest of us, had just got his third-cat licence and had cycled over to Dorking from home in Crawley. And Nick, my regular cycling partner, was fresh from frequently disappearing off into the distance on holiday with me in France. So, with little pomp or fanfare, we exited the car park and headed for the hill.

First and second legs

Coldharbour Lane is long and straight and hard enough to be included as one of Simon Warren’s 100 Great Climbs Book 2, and had been thoughtfully micro-dressed, it seems, just for us. The crunching of gears was drowned out by the crunching of tyres on the shifting surface until we reached the village of Coldharbour for the first time that day. It was tantalising to see the pub was firing up an oil drum BBQ and we knew that the smell of firelighters would be replaced with burgers and sausages the next time we came through.

Many of the ascents don’t actually finish until the high point of the hill, and thankfully Nick had parked his car there, stocked with food and drink, essential for the day. It was also thanks to Nick we managed to find the start to the second climb, as he is a notoriously bad navigator and had printed off the course map and obsessively marked all the relevant points on it. I also had a copy of John’s excellent turn-by-turn directions, but relied on them less as the day went on as Nick’s directional confidence went from ‘shonky’ to ‘epic’.

After a juddering and potentially ruinous descent of Hollow Lane, we turned on to the A25 and headed west passing through Sutton Abinger and the Belmont Prep School in Pasture Wood Road.

It was here that disaster struck for Dale, as an effort to climb a short incline resulted in a frightening cacophony of clangs from his rear wheel. Closer inspection revealed that this sudden burst of awesome power had broken a spoke and now it wobbled like the South African batting order in a one-day semi-final. Dale’s day was done and we called up for some support from our photographer, Dan, who could thankfully save him from a wretched walk back to the start in cleated shoes.

The roads had started to fill up with local roadies and mountain bikers, and so began an inordinate amount of nodding, waving and greetings as we hurtled down towards Ockley for the next ascent.

Third and fourth legs

Along the A29 north of Ockley there are two starts and we were to take on Broomehall Lane, a favourite of sportives. The unshaded start is relatively placid until you approach Broomehall itself when it deceptively ramps up and continues in a similar fashion until you get to the shady relief of the last third. Each corner presented a soul-sapping slight incline until the sting in the tail at the church at the north end of Coldharbour, when you have to double back left and get out of the saddle for 20 metres on to the road that traverses the lower part of the summit past Windy Gap. Lots of bunny-hopping is required on the poor road surface between here and the summit slog up to the car park for the third crossover.

The third descent of the day was a hairy one: through Abinger Common, past another tantalising pub, the Abinger Hatch, and down a twisty, high-banked single-track lane. It was at this point our progress was impeded by the sudden appearance of a convoy of vintage MGs on their way to the coast for a rally.

Heaving a collective sigh of relief at the end of Raikes Lane we turned away from the start of the infamous White Down Lane climb — one for another day, that — and a short section east along the A25 to the bottom of the frame-shattering Hollow Lane, back up to the summit car park and an opportunity to take a break and

refill bidons.

Fifth and sixth legs

Suitably refreshed, we careered back across Abinger Road and its assault course-like potholes and then past the delicious smelling BBQ now well under way at the Plough Inn. Bearing off left to Logmore Lane it was time for more singletrack bomb-crater dodging all the way down to Westcott and another smooth sortie along the A25, west towards more Wotton and up the day’s fifth climb.

The early gradient on Sheepscote Lane lulled us into a false calm, only to be cruelly shattered by the steepest slope of the day, made all the more worse for the fact I was finding it hard to climb out of the saddle due to a rib injury. Swaying from side to side, dangerously close to the gutter, the worst was conquered and we appeared once more on the car park road and zoomed through, back down towards Ockley, passing the splendid walled farm selling free-range eggs and jams.

Back along Stane Street (A29) and past the start of Broomehall, we pressed on to Henhurst Lane and the blessed relief of a glass smooth, recently resurfaced road. Thankfully not as tough as Sheepscote, but challenging nonetheless, we trundled to the top. My energy was sapped by the appearance of three hitch-hiking flies, sucking blood from my right calf. I wasn’t aware of any doping control so I flicked them off before they could take a B-sample. The last climbs beckoned.

Seventh and eighth legs

The penultimate climb included revisiting the road that did for Dale several hours before, and a blast along the road west of Holmbury St Mary to the bottom of Abinger Common. After fours hours, this felt like (and probably was) the longest climb of the day, made worse by being at the hottest part of the afternoon. The patched tarmac was bubbling and popping under our tyres and the indifferent breeze was no longer refreshing but stifling.

A final stop at the car park to take on more fluids and suck on some energy gels, and we were off on the final climb of the day.

Out of all of the climbs featured on the Octopus, this is the one we’ll all recall with least fondness. After traversing Pasture Wood Road and blasting once more south of Holmbury St Mary, we turned into Tanhurst Lane and were met with a road surface that could be charitably described as ‘testing’. Like Frodo and Sam being guided through the Dead Marshes by Gollum, there seemed to be one route only up the pitted and potholed road, which under normal circumstances would have been challenging in itself.

After nearly 56 miles and seven hills (plus all of the mini-climbs) it was a wonder we stayed upright as the gradient ramped and the pedals turned slower and slower. Improving, in the loosest sense of the word, the further up we went, we were rewarded with a respite of a couple of hundred metres of flatness past Tanhurst House before a final effort up to the car park and the relief associated with pressing ‘Save Ride’ on our bikes’ computers. Dotty jumper of the day went to Simon, ‘dossard rouge’ for most combative to Nick and ‘lantern rouge’ to me. Despite crossing the line together, it was with a helpful and much needed push from the team.

So what lessons did I learn?

If you’re going to do a 58-mile climbing challenge you need several things: plentiful supplies of food and water; it not to be 25 degrees in the shade; not to have a broken rib. Other than that it was a doddle.

Seriously, this is a major test for the legs and the stamina — not quite up to the Fred Whitton in the Lake District, but I imagine it comes some way close to preparing you for a serious hilly sportive. There is little break from the climbs; as soon as you finish one you’re on to another, and another, and another. While 6,000 feet of climbing doesn’t sound like much compared to some of the hillier events you can do, its compact nature means you’re never too far from the top. And if you don’t fancy completing the whole ride you can get in your car at the top any time.

Andy Lulham's Leith Octopus ride on Strava>>

Stop!

Pubs and grub

The Plough Inn, Coldharbour, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6HD 01306 711793,

www.theploughinn.com

The Abinger Hatch, Abinger Lane, Abinger Common, North Dorking, Surrey RH5 6HZ 01306 730737,

www. theabingerhatch.com

The Wotton Hatch, Guildford Road, Wotton, Dorking RH5 6QQ 01306 887694, www.wottonhatch.co.uk

Bike Shops

Head For The Hills, 43-44 West Street, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1BU 01306 885007 www.head-for-the-hills.co.uk

Road Book

A  more detailed road book is available on the leithhilloctopus.org

From Dorking Halls, L and cycle through Dorking town centre, following signs for the A25. At Vincent Ln bear L and take Cordharbour Ln all the way to the top, through Coldharbour and take the R fork into Abinger Rd. At the end, turn right and carry on up Leith Hill Rd past the top car park, which is the summit you’ll pass another seven times. Carry on down Hollow Lane and L on to the A25.

Carry on along the A25 until Abinger Hammer and then L into Felday R. Climb up through Sutton Abinger and Holmbury St Mary, then turn L into Pasture Wood Rd. At the end, turn right back onto Leith Hill Rd, past the car park and down to Ockley Rd and turn L. Follow this road down to the A29 (Stane Street) at Ockley and turn L. Turn L again into Broomhall Rd and when at the top, sharp L and L again into Abinger Rd. As before to the end and turn R, past the car park and then down the other side but taking a L fork at Abinger Common onto Abinger Ln. At the bottom of this descent, turn R into Raikes Ln and then R again on to the A25. R once more and up Hollow Ln, over the top and down Leith Hill Rd but taking a left back onto Abinger Rd, back down Coldharbour Ln. Bear L onto Logmore Ln, and keeping L at the bottom, turn L onto the A25 once more.

Turn L at Wootton on to Sheephouse Ln then L at the junction back onto Leith Hill Rd, past the car park and down all the way to Ockley Rd, L onto Stane St, past Broomhall Rd and L onto Henhurst Cross Ln. Follow this all the way to the top (it changes to Anstie Ln) and turn L, back through Coldharbour Village, right onto Abinger Rd and right on to Leith Hill Rd. Up and over past the car park and L onto Paddockhurst Rd, turn L at the end onto Holmbury Rd, L at the bottom onto Ockley Rd, then L again up Leith Hill Rd. Up and over the top, past the car park and then L again into Paddockhurst Rd, L into Holmbury Rd and L into Tanhurst Rd. At the top of Tanhurst Rd, turn L onto Leith Hill Rd and, at last, INTO the car park.

Boardman Bikes is developing a new 'superlight' carbon-fibre frameset aimed at the cyclo-sportive market.

According to the company, the B56 frameset will form the backbone for a new range of sportive bikes currently undergoing testing and development.

"This is an exciting development from our R&D department," said Chris Boardman, R&D Director & Co-founder of Boardman Bikes. "Two years in development and testing, the fine tuned result is designed to cater for the rider who spends a lot of time in the saddle - either training, racing or purely for the love of cycling."

Boardman Bikes published a video clip on Friday via YouTube showing test riders putting the new models through their paces in Kitzbühel, Austria.

The new models join a well-established range of Boardman models that comprise road, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, time trial, track and hybrid models priced from £529 to £7499.

Pricing and availability of the new models to be confirmed.

Click on the 'play' button below to watch the clip.

External link

Boardman Bikes

Quick info

Website: www.pendragonsports.com

Distance: Day 1 - 107/ Day 2 - 116/ Day 3 112miles

Total riders: 1,458

Total climbing: 7672m



How, exactly, does one approach a sportive like the Tour of Wessex? Is there anything like the Tour of Wessex? Somehow I doubt it.



For those unfamiliar with this now well-established event, it takes place over three days, and on each offers the ambitious entrant a ‘Standard Distance' ride of more than 100 miles with an awful lot of climbing. For the more sensible, there's a ‘Medium Distance' alternative ride each day, and shorter ‘Breeze Rides' on day one.

I know how I planned to approach it: steadily - as in, taking great care to save myself for the last day and, on the last day, for the last half of the day's ride. Why? Because 335 miles is a long way to ride, and 7,672m is a lot of hill to climb in three days.

The event is timed using the latest disposable timing chip technology, but even those of us with no desire to impress the organiser risk exhaustion by going too hard and, as with any endurance event, finishing slowly takes priority over not finishing having travelled too fast prior to retirement.

Day one

A steady pace, then, kicked off day one, which as ever took place on the Saturday of the Whitsun bank holiday weekend and headed north from the event HQ town of Somerton. The event prospectus promised stunning terrain and, having passed through the famous town of Glastonbury, we traversed the Somerset Levels, noted worldwide for their birdlife.

These low-lying lands might sound easygoing but the narrow lanes are potholed and gravel-strewn, and demand constant attention, especially from those desperate to hold a wheel and shelter from the morning's stiff headwind.

Beyond the Levels lie the Mendip Hills and the big climb of Cheddar Gorge. In truth, it was a bit of a relief to get through the gift shops of the town at its foot and hit the climb proper, which begins to fill with vehicles early in the day. The foot of the climb is the hardest bit but it drags on to reach an uneven plateau littered with the remains of lead mines and the ‘gruffy' miners left behind.

The first feed of the day, shortly after the top of the Gorge, eased any gruffy feelings. On offer were seemingly unlimited quantities of Jaffa cakes and fig rolls along with trays groaning with mini Scotch eggs and tiny Cornish pasties. The combo worked for me every time.

Past Wells, we entered beautiful but repetitively lumpy country that lasted all the way to Bruton and beyond, eventually reaching a road I remembered well from a preview ride in 2006. At the top lay King Alfred's Tower and before it a climb that got progressively steeper until dismounts could be seen - and enjoyed.

My recollection of the 87km that followed is mostly of a headwind after the turn at Longbridge Deverill. On a gentle rise out of Mere, I experienced a bad patch and advised riding companion Juan to leave me to suffer on my own. Unfortunately this is hard to do in a sportive; even as you get dropped from one group, another comes along.

By the time I had been passed and dropped by about six of them and had crested the evil little climb out of Stourhead, I had recovered enough to ride again with Juan, having rejoined him at the final feed. It couldn't last; Juan dropped me again and was to be found later enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the event's tented village.

Day two

Easily the finest scenery of the three days' riding was provided on day two, which took riders through Dorset to the Purbeck Hills. Given the distance to that part of the south coast, there was little dilly-dallying and the route headed pretty directly along roads I have cycled since my youth. Intent on enjoying them, I declined to join any of the bunches that overtook prior to the feed at Cerne Abbas. The village's priapic giant could be seen on the nearby hillside, his monumental lines blurred by encroaching grass.

Juan and I eased back and enjoyed the next section, which proceeded to offer up such delights as the Piddle Valley, Lulworth Cove and the road across the Lulworth firing ranges. The lengthy climb is worth the effort for the view afforded on the descent of Corfe Castle, which must be the most romantic ruined castle in England.

JC cracked after Wareham and I started to feel the benefit of my earlier slow riding, sprouting wings - for the next couple of hours, at least. Milton Abbas, with its picture-perfect thatched cottages and subsequent climb to the Bulbarrow Hill, came and went; the plummeting descent, deserted villages and quiet hollows came and went.

I spotted two riders outside South Cadbury taking smartphone pictures of a slow worm and thought, as I neared Sparkford, that I might stay clear of the various individuals I had only recently passed. No chance; looking back down a long straight, I saw a sizeable bunch coming up and sat in it for the last few miles back into Somerton.

Day three

Day three is the Tour's tappone - mainly because it comes when legs are sore. This day also has by far the most climbing, although to make life easier the ascent to Dunkery Beacon has been ditched in favour of Porlock Hill.

This year's early miles were made hard by a steady southerly wind that battered the left shoulder but made riding in echelon easy enough. The mighty Juannosuarus being a one-man echelon, I sat behind him.

By the time we reached the Quantocks, we had aggregated into a bunch that blew apart on the wall at the foot of the climb to Quantock Common. Over the top, the fresh wind made life difficult and threatened horrors to come across Exmoor.

These turned up exactly as expected at the top of the Porlock Hill Toll Road, used instead of the legendary one-in-four main road climb out of the village. The toll road is steady, much like a very long version of the Box Hill zig-zag, and passed pleasantly enough until we left the tree line and felt the wind's full force.

It stayed in our faces all the way across the moor to Dulverton, so it was with relief that we turned left and got some respite. But not from the hills; the next one kicked off a deadening succession that took us past Wimbleball Lake. Only then did matters improve, with a long downhill stretch to the final feed at Cedar Falls.

The last leg should have been easy; it was tailwind-assisted, flat until the last few miles and not too long. Never underestimate the morale-boosting value of descents; with the end supposedly in sight, this level stretch was slow and near interminable.

Langport might as well have been Brigadoon, but it did at least presage one last - sorry, two last - hills and an easy freewheel into Somerton.

Bacon butty eaten, expletive directed at organiser Nick Bourne, Juan congratulated on pushing his 100-plus kilos around a ridiculously hilly parcours; job done.

Sportive soundbites

Darren Jones - Leek CC

"I'm riding the three days and trying this event out for the first time. The routes are good, very nice, so I am looking forward to tomorrow [day three]. The marshalling's very good and so are the support vehicles out on the road. I'm camping and the only thing I would like is better stuff for breakfast, really, and it would be good if they put some sort of entertainment on in the evening."

James Richens - Nottingham

"It's very tough. I did all three days last year and it didn't put me off; I'm back for more. I'd say it's harder this year but that's probably just due to me having done a race a couple of weeks ago so I'm still a bit fatigued from that but yes, very enjoyable, very good and tomorrow's still to come."



This article was first published in the June 13 issue of Cycling Weekly. Read Cycling Weekly magazine on the day of release where ever you are in the world International digital edition, UK digital edition. And if you like us, rate us!

Quick info

Website: www.hampshirehilly.moonfruit.com

Distance: 77/100miles

Major climbs: 7/8

Terrain: Tarmacked country roads (some with fast traffic)

Participants: 633

No. of finishers: 601

Total climbing: 945m/ 1,075m

Best: The number of climbs

Worst: The use of some roads with fast traffic

If the name ‘Hampshire Hilly Hundred' leaves any doubt as to what this sportive has in store, it only takes a couple of miles of cycling before riders get the picture.

The route involves many of Hampshire's biggest hills and lots of rolling countryside. However, at times these climbs are linked by roads that experience high-speed traffic. The first 20 miles are an example of this, as the route leaves Winchester and heads along a fast stretch of road in order to get participants to the first of many climbs as quickly as possible.

At the end of this, the roads become quieter and we reach the foot of Old Winchester Hill, one of the bigger climbs of the day.

This is just a warm-up for the most challenging ascent, though, because as soon as the route reaches the bottom of Old Winchester Hill it delivers you straight to the foot of Butser Hill. At just under 1.5 miles long, this climb starts gently but it isn't long before a right-hand bend sees the road suddenly ramp up.

The average gradient of 3.8 per cent, and particularly the steepest section towards the top (where it reaches nearer 20 per cent), meant that some people began to struggle and a few were left to walk the hill when it became too much.

Thirty miles in, this is definitely a first-gear climb and, apart from the sound of riders clicking down through the gears, all one could hear on the climb was the rasping of lungs and the occasional cleat unclipping and hitting the tarmac.

Breathless beauty

On reaching the top, the reward is a stunning (if breathless) view across the Hampshire countryside and an almost constant descent to the feed station where an abundance of cake awaits.

From there, it's another 37 miles of country roads to the next feed station and more cake. But first there are three further significant climbs between the two.

At the second feed station the route divides, with the ‘short' route of 77 miles heading back to the finish, while the full-length 100-mile route continues for a further 33 miles. The ‘short' route involves seven recognised climbs. The additional section that makes up the 100-mile route is more rolling than the previous sections of the ride but does offer one further ascent and feed station. However, with much of the climbing done in the first 55 miles, the additional 23 miles from the second feed station were a real test, especially when the wind and rain set in from mid-afternoon.

The number of hills means that there are very few sections of flat road to make up some time. When these sections do occur, in the later stages of the route, the legs are already feeling the effects of the earlier climbs.

The route is well signposted, staff at the start and at the feed stations are friendly, and the marshals are well located at points where there may be some confusion over directions.

This sportive is great fun but, with even the ‘short' route covering a distance of almost 80 miles, it is anything but an easy ride. While there will be times during the ride that may make you question why you signed up for the event, completing it will give you a real sense of achievement.

Missed this? Try this...

Wiggle Mega Meon (July 28), three routes, start/finish Purbrook.

This article was first published in the MONTH DAY issue of Cycling Weekly. Read Cycling Weekly magazine on the day of release where ever you are in the world International digital edition, UK digital edition. And if you like us, rate us!

"This," I told Simon firmly as we left the event HQ, "is going to be a measured ride." Noting his unusual readiness to go along with this plan, I slowed still further from the easy pace first adopted; there was, after all, a long way to go so early in the year.

The Hell of the Ashdown is one of the UK cyclo-sportive scene's season openers; run as winter prepares to yield unwillingly to spring, it comes at a time when many road cyclists lack the miles needed to push hard on a demanding course.

It may run for a mere 100km, but the Ashdown Forest's Hell is assuredly hard enough to punish the under-prepared and overconfident alike.

The assumption that I was among the former, having caught this winter's cold-with-chest-infection good and early, saved me from finding later on that I was one of the latter. This was my first attempt at the event, which replaced the promoting Catford Cycling Club's revered early-season reliability ride some five years ago.

Avoiding the major roads followed by its predecessor, the sportive route sticks largely to the quiet back lanes that wend through the Kent and Sussex countryside.

Early test

Many of them are notably hilly. The event gave participants an early taster with the ascent of Cudham's Church Hill. The 25 per cent stretch at the top doesn't last long but comes at the end of a climb that forced a couple of riders to dismount; given what was to come, this would have made me abandon on the spot.

At least the icy conditions that have troubled the event were largely absent this year. The few patches of ice that could be seen were enough to instil caution, but air temperatures just above freezing meant that the roads were largely ice free. Indeed, a steady tailwind meant that the first half of the ride felt surprisingly cosy, with hands and feet warming nicely by the top of the many short climbs on the way to the first feed stop.

Well stocked with gels, bananas and a tea stand fit for an open time trial, the Ashdown Forest feed station marked the end of the easy stuff. Just a mile down the road was the Wall, one of the ride's great challenges.

The reality is not quite as awful as its name and reputation imply; for the most part, it is a steady ascent notable mainly for the direct approach to the summit implied by its name.

At the top, the ride turns right onto the route of the old Withyham road race circuit. On the long descent, the wind, now from the left, began its work.

Despite spending several miles sheltered on Simon's wheel, I could feel the cold start to bite. A succession of short climbs did nothing to warm sluggish muscles and I was glad that the new ‘Nouvelle [sic] Col de Groombridge' was pretty, rather than especially challenging.

Bowled out

Not so the climb out of the Medway valley past Top Hill Wood, which has the profile of a bowler hat. From here to the foot of Ide Hill, the bitterly cold wind nagged away, steadily eroding precious strength just as it was about to be needed most. Doing solid work on the front, Simon towed me to the foot of the second worst climb of the day but could do nothing to ease the suffering it inflicted on now-hurting legs.

Reluctant to waste time, we rode across the timing mat and straight past the feed stop just short of the top of the hill and dropped down to Sundridge. This was yet another long, chilling descent and it preceded the long drag to the foot of one of the most hated hills in Kent.

I once rode Star Hill in 3-18 when it was used for my club hill-climb; on this day it probably took me that long to reach the first bend. There is nothing good about the hill, which boasts an average gradient of eight per cent over its three-quarter-mile length. On a bad day it feels twice as steep. My mood was lifted by the sounds emitted by the woman on my wheel, who nevertheless had the breath to apologise for her stertorous breathing.

Any hope that the top of Star meant the end of the punishment was misplaced, but a well-chosen last few miles meant that it was of the mild sort. This was just as well, as my measured ride had signally failed to reduce the suffering I experienced on Star and Ide Hills. Hell of the Ashdown? Hell of the North Downs, more like.

Sportive Sound Bites

Annlouise Crawley

Club: Sticky Buns

Age: 44

5-41-58

"It was tough and cold. Three of us rode round together. There was supposed to be four of us but one bailed - too hungover. It was his birthday yesterday. After the first feed station they were saying the wind chill factor would be -7°C but it felt a lot colder than that. Would I do it again? Yes, once I've forgotten how cold and tough it was."

Niels Bryan-Low

Club: Cosaveli

Age: 41

3-35-03

"It was good; it went pretty quick but the downhills were pretty scary. I haven't ridden this one before, but I'm training for the Trois Etapes, which is the world's leading charity pro-am. I'm going to be riding with Carlos Sastre and Evelyn Stevens this summer in the Alps and it's going to be an amazing event. It raised $1.7m for charity last year. Actually, I run the event."

David Staton

Club: Serpentine Running Club

Age: 41

4-05-42

"That was awful. Awful. I loved it! I will love it more in about half an hour, but I found that very hard. I've never done the event before. It was cold... it was hard. I went out a bit too fast as well, which didn't help. I did 4-05 and that was including a few stops to deal with gloves and other issues, so I was pleased.

Ed Colinge

Club: Unattached

Age: 37

"This was my first ever sportive and despite a seriously hilly course and the painful cold - not sure I have been cycling in the snow before - it was really great fun and it was amazing how cheerful all the marshals stayed in the arctic conditions! I'll definitely be back for more again next year."

Photos by www.sportivephoto.com

This article was first published in the March 7 issue of Cycling Weekly. You can also read our magazines on Zinio, Google Play, Nook or download from the Apple store and also through Kindle Fire.

Wild scenery, big climbs and fine weather: what more could want from a sportive? Cycling Weekly pays a visit to South Wales for the Tour of the Black Mountains

The Tour of the Black Mountains is another event from the Pendragon Sports stable - the organisers perhaps best known for organising the multi-day Tour of Wessex sportive.

Starting and finishing in Abergavenny, it traces a route north through the mountains that give the event its name before venturing further west and tickling other areas of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Given its locality, there's little surprise that the route throws up a lot of climbing. On the longest option of 117 miles there are at least 10 big ascents mixed in among the numerous other undulations of the testing South Wales roads. According to the figures in the event bumf, even the shortest route included a Mont Ventoux-sized dose of altitude gain.

Over 300 riders took part in this year's event which enjoyed fine weather. The organisation seemed slick with registration straightforward, feed stations well stocked and a transponder system automating riders' times. With the event now in its third year, the new HQ of Abergavenny Leisure Centre seemed to work well - although they could have done with a few more toilets open before the start.

Of course the most important aspect of a sportive is the route and in their back lane Tour of the Black Mountain's, Pendragon have really come up with a winner. The climbs featured in the event were both beautiful and challenging, while the descents were absolute belters. A number of riders did puncture in the early miles, but encountering a bit of water and gravel in the lanes is a small price to pay for rural charm and almost traffic free conditions.

The Organiser - Nick Bourne

Pendragon Sports

"The Black Mountains has to be one of my favourite one-day routes: although the climbs are long they're not stupidly steep. I think we got the first feed slightly wrong but we've had the usual emails saying: ‘great event', ‘effing brilliant' and ‘it feels like someone's taken a chainsaw to my legs'. For next year we've been talking about combining this event with the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling. Maybe we'll have a town centre finish and encourage people to stay and watch the Grand Prix of Wales."

Sportive Sound Bites



Anne Radford

From: Bangor, North Wales

Age: "0ver 40"

Occupation: general practitioner

Time: 08-02-46 (97 miles)

"That was a tough ride: muddy roads at the beginning, filthy bike at the end, but I really felt I'd done a good day. I'd say the last five miles were the hardest just because I wasn't prepared for any more uphills after all the big climbs. I'd particularly wanted to do this to go over the Gospel Pass."

Ken Smith

Club: Bicester Millenium CC

Age: 65

Occupation: semi-retired

Time: 07-40-01 (117 miles)

"Stunning scenery: absolutely fabulous. It was well marshalled and the signs were all in position. I used to live in the North Yorkshire Dales and I found the scenery and gradients very similar to there. I applaud the organisers for putting in age-related standards - most sportives don't. When you're 65, it's a bit tricky competing against a 25 year old."

Christopher Allen

Club: Port Talbot Wheelers

Age: 34

Occupation: bricklayer

Time: 07-55-31 (117 miles)

"It was great up until the third feed stop and then I just fell apart. I think the mileage just got to my legs. A couple of those hills are only about 10-miles from where I live so I've been up them a few times but they don't get any easier. That climb just before Crickhowell was a grind."

My Cyclo-Sportive - Hugh Gladstone CC Sudbury

Time: 3-51-11 (60 miles)

I entered the Tour of the Black Mountains in the hope of re-finding my climbing legs. Some time ago they seemed to have deserted me.

Right from the outset climbing is what we got, as the route ramped out of the HQ up a tiny little back lane into the hills. This connected with more narrow lanes and although the route dipped and dived through lush green tree tunnels, we were stealthily gaining altitude.

I enjoyed the early miles chatting with riders before latching onto the back of a faster group that trundled past. As the road rose up more definitely towards the exposed summit of Gospel Pass, this inevitably blew to pieces.

The reward for all the early climbing was a fantastic long descent down towards Hay-on-Wye. At first it comprised fast, open corners over wild moorland before steepening into sharper, blinder bends amongst the denser vegetation lower down. It was reassuring to see a National Escort moto-rider at the foot of the descent warning oncoming motorists of our presence.

The second big climb at Llangynidr was more obtuse than the Gospel Pass, just steadily rising up the hillside for five kilometres. I think here I did indeed find my climbing legs. Or at least that's how it felt when the Andy-Schleck-alike I'd been nattering with said he needed to slow up and climb at his own pace.

Over the top, I was greeted to another delightful descent: a long, less technical 50mph job right down to the riverside at Crickhowell. After this there were more incy-wincy undulating lanes back to Abergavenny to finally finish the legs off.

I was glad I'd just opted for 60 miles. When I finished the ride I felt I'd had something to get stuck into rather than the hours and hours of cautious energy conservation that I sometimes find longer sportive rides to be.

THE RIDE Foix to Loudenvielle

DISTANCE 196km (122.5 miles)

CHALLENGE From a gold medal ride to just getting round, take your pick

Last year it was the heat, this year it was the route. The Etape du Tour is never easy. In 2007 it was the turn of the Pyrenees to host a Tour de France stage for all-comers, and what a stage it was. Five mountains — two second category, two first category and one ‘hors’ category, the class of mountain that the Tour de France says is beyond classification.

The stage was 196 kilometres long, or 122.5 miles if you prefer. It ran between Foix and Loudenvielle-Le Louron and the climbs were the Col de Port, Col de Portet d’Aspet, Col de Mente, the Port de Balès and the Col de Peyresourde. A challenging mix of old and new Tour de France classic ascents.

It was hot but not too hot. The constant sunshine was a bit of a blessing because the climate in the Pyrenees can be unpredictable, with rain in one valley and hot sunshine in another. Wind was the biggest problem. It blew hard in the valleys and was against the riders on some of the climbs, especially the Port de Balès, a place that will be forever etched on the memory of many 2007 Etapistes.

French home first

Fastest times were set by Frenchman Nicholas Fritsch and woman Karine Saysset, who also won last year. Until recently Fritsch was a pro with FdJ and Saunier Duval, but couldn’t get a contract this season. He now races with French elite club AVC Aix en Provence — the same one as young British rider, Kieran Page.

Fritsch is a good climber, who fellow pros reckon never really mastered the art of coming down mountains. Not that it showed in the Etape. Fristch won by nearly 10 minutes from Philippe Argens, with the next few riders bunched quite closely behind him. It was a display of the strength that can be gained from a few years’ riding in the pro peloton, even though Fritsch’s time was well shy of the Tour stage winner’s on the same course.

There are numerous reasons why Alexandre Vinokourov went faster, not all of them savoury, although an important one is that the Etape strings out much quicker than a Tour stage, so it’s more of an individual effort, and the Etapistes had a raw deal with the wind compared to the Tour riders one week later.

But the Etape du Tour isn’t really about winners, it’s about taking part, taking on the course, challenging yourself and the 1,001 things a normal cyclist has to balance against his or her passion. Yes, you could dope for the Etape and maybe some do, but wouldn’t it be pointless when everyone is a winner?

The Etape, and events like it, are a breath of fresh air for cycling at the moment. They are about the joy and satisfaction to be gained from riding your bike as hard as you can over a very tough course. They are pure cycling, real cycling, the cycling that most people signed up for when they were first bitten by the bug.

Michael Briars, real cyclist

The Etape is for real cyclists, cyclists like Michael Briars, a 32-year-old IT consultant from London. He wanted a gold medal from the 2006 Etape, but his dream melted under the blazing sun on the Col d’Izoard.

To make amends he trained with even more conviction for the 2007 event. “I started training in January this year with a friend, Adrian Lee, which was tough because the weather was awful. I’d kept in trim by running the New York marathon, but then I was relieved of my nice new training bike by some knife-wielding thieves and had to ride an old jalopy I picked up on eBay.

“We started doing 70-mile rides on Saturday from where we live in north London to St Albans or Knebworth, and occasionally a 40-miler on Sunday if the hangover or weather allowed.

“At first, time didn’t allow for midweek rides, but in March we stepped it up, kicking off with a five-day jaunt to Girona. It was just what we needed. We bumped into a few pros and had good weather, except for one day with a full-on electric storm and hailstones the size of golf balls. I stayed in a cafe whimpering like a dog under the hand dryer, leaving Adrian to complete another three hours in the mountains. He’s a Geordie.

“In April the weather picked up and the carbon came out. I ride a TCR Advanced with Dura-Ace groupset and Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels. Adrian has a Colnago C40 with Record groupset and Mavic Cosmic Carbones.”

Another training camp and a mix of midweek turbo training and Richmond Park hammer sessions and the pair were ready to test their form. “We both finished in the first 100 of the Ventoux Beaumes de Venise. Then the following day we did even better in the time trial from Bedoin, both clocking sub-one hour 20 rides. Next we did the Dragon Ride and were the only two to go under six hours. Then we clocked five hours 28 minutes in the British Cyclosportive.”

Briars and Lee were ready, but they knew that the target of seven hours 21 minutes for gold would be tough. Still, they were on good form and their choice of gear ratios showed their confidence. “We became a bit like minor celebrities because we didn’t have compact chainsets on. We were both riding 53-39, and Lee had 12-25 whereas I’d gone for a more sedate 12-27,” says Briars.

The big day

“We started well, but I thought someone must have got it wrong when they said the first hill was the easiest, as neither of us felt that our legs were particularly fresh. Despite that we both managed to get in a good group, quite near the front,” says Briars.

Then bad luck struck the pair and they got separated on the Portet d’Aspet due to Lee’s rear wheel collapsing. The heat began to get to Briars on the Col de Mente and he punctured on the descent, which cost five to 10 minutes in addition to the five or so he’d spent waiting for Lee.

“I reached the 100km mark in three hours, well ahead of schedule, but looking down at my computer at the 50 to go sign on the lower slopes of the Port de Balès, I saw that I only had another two hours to play with. Where had all the time gone?

“I worked out that I had to climb the last 12 kilometres of the Balès in 40 minutes, and it was at that point that the road kicked up and stayed there. The heat really started to beat down, the tarmac was sticking to my tyres. It suddenly became awful, even the locals handing up water started to get on my nerves.

“I was losing it, and badly. I hauled myself up, at some point I switched off my computer and vowed never to put myself through such agony again. My Etape ride had become a

funeral procession.

“Somewhere on the descent I realised that the gold medal had gone, but I climbed the Peyresourde with all I had left, which wasn’t much. I got into Loudenvielle in seven hours 39 minutes, which at the time was very disappointing. Adrian came in over an hour behind me, his rear wheel having been replaced by a Mavic mechanic who must have been expecting to service Marco Pantani because the replacement only had a 23 sprocket on it.”

Briars was disappointed not to achieve his goal, but now he‘s had time to think about it he says he’s quite satisfied with his effort. “Only 70 people beat seven hours 21, so I was confident that if we hadn’t had troubles we could have done it. I think we did enough to get gold medals, but were unlucky on the day.”

He accepts that he faded as the ride progressed and that the mountains sapped the strength from his legs. He thinks there are ways to combat that, but doesn’t see one of them as using lower gears. “I reckon that if you have a compact chainset you end up going slower over the course of the day. When you are knackered you’ll always reach for your lowest gear, without necessarily upping the cadence. Also you need bigger gears on the flat sections and downhills.

“Ultimately though, I think that for a course like Foix to Loudenvielle you can mess about with gears all you like, but what you really need to do is train hard and practise in the mountains. That way you legs will last longer whatever your gear. Brighton and back, no matter how hard you ride it, can’t replace that.”

Great leveller

The Etape is one of cycling’s great levellers. People come from all sorts of backgrounds. Novices like Martin Lear of Bristol, who only started cycling at Christmas but who finished in an impressive eight hours 28, determined young fitness enthusiasts like Briars and Lee, and experienced racing campaigners can all sign up and have a go.

And everyone gets different things out of it. Miles Sharpe bravely completed the Etape dressed as a gladiator, raising money for cancer research. Every year since 2005 Miles has competed in a sporting event dressed as the mythical Tootus Maximus. This year his objective was to do two stages of the Tour, the British Cyclosportive and the Etape, “to complete the first GladiaTOUR de France,” he says on his website www.londongladiator.com. Yes, we know it's a terrible pun, but he’s raised a lot of money so can be forgiven for it.

Ex-pros remember

The mix you get in the Etape is a big attraction. Among the top ex-pros taking part were a former Tour de France King of the Mountains, Steven Rooks, and a former world champion, Abraham Olano, who escorted his wife Karmele to a time of eight hours 29 minutes.

Nowadays Olano keeps himself in trim with, “three rides of 100 kilometres a week, plus some running in-between. I took part in the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup race in Gran Canaria this year as well.”

Olano also currently leads the ex-pro marathon running league with a time of two hours 39 minutes set in the 2006 San Sebastian race. I asked him if, as a former swimmer he fancied following Laurent Jalabert, currently third in the ex-pro marathon stakes, in having a crack at the IronMan triathlon. “You never know,” he said.

Another ex-pro Etape finisher, who judging from his comments when he crossed the finish line will not be copying the energetic pursuits of Olano and Jalabert, is Greg LeMond (see separate story). His presence, however, was a great boost to other riders, an endorsement of the event and of enormous practical value to at least one competitor.

Dave Clinton is a former rower on his fifth Etape. “I did my first in 1998, then I had a go at the marathon, but I enjoy cycling more. I’ve done a Gran Fondo in Italy and I’ve done the Tour of Wessex twice. I joined a cycling club recently and they have got me riding the Surrey handicaps, which has taught me a lot, but one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned was today when I tried to follow Greg LeMond down the Peyresourde. I learned more about descending doing that than I have in all the time I’ve been cycling,” said Clinton after crossing the line in 8 hours 41, just a few seconds behind the first US winner of the Tour.

Spirit of the stage

Of course the day was bursting with stories of people exceeding their expectations, learning things about cycling and about themselves, and a few falling short of their goals. But results and striving to be better are only part of the Etape story. The rest is about the impressions and memories you come away with after riding the Etape.

Neil Bradbury, an orthopaedic surgeon from Bath, says he will never forget “cycling through dusty villages, places with hardly anyone living in them, and there were people standing by the road cheering everyone through and handing up drinks. In another place there were kids lined along the street high-fiving any rider who went through. Then on the top of the Peyresourde there was a huge flag with the cross of St George on it. The Etape is a really emotional experience, a day of a thousand impressions,” he says.

Cycling must be the new golf for orthopaedic surgeons — several took part in the Etape and one, Andrew Kelly, was well up among the top 10 British finishers. “I started doing Etapes four years ago and each one has been better, harder and more exciting than the one before. My sporting background in my distant youth was rowing, but I’ve always had a bike. I enjoy weekend rides with Somerset RC Tri, although I regard myself as a failed triathlete because I swim like a stone,” he says.

Kelly’s training consists of: “Eight to 10 hours a week squeezed around family and my day job. I do one long ride, one strength session, which is low-cadence short intervals or dragging a four year-old on a trailer up hills, a turbo session doing high-cadence long intervals, one other ride on a good week, and two runs. Oh, and I really want to thank my long-suffering wife for allowing me to get some extra miles in on our family holiday in June.”

The kind of support participants receive from the locals is another of the joys of taking part.

David Jones, who lives in North Wales and is a member of the Rhos-on-Sea cycling club, particularly remembers, “The village before the Col de Mente made a huge effort for us. The locals were out cheering and handing up water, music was playing in the streets, the atmosphere was just brilliant, and there were plenty more villages like it all along the route. It’s a very different experience to the UK, where you can expect to have things thrown at you, be spat at or run off the road.”

After gaining a silver medal last year, Jones took part in this Etape with no other objective than to enjoy the day. “I saved plenty for the Port de Balès, I knew it was going to be the Alpe d’Huez of 2007 and it proved to be everything I expected. Loads of people stalled and walked, but I was surprised again at the number of spectators there were at the top. Even if one of them got too excited and pushed one rider so hard that he fell off his bike.”

Another thing that surprised Jones was the number of punctures that people suffered along the way, and the finish area was full of tales of tyre woes. Some thought that recent resurfacing work was responsible, but more experienced heads like Greg LeMond reckoned that some riders had inflated their tyres with too much pressure, which can cause problems when rims heat up on the descents after excessive braking.

The business end

The Etape is a big day in the year for many cycling holiday companies. You can tell who works for them, they’re the ones stood on the finish lines holding a placard, festooned in cycling tops, wearing a worried look on their faces and alternately peering at their watches then squinting into the distance. They do this while answering 101 questions from their guests and seeing to it that anyone who keels over gets prompt medical help.

It can be a hard job. On top of everything else they have to keep the early finishers happy while ensuring that the later ones don’t feel neglected. Mostly though, they do it with good humour and get very involved in how their charges do.

Julie Wright owns Pyrenees Multisport with her husband Ian. They are based in Lascan in the Pyrenees and had a group of clients riding the Etape. They also ran several Etape training camps before it. “The problem we had this year was that the summer was late, so the riders who came on the camps didn’t get a taste of how hot it would be today. One lot from Yorkshire even got stuck in the snow,” she told me.

Julie was the team driver for the day, even though as a multi-Ironman finisher herself she probably wanted to have a go. Instead she put all her energy into cheering every one of her customers home, and with a voice that ensured every one of them heard her too.

Lessons learned

The Etape came in for some criticism last year, especially by some French magazines. The organisation was caught out by the heat, and water at the food stations was quickly used up. Also, Alpe d’Huez was a terrible experience. The weather in France was angry on that July day in 2006, and the Alpe became a furnace as the day went on. Many parched and exhausted riders suffered on what seemed like an interminable climb.

But there was none of that this year. Philip Ellison from the north-west of England rode both Etapes and he says: “The food stations were well stocked this year, but you just needed to negotiate your way through the crowds of riders. There was plenty of water, and I thought the cheese and ham sandwiches were a nice touch. They made a change from the usual sweet offerings.”

The organisation, which is part of ASO, the body that runs the Tour de France, put a lot of effort into the Etape, and it is one of the best events of its kind in the world. Numbers were slightly down this year though, and it was rumoured that entry on the line was possible even the day before. Does that mean that the Etape is becoming less popular?

No, not really, it’s just that there are a lot more cyclo-sportive events in the world today and the market is more spread out. The Etape is still something that a lot of people will want to ride for a good few years yet. It’s a classic sporting challenge and most finishers agree that it is harder than anything else they have done. It’s also a pleasure to report. Witnessing the wholehearted efforts the participants make is one of the highlights of the year for me.

BRITS ATTACK THE ETAPE

THE best times put up by British riders were seven hours 24 minutes by Marc Bearman for 72nd place, and seven hours 28 minutes by Richard Todd for 89th. In third place, and first Brit over 40, was Paul Holdsworth, an experienced racer from a west London cycling club with a glorious long distance tradition, the Hounslow and District Wheelers.

Holdsworth is 43, works for BA and is an Etape regular. He was third Brit last year and was pleased to have achieved the same result, “It’s nice, but not what it’s all about. I think the main thing is the challenge of riding the route. It’s something we are not used to in Britain, the mountains, the closed roads, and of course the enthusiastic support you get.”

Paul is a veteran of several British Best All-Rounder campaigns and his preparation for the Etape comes from the week-in week-out training he does for time trialling. “I work shifts, so I can end up getting 250 to 300 miles in most weeks. My riding gives me the distance but there is nothing you can do to simulate the climbs and the heat.

“Also, for time trials I use quite high gears, so spinning on the hills is difficult for me. I tend to be OK for the first three or four miles on each climb, then just hang on.”

What sort of feeding and hydration strategy did Holdsworth use? “I took on water at the stops and carried energy gels with me. As I’m used to racing long distances, I just went with what I normally do.”

What did Holdsworth find was the hardest thing to cope with during the 2007 Etape? “It was hot in the sun, but not as hot as last year. The main problem was the wind. It ripped the field to bits and made the flat bits hard.”

Holdsworth has taken part in many 12 hour time trials on English roads, during which he’s regularly done distances of more than twice that of the Etape. Does having ridden such events give him confidence for the Etape? “I suppose it must do a bit.”

And would he recommend riding a 12-hour for someone who wanted to put up a good time in the Etape? “Yes, it would give them the experience of spending the whole day on their bikes. I think it would be a good experience.”

Two weeks after the Etape, Holdsworth finished fourth in the 2007 National 12-hour Championship, riding a distance of 278 miles.