New sportive gives riders chance to ride Tour de France roads

Over one million people lined the streets between Cambridge and London last July as the Tour de France circus passed through, now cyclists can ride much of the route in a new Olympic legacy sportive.

Organiser Human Race has announced the London Legacy Sportive on September 27 will feature three distances, ranging from 42 to 117 miles, and will take in much of the stunning Essex countryside featured on stage three of the Tour.

Starting and finishing at the Lee Valley VeloPark, all three routes culminate in a lap around the whole Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, having covered the route through Epping Forest and the rolling Essex hills.

Transport for London’s Gary MacGowan, one of the brains behind the route, said: "We have devised a stunning cycling route inspired by the legacy of Stage Three of last year's Tour de France and also by the 2012 Olympic Games.

“Participants can look forward to stunning scenery as they take on some challenging and technical sections of the route, moving through the Essex countryside.

“The long route meets the 2014 Tour de France Stage 3 route in Saffron Walden, where cyclists will follow in the tracks of their heroes along the exact route all the way to the Olympic Park."

To secure a place on the inaugural London Legacy Sportive, visit the Human Race website.