Category: Events

Categories
Events

The Dogs Sportive – August 4

The Dogs SportiveThe Dogs Sportive is a challenging event designed by Newmarket Cycling & Triathlon Club to take in some of Suffolk’s loveliest countryside whilst raising funds for The Animal Health Trust (AHT, website here). There are three great routes to choose from with a mixture of rolling hills, flat scenic roads and pretty villages. All three options – the 25mile ‘Terrier’, 50mile ‘Whippet’, 80mile ‘Greyhound – set off from AHT HQ (map here) and take in quiet rolling roads – with the longer two rides dispelling the myth that Suffolk is flat.

 

Start times are staggered: 9 to 9.45 for Greyhound, 10 to 10.15 for Whippet and 10.30 for the Terrier – with all routes costing £18.40 for online entries, £19 for postal and £25 on-the-day (places permitting). The event promises be a great family day out with other cycle-themed events taking place at the AHT HQ, riders can opt to support the charity by adding an extra £5 to their entry fee when submitting their entry online or by requesting a sponsorship form from AHT directly. Further details at newmarketcyclingtriathlon.co.uk and entries via the British Cycling website here.

 

Categories
Events

Superhero Cycling – August 4

Superhero Cycling

Superhero Cycling – August 4Grab a cape, don a mask, it’s time to Kick-Ass (get it?) – with the fantastic-sounding Superhero Cycling event set to take place at Gloucester Docks on August 4. Starting at Mariners Church (map here) with a 7.45am registration opening and riders away between 8 and 10am there are four distances on offer. The Super 10 (ten miles, natch) is described as ‘a comfortable, relatively flat ride suitable for all abilities’, the Super 25 involves a ‘slightly undulating’ loop of Elmore, the Super 60 takes in the ‘three peaks’ whilst the Super 100, for more experienced cyclists, is the true test for men (and women) of steel.

 

Superhero costumes are optional but encouraged (why wouldn’t you?) and the event is organised in aid of the Pied Piper Appeal, started in 1992 to improve the lives of sick children in Gloucestershire. Fundraising is via the sponsorship PDF available from the website but riders are free to support their own charity should they with to. The two shorter distances carry a £10 entry fee and the longer routes are both £20. Further details and online entry at superherocycling.com

 

Categories
Events

Cornwall Adventure Cross – Aug 30 – Sept 1

Cornwall Adventure Cross – Aug 30 – Sept 1Adventure cyclist Vin Cox has teamed up with Tempus Leisure (an independent ‘not for profit’ charity), Cornwall Council, and Pavé Velo – a bike shop in St Austell, Cornwall – to create his own unique vision of an Adventure Cross, sportive and cyclo-cross hybrid events that are already finding traction in the US, where they are known as a ‘Gravel Grinders’.

 

Set for the weekend of August 30 – September 1, the first Cornwall Adventure Cross will be a triple 34km loop through dramatic forest trails, broadleaf woodland paths, wild open moorland and quiet Cornish lanes, with the option for either relay team participation or solo glory. The event comes with some interesting extras too: on Friday evening, there will be a grand tour style ‘Prologue Time Trail’ around a circuit at the free campsite and on the sportive itself anyone with a competitive inclination can race along a few timed segments of the course. Both the trial sections and the prologue times will then be added up to find who was the quickest, making this a sportive with a genuine winner.

 

Sunday’s races also double up as the opening round of the South West Cyclo-Cross Series. All categories – novice, children, women, and elite men – are welcome in the races, and on the Friday afternoon there’s also children’s coaching from British Cycling.

 

For further details see adventurecross.co.uk or to read our interview with Vin Cox after his epic 29,000km world circumnavigation record click here.

 

Categories
Events

Manchester to Chester – June 23

Manchester to Chester – June 23A wonderful mid-distance sportive covering a 53mile route, starting from Wythenshawe Park in Manchester (map here) and taking riders through beautiful Lancashire and Cheshire countryside to finish at Christleton Hall, just outside Chester. The ride, organised by Bike Events, aims to raise money for KidsCan, who undertake research to support children with cancer, and all entrants are encouraged to raise money for the cause. Starting between 8 and 10am, the supported route is all on-road and transport for both riders and their bikes is available for the return to Manchester at an additional cost of £23 per-person.

 

Entry to the event itself is £17 (£10 for students) with team entries for six or more available at £16.50 per-rider. Further details and online entry at bike-events.com

 

Categories
Events

High Moors Sportive – June 16

High Moors SportiveBased around the North Penines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the High Moors Sportive heads through England’s ‘last wilderness’, starting from the historic market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland (HQ map here). There are two routes from which to choose – 115km (72miles) and 170km (107miles); the former is certainly no picnic, but the latter offers up nine challenging climbs and 3170m of ascent; promising to be the kind of classic challenge perfect for anyone preparing for events such as the Marmotte or Etape sportives.

 

Registration for both distances open between 7 and 10am with riders away from 7.30. Entry fee of £28 includes full route marking, sports nutrition, well-stocked feed stations (two on the longer route, one on the shorter), mechanical support, maps & route cards and event memento. Further details and online entry at highterrainevents.co.uk

 

Categories
Events

Manchester to Liverpool – May 26

manchester to liverpool bike eventsNow in its eighth year and voted number five in The Independent’s 10 Best Cycling Events for 2012, the Manchester to Liverpool ride is quickly becoming something of an institution. Starting at the Salford Watersports Centre, Salford Quays (Map here) the 40mile route, mostly traffic-free, is ideal for family cycling and takes riders along part of the Manchester Ship Canal towards Liverpool and the Mersey while the longer, all on-road 60mile route (new for 2013), crosses the canal to Culcheth and Rainford before passing through Knowsley Park Estate to meet the riders on the short route heading for the finish at Otterspool Park, on the banks of the Mersey. Both routes finish at Otterspool Park, Liverpool (click here for map).

 

Participants in both distances are encouraged to raise funds for the event’s official charity, the NSPCC, and those raising over £25 will receive a commemorative medal. Entree fees are £8.00 for children (age restrictions apply varyingly to the distances), £17.00 for adults and £12.00 for students. Pre- or post-ride transport can be arranged for an additional £23.00. Full details and online entry at bike-events.co.uk

 

Categories
Events

Brompton Treble

Brompton TrebleBrompton Bicycle has announced a new programme of events and activities to supplement the Brompton Treble – which is made up of three Brompton-only race events including the Brompton World Championship, taking place at Orbital Cycling Festival (Goodwood Motor Circuit) on July 27 and 28.

 

Rollapaluza have engineered specially modified rigs for Brompton roller racing, which will see racers going head-to-head and spin to win over 500 metres on the static bikes, whilst renowned street artist Zabou will be making a Brompton art installation over the weekend. In addition Brompton Afternoon Tea, a stalwart of Brompton events and free to all Brompton participants, will be serving up a very British cup of tea this year with tea supplied by Tregothnan, the only tea growers in Britain.

 

The Brompton World Championships themselves will see a host impressive prizes on offer with fastest male and female walking (riding?) away with the much-coveted Barcelona Brompton from a limited run of 500. Runners-up will be rewarded with goodies from Schwalbe, Berocca and Green Oil. Top positions in the team event will see team members receiving Brooks accessories, ranging from their lovely leather bags to saddles and grips. Nutcase will be rewarding the most dapper racers for the hotly contested Best Dressed prize.

 

The two other events which make up the Brompton treble – the Brompton Sprint and Brompton Eliminator – are sponsored by Jagwire and Green Oil respectively. The overall male and female winners of the Brompton Treble, who will have battled it out over all three events, can expect a more relaxing experience as part of their prize: a stay in a 5-star, hand-picked hotel courtesy of Mr & Mrs Smith.

 

For more information on the Brompton World Championship see bwc.brompton.co.uk and for details of the Orbital Cycling Festival visit orbitalfestival.com

 

 

Categories
Events

Brompton Urban Challenge

brompton urban challengeBrompton Bicycle have revealed details of a new non-competitive event for London, the Brompton Urban Challenge, set to take place on May 19. The format will offer participants something a little different to a traditional cycling event; orienteering skill and ingenuity rather than speed, will define the winning teams. In the urban jungle of the UK capital, teams of Brompton owners will ride around the city completing some Brompton-based challenges (Brompton track stand anyone?) and picking up points along the way by photographing the bikes in different places and scenarios.

 

Setting out from Brompton HQ at the Look Mum No Hands café bar in Old Street, teams will navigate between set checkpoints to be announced on the day; members of the Brompton team will be present at each checkpoint to assign teams new challenges, help to send photos back to HQ and even offer a few clues and route tips. Then once the challenges are completed, ‘Bromptoneers’ will be welcomed back to Look Mum No Hands for a post-event reception and some top refreshments.

 

The entry fee is a mere £10 and registration is now open with 125 places available (open to both individuals and teams) – further details and online entry at brompton.co.uk

 

For information on Look Mum No Hands, see lookmumnohands.com