MUST DO RIDES...
Cash in your hard-earned form with our pick of the best sportives next up on the calendar...
18 AUGUST ORRO GRAVELCAT, THATCHAM
British bike brand Orro has put its name to this gravel ride that’ll be a thorough test of its Terra adventure bikes. The ‘Epic’ 55-mile route has 12 off-road sectors totalling 34 miles, largely on the Ridgeway. There’s also a 43-mile route. Entry to either is £40.
17 18 AUGUST EXMOUTH EXODUS, BATH
Unlike most sportives, the Exodus is free. Also unlike most sportives, it takes place through the night: (9pm – 7am). Inspired by the south east’s Dunwich Dynamo, it takes up to 300 riders through the Mendips and Blackdown Hills to, you guessed it, Exmouth.
3 1 A U G U S T 1 S E P T E MBER RAPHA LONDON TO MANCHESTER
What were we saying about night sportives? Well, here’s another one (it costs £150 to ride solo, plus you need to raise £750 for the Ambitious about Autism charity). It starts at midnight on 1 September, with a 221-mile ride beginning at Saracens rugby ground in Hendon.
1 4 1 5 S E P T E MBER REVOLVE24, BRANDS HATCH
Off-road cycling on pristine tarmac is the order of the day here with six-, 12- and 24-hour races at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent. Ride solo, or as a team, for a personal challenge or a chosen charity. Entry ranges from £30 (six-hour tandem) to £210 (24-hour solo).
2 1 S E P T E MBER GRAN FONDO ALBERTO CONTADOR, VALENCIA
This is the ninth running of a ride that aids Spanish legend Alberto Contador’s Foundation. It’s a predictably hilly affair, based in the coastal town of Oliva, 80km south of Valencia, with routes of 167km and 115km on closed roads.
5 11 OCTOBER RAINMAKER ROLLERCOASTER, SA
Billed as the “world’s first week-long gravel adventure” by its organisers HotChillee, the glorious gravel around Swellendam, South Africa provides the terrain for an epic week on the rough stuff, with average stage distance of around 90km.