Sigma Sports Ride Yorkshire Sportive, 102, 72, 40 Miles, Sun 11th Aug

Starting out north and heading through the Vale of Mowbray, the Ride Yorkshire Sportive covers some easy miles on the gently rolling terrain until you reach the market town of Northallerton where riders will head west to cross the river Swale, and head on over to Bedale.

Here our course splits for the first time where the short route riders continue on the flat miles south, while the standard and epic riders push out further west and climb up on to Hauxwell Moor, before tracking along the edge of the Bellerby Ranges. From here riders will drop down into Wensley Dale to begin heading south, following the River Ure all the way to Masham. At this point, we make our final split of the day pushing standard riders eastward home, while the epic group push further south for some punishing climbs and fantastic scenery.

Riders on the epic route will skirt the edge of Leighton Reservoir at which point the real climbing begins heading straight for Ouster Bank trig point. A technical descent awaits after the summit as you drop down into Nidderdale via the village of Lofthouse, here you will be rewarded for your efforts with a ride along the river Nidd and the Gouthwaite Reservoir all the way to Pateley Bridge. A short sharp climb through the centre offsets this beautiful Yorkshire town, before heading north up over Pateley Moor en route back to Masham to rejoin the rest of the ride.

Now on the home straight, expect some easy miles as you head east for the finish in Thirsk.