Anyone looking for a serious test of cycling stamina need look no further than the David Duffield Severn Bridge Sportive on Sunday, September 13. The event starts and finishes at Castle Combe motor racing circuit and offers the choice of three routes. You can enter on-line and entries are now open and the event will be raising money for the CTC's Charitable Trust.
With three routes on offer (100, 65 and 30 miles) there will be something for cyclists of all abilities – but it is the 100 mile ride that will prove the biggest challenge.
Crossing the South West edge of the Cotswolds before plummeting down into The Severn Valley, heading over the Severn itself and then facing the stiff climbs in the Forest of Dean. The route re-crosses the River Severn via the old Severn Bridge and back up onto the Cotswold Edge, returning to Castle Combe.
If that all seems a bit much then there is a nice 65 mile leg-stretcher which again takes in the South Western corner of the Cotswolds offering fantastic views over the Severn Valley into South Wales and the Forest of Dean, before crossing the old Severn Bridge taking in a loop in South Wales and then re-crossing the Bridge to pick up the same return route to Castle Combe as the longer ride. We rode the recce ride for this a few weeks back and it was a really good leg-stretcher.
The quiet lanes around Castle Combe are perfect for a family ride over 30 miles with very little climbing passing through Cotswold villages with plenty of opportunities to stop off for an ice cream or a cup of tea.
And organisers are looking for a bumper turnout as the event will be raising money for the CTC Charitable Trust, with £2 of every entry fee will going to the charity.
The project work of the CTC Charitable Trust reaches communities who do not normally cycle and provides better access to the health, environmental and social benefits of cycling.
An added attraction for the sportive will be the Greenpower electric car race day at Castle Combe, where teams from schools and youth groups around the country compete in their self-built race cars.
The event headquarters open at 7am for pre-event registration, where you will need to sign on and collect your bike number, timing chip, route card and emergency contact details, along with event partner Performance Cycles on hand should you need any last minute spares.
The sportive will start at 8am with riders leaving in groups of 50, with a two minute interval between each group. The family ride will start from 10am and all riders for this route must be on the road by 11am at the latest.
To enter the sportive visit www.severnbridgesportive.co.uk
I should point out that the larger fitting bands for the Carradice QR system are perfect for the outsize seating tubes of my Birdy and Halfords...
Who won the women's race as I must have missed the report on road.cc?
I had someone tell me about another fake camera that they might brake and aquaplane. They drive on the road but don't even know what aquaplaning is...
"with lean strong physiques" More body shaming !
I know, cos I wasn't in the video
Don't forget their insurance will double or even triple for the next few years...
All that glisters...there's an awful lot of fake Rapha kit available, not got any myself but from the photographs online it looks pretty...
Car damaged after crashing into house in Hereford street...
Yeah, I can't find any authoritative studies from a quick search. Anecdotally, EV owners are wearing through tyres quicker than with ICE vehicles...
If you're interested, Westbrook Cycles have them down to £140 already, albeit in a very limited range of sizes.