UK's Best Sportive?

Corporate Ascents

Which is the UK's best sportive and why?

mamba80

Cornwall Tor with Autumn Epic a VERY close 2nd
Both have quite roads, beautiful climbs and decents but both very different in character. Cornwall gets its as its only a 20min drive to the start!
Least fav is Dartmoor classic, just too commercialised, busy moor roads and crazy car drivers! its too late into the summer and Dartmoor is just too popular as a sunday drive!

clanton

Current favourite is the Builth Wells Cycleops Sportive (run the day before the CRC MTM marathon). Beautiful area, fantastic quiet little roads clinging to the side of the mountains, stiff and challenging climbs including the Devil's Staircase, lots of well stocked feedstops and excellent organisation.

2nd is Tour of the Black Mountains - pretty much for all of the reasons above!

Royal Dragoon

http://www.mtbe.co.uk/congratulations-t ... t7923.html


http://www.mtbe.co.uk/the-richmond-80-a ... t7930.html


http://www.mtbe.co.uk/teaching-old-dogs ... t7939.html


What do you think................. :?:

http://www.mtbe.co.uk/

pendulum

Another vote for Richmond 5 Dale, excellent route, feedstops and organisation. A bargain at £15!!

nickwill

Of the ones that I've done, I would rate the Fred Whitton, the Dragon Ride and the Etape du Dales as the best. Common factors with all of these include hills and a large field. The bigger events tend to have more atmosphere. If numbers weren't part of the equation, the Richmond 5 Dales would be right up there.

ColinJ

I think that the Pendle Pedal was much underrated. It has been renamed the National Cyclosportive for this year and shifted to the 26th June from its usual slot at the start of August - it's well worth a look!

amaferanga

I've only done 3, but I think probably 3 of the best:

Bealach Mor
Richmond 5 Dales
The Cumberland Challenge

3 great routes and great organisation.

nickwill

ColinJ wrote:

I think that the Pendle Pedal was much underrated. It has been renamed the National Cyclosportive for this year and shifted to the 26th June from its usual slot at the start of August - it's well worth a look!

I'm doing that one this year and it does look like a great route!

maddog 2

+1 The Cumberland Challenge

very slick

Fred is hard to beat route-wise though

sagalout

Of the limited 5 I've done I'd say the Etape du Dales. The route has everything, including some great climbs that have rewarding descents that you can actually fly down and enjoy, unlike some of those in the Lakes like Hardknott which I didnt enjoy coming down at all. Its also great finishing on a 15 mile shallow descent!

I really want to do the Richmond 5 dales next year though - I heard about it too late this year.

Tom Butcher

Of those I've done

Autumn Epic
Fred Whitton
Phil and Friends (if it counts)
Cheshire Cat

- in that order. Done the top three two or more times each and would do them again (but maybe not pay what at least one of them is charging now).

LeighB

My top sportive (biased by where I live) is a joint decision; Fred Whitton or The Three Counties Challenge. The Fred Whitton has a great route and incredible atmosphere, the Three Counties is less well subscribed but the route is my favourite with a good combination of climbs and a variety of terrain/scenery.

DaveMoss

It's very subjective so there is no answer.

The best sportive tomorrow is the Bethany ( edinburgh ) sportive. The drumlanrig challenge is great, and so is the Solway sportive for slightly different reasons.
But I am involved in some way with them all so am biased.

The really good ones speak for themselves. It's understandable that organisers will talk up thier events, but it can be annoying how some of them over do it.(like I just have )

For me a sportive should have a certain standard for signs, feeding and timeing (not necessarilly electronic, just good enough for the job ). As long as the standard is met, more does not mean better. (e.g more signs, more first aiders/mechanical back up does not make a better sportive experience) .
All sportives should meet this standard, so deciding the best then all comes down to the route scenary and traffic conditions. It is therefore inevitable that most of the "best" will be in the Northern half of the UK

andy162

Ryedale Rumble....a real hard day on the bike. Usually decent weather (August), Rosedale Chimney @ 100miles!

Etape du Dales...love the route on this one. Have always gone well on it(6h24 this year), tough but enjoyably so. A bit costly tho.

Phil n Friends....CTC run Peak District ride. Gets you over Holme Moss, Winnats, Monsal etc...

Worthy of a mention ( to me anyway) are The White Rose Classic & Challenge the Richmond 5 Dales.

I'm concentrating on the racing this year & thus far have done the Etape du Dales, only other one I'm certain to do is the Rumble.

stevo1602

I have done most of the main "BIG" sportives in the UK in the last 2 years, and a few in France. Some are excellent, some OK, some could do better and some are rubbish.

Last week I went back up North to visit my folks in County Durham for a week, where I was brought up, and I took the opportunity to do the Richmond 5 Dales.

I have to say this is truly the best sportive I have ever done, even though the weather was pants, it was just excellent in every way, and all for just £15, some (most) all other Sportive organisers should take note.

cumbriamike

I have done most of the main "BIG" sportives in the UK in the last 2 years, and a few in France. Some are excellent, some OK, some could do better and some are rubbish.

This is an interesting subject, as sportives are becoming the 'vogue' and more and more appearing I hope we don't lose the essence of what they are about.

In my area the likes of the Fred Whitton Challenge, Drumlanrig, Cumberland Challenge, Richmond & The Lakeland Loop are great.

Excellent organisation, friendly people, well stocked feeds with that 'home baking' touch well signed and scenic courses. And most importantly in most of the above, lots of money is raised from the entry fees for charity.

I did the Northern Rock Cyclone yesterday and maybe its more a 'bike ride' than a sportive but given the problems I encountered with parking, sparse feed stations etc it left me wondering "has this got too big"

I don't know but give me a cool spring morning in Coniston any day.

Brakeless

The Fred Whitton and the Dragon ride are often quoted as two of the best. I did both this year and for me the 'Fred' was way ahead for the following reasons.

No queing (sp) at the Start
Far better organisation and food at the feed stops
Quieter roads
Decent free hot food at the finish
No irate drivers due to not going through so many small towns/villages
Parking at the actual start/Finish

I would definately want to do the Fred Whitton again but I feel like I've 'ticked' the Dragon ride and could quite happily miss it next year.

twotyred

Definitely agree with you about no queuing at the start. I've only done a couple of sportives, this years Hampshire Hilly Hundred and the Dragon Ride, and both were spoilt by long queues at the start and in the case of the HHH at the finish as well. No need for it with a bit of proper planning.