Cyclist Magazine - top 14 Euro Sportives

durhamwasp

Saw this magazine in WH Smith, £9.99 with reports and info on Europes top 14 sportives... (of course, that's arguable that they are the best 14)

Some good looking events for the 'to do' list.

Gran Fondo Mont Ventoux was the most interesting - 85km winds at the top meant only 200 of the 900 entrants made it 25km from the start line to the summit, and therefore couldn't complete the other 130km.

Dippydog2

Is it downloadable from anywhere?

ugo.santalucia

durhamwasp wrote:

(of course, that's arguable that they are the best 14)

I guess they are the 14 that paid to be featured in the magazine...

phreak

Any chance you could provide the list? Would make for a better discussion

durhamwasp

Sorry, at £10 I didn't buy it... I remember the Gran Fondo Eddy Merckx, Gran Fondo Mont Ventoux, L'Eroica were 3 of them

galatzo

And my nemsis the Otztal Radmarathon isn't in the top 14. In fact it never gets a review or mention anywhere and given how tough it is and well organised it damn well should.
Really I just want more people to do it so they can experience the pain as I did !

phreak

Galatzo wrote:

And my nemsis the Otztal Radmarathon isn't in the top 14. In fact it never gets a review or mention anywhere and given how tough it is and well organised it damn well should.
Really I just want more people to do it so they can experience the pain as I did !

In the book Mountain Higher it was regarded as the toughest granfondo in Europe. It isn't all that well known though (sadly)

herzog

phreak wrote:

Galatzo wrote:

And my nemsis the Otztal Radmarathon isn't in the top 14. In fact it never gets a review or mention anywhere and given how tough it is and well organised it damn well should.
Really I just want more people to do it so they can experience the pain as I did !

In the book Mountain Higher it was regarded as the toughest granfondo in Europe. It isn't all that well known though (sadly)

Tougher than this one (http://www.alpenbrevet.ch/Strecken/Platin-Tour-85)...?

EDIT- Not done it, but knowing the terrian pretty well, it scares the bejesus out of me

phreak

I haven't done either, I'm just saying what the book said. Both look very challenging though

DeVlaeminck

A mate of mine just got back from doing the Alpen Brevet - from his report he enjoyed it but thought it could have been a bit more of an "event".

1KmtoGo

I saw the Cyclist Top 14 Sportive magazine in WH Smith last month but opted to buy the monthly Cyclist magazine instead and so not sure which events are included...

I have seen a Top 10 list on another website that covers European sportives ( www.urbantoalps.com ) and they include Etape Du Tour, La Marmotte, Paris Roubaix, Maratona dles Dolomites, Gran Fondo Nove Colli, Mallorca 312, RideLondon, Quebrantahuesos. Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Ronde van Vlaanderen

phreak

Not sure RideLondon should be near the top 10 of any sportive list.

dsoutar

Havent' done it but the Ariegeoise would be a decent candidate for inclusion based on what I've heard & read

jimmythecuckoo

phreak wrote:

Not sure RideLondon should be near the top 10 of any sportive list.

Is it difficult or just the distance that makes it challenging?

phreak

Not sure it's challenging at all really. It might be an event, in that it's closed roads and stuff, but I wouldn't think it comparable to any decent sportive in Europe. If it wasn't in Britain, how many of us would travel to do it?

drlodge

I wonder how much it would cost to do all 14 Sportives, including entry fee, travel, hotel etc...a small fortune I reckon. Would rather have a cycling holiday somewhere nice (i.e. sunny and hilly)

jimmythecuckoo

That's what I chose to do with these chaps... http://www.bikecat.com