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News
29.06.11
Road Sportives
2nd round this weekend (2nd July) in Marshbrook, Shropshire.
This weekend will see the 2nd round of the Road Sportive come to Marshbrook in Shropshire.
Road Sportive On Saturday the 2nd July we will see the 2nd event of the Road Sportives featuring two courses – a 50mile short course and an 85mile long course. Both will show off the fantastic road riding the area around the Long Mynd has to offer and will offer the rider a challenging and rewarding ride.
Course Description
The Marshbrook Sportive, starting at Shropshire Hills Mountain Bike & Outdoor Pursuit Centre, offers you 85 miles Classic with 2,800m climbing or 50 miles Standard with 1,700m climbing, of superb riding through the Shropshire countryside.
The Marshbrook round of the Road Sportive heads north from Marshbrook through Little Stretton and into Church Stretton, the ride starts with the notorious Burway Climb. The Burway climbs up the side of Cardingmill Valley precariously perched on a wall of the valley with a precipitous drop to the right. It rises at 20% for 2 miles gaining nearly 300m in height and leaving you high on the top of the Long Mynd. The decent swoops down the west side of the Mynd and heads north on undulating minor roads, and takes in some lanes to navigate the Eastridge Wood which is northern tip of the MTB Marathon. From Minsterley the route winds up the Hope Valley easily gaining height before arriving at the massive table top that is Corndon Hill. Across the border the route passes to the north and west side of Corndon and descends into the small town of Churchstoke.
The short route now drops south and picks up the Montgomery Road to Bishops Castle. The route then meanders its way back to the southern tip of the Long Mynd through rolling country side with one last climb before decending to the finish.
From Church Stroke the long course heads north to Montgomery with its Norman stone Castle perched on a crag of the hill looming above the town. The road winds around the hill and down towards the River Severn and the Montgomeryshire Canal at Abermule.
Heading south the road follows a stream and climbs in the shade up to Glanmule and onto the foot of the Kerry Hill. The road up is a classic winding 3mile climb and crosses the ancient Kerry Ridgway at it's peak before descending through Anchor and down a fast and winding 8mile blast to Clun. Heading south from Clun the Knighton road throws in 2 hills in quick succession before dropping steeply to the River Teme valley. A minor lane is taken before the town of Knighton and follows the northern side of the river up to Bucknell. The route then uses quiet minor roads to head north through the picturesque undulating Clun Forest which includes open pastures and moorland.
Through the village of Edgton the route then returns to the southern tip of the Long Mynd with one final climb before the finish in Marshbrook.
Fur further details on the Marshbrook sportive please go to the Marshbrook event page.
Short course Sportive: approx. 50miles with 1,700m of climbing
Long course Sportive: approx. 85miles with 2,800m of climbing
Weather forecast:
The conditions for the weekend are looking fantastic. The middle of the week might see a little bit of rain in the area but following on from that the sun will be coming out and the winds will die down as well. Perfect sportive conditions as it looks!
The ‘total riding weekends’:
The Road Sportive will be run on the Saturday of the event weekend and will be followed by the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon (powered by the Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport) on the Sunday. This will continue to bring different cycling disciplines together and will give the hardened sportive rider the chance to find out how his/her power and stamina translates to the marathons courses of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series 2011 powered by the Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport. The same goes for the hardened endurance experts out there as they will get the chance to get a proper road challenge on Saturday before the dirt awaits them the following day. There is a discount for riders who take part in both events at the same weekend.
The entry fee:
The Road Sportive have a complete ‘one fee’ price of £27 with no hidden extra costs – which cover the following;
Ride entry – 50 mile ‘Standard’ or 85 mile ‘Classic’ sportive
Post event coffee/tea & cake
Usage of service stations
All the camping – Friday to Monday
Parking facilities
Ample showers and toilets
Bike washing facilities
Finisher present
Spot prizes
Option to a Mountain Bike skills and riding tuitions (check the marathon website for suitable times)
So why not make it a proper weekend – come along on Friday and stay all the way through to Monday morning – and bring your family and friends along as well. Facilities like showers and toilets are going to be available over the whole weekend as well – all part of your entry fee.
To enter:
…simply go to the entry page on our sportive site and either use the downloadable entry form or the online entry which is hosted by CRC. If you enter online than you will get a 5% discount on your next Chain Reaction Cycles purchase.
There are also day entries available but there is a £5 surcharge if you enter at the event.
What else is going on / and where is the event location?
Friday to Monday camping at the 20 acre event village is free with hot showers and you are welcome to bring your family and friends and make a weekend of it. A pasta party on Saturday evening is included in the price of all those who are riding (MTB Marathon only). There will be on-site entertainment with live bands at the site’s own pub and a BBQ with fresh locally sourced produce.
On Sunday, Cycle Active Skills School will run classes for the kids. The event village will be in full swing and the welcome home parade will be, as always, a moment of personal achievement celebrated by all. A “Meal of Champions” will be available from both the cafe and pub after the Sportive and the Marathon; these indoor havens will be open pretty much all weekend serving breakfasts from 7am, then lunches and evening meals. The pub even has its own locally brewed beer, aptly named ‘Trailblazer’.
There is post ride massage, medical and mechanical support to make your ride a smooth and enjoyable experience with some of the best coffee and cake you will find in a field this summer. Chain Reaction Cycles will be present with all the cycling essentials you may need.
The event village is based at the Shropshire Hills Mountain Bike & Outdoor Pursuit Centre (Marshbrook, Nr Church Stretton, SY6 6QE)
17.05.11
CycleOps Road Sportive 1st round Llandovery, Wales.
This weekend will see the 1st round of the Road Sportive come to Llandovery in Wales.
Road Sportive on Saturday the 21st May we will see the 1st event featuring two courses – a 55mile short course and an 85mile long course. Both will show off the fantastic road riding Mid Wales has to offer and will offer the rider a challenging and rewarding ride.
The two courses will showcase the fantastic road riding in Carmarthenshire, be prepared to be amazed and rewarded with long, challenging climbs, countless miles of smooth, fast undulating roads and the most picturesque scenery the area has to offer.
Course preview
The guys from RoadCyclingUK have been out on course with course designer John Lloyd and checked out the long course of the Llandovery round. They had a fab time and learned that the number of climbing meters alone doesn’t really tell the full story on how difficult or easy a course is.
Check out the course preview here.
The Llandovery Sportive, will start at Llandovery rugby club and offers a 85 miles Classic with 2,500m climbing or 55 miles Standard with 2,000m climbing, of superb riding through the Cambrian Mountains in Mid Wales.
Fur further details on the Llandovery sportive please go to the Llandovery event page.
Short course Sportive: approx. 55miles with 2,000m of climbing
Long course Sportive: approx. 85miles with 2,500m of climbing
Weather forecast:
The conditions for the weekend are looking fantastic. The middle of the week might see a little bit of rain in the area but following on from that the sun will be coming out and the winds will die down as well. Perfect sportive conditions as it looks!
The ‘total riding weekends’:
The Road Sportive will be run on the Saturday of the event weekend and will be followed by the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon (powered by the Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport) on the Sunday. This will continue to bring different cycling disciplines together and will give the hardened sportive rider the chance to find out how his/her power and stamina translates to the marathons courses of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series 2011 powered by the Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport. The same goes for the hardened endurance experts out there as they will get the chance to get a proper road challenge on Saturday before the dirt awaits them the following day. There is a discount for riders who take part in both events at the same weekend.
The entry fee:
The Road Sportive have a complete ‘one fee’ price of £27 with no hidden extra costs – which cover the following;
• Ride entry – 40/ 50 mile ‘Standard’ or 80 / 100 mile ‘Classic’ sportive
• Post event coffee/tea & cake
• Usage of service stations
• All the camping – Friday to Monday
• Parking facilities
• Ample showers and toilets
• Bike washing facilities
• Finisher present
• Spot prizes
• Option to a Mountain Bike skills and riding tuitions (check the marathon website for suitable times)
So why not make it a proper weekend – come along on Friday and stay all the way through to Monday morning – and bring your family and friends along as well. Facilities like showers and toilets are going to be available over the whole weekend as well – all part of your entry fee.
To enter:
…simply go to the entry page on our sportive site and either use the downloadable entry form or the online entry which is hosted by CRC. If you enter online than you will get a 5% discount on your next Chain Reaction Cycles purchase.
There are also day entries available but there is a £5 surcharge if you enter at the event.
Directions to the event location
The event village is based at the Llandovery Rugby Club. For directions to the club please click here. The event will be signposted from Friday lunchtime onwards. It doesn’t matter where you are coming from as you will easily find your way to the event village. The event will be open from Friday afternoon until Monday morning. For the GPS users out there the postcode is SA20 0BA. For information on B+B or a Hotel please find the details for the local Tourist Information on our Local Info page.
06.08.10
CycleOps Road Sportive Selkirk 2010.
After a fantastic first event in Builth Wells earlier in the year were around 200 riders took up either of the two demanding sportive courses on offer the second event of the season would take us to Selkirk for a weekend of road sportive riding followed by the CRC MTB Marathon.
Being faced with rather wet conditions in 2008 the superb Selkirk courses enjoyed almost perfect conditions giving the Selkirk event a real feeling of summer riding. The weather leading up to the event was mixed but luckily for the majority of the road sportives the weather gods were on the rider’s side only occasionally throwing in some strong winds and showers.
Road Sportive
As at the May event in Builth Wells (Wales) – Saturday was all about riding on skinny tires. More than 350 road enthusiasts turned up to enjoy the fantastic roads around the greater Selkirk area. The route took the riders through the Yarrow and Ettrick valleys starting with a long yet gentle climb following the Tweed River upstream. But it wasn’t all easy going. Our course designer Pete Laing had some ‘proper’ climbs up his sleeve to turn what appeared to be a gentle stroll into a real challenge. Each route made the most of the network of narrow hill roads linking the river valleys that the Scottish Borders is so famous for. The climb tot-up for each distance is… 47 mile: 4 climbs, 95 mile: 8 climbs. None of the climbs are Alpine in scale but only one is less than 100m vertical and if you check the course profiles, there isn’t a flat road in between, so the ascent total soon builds up. After 2 hour and 31minutes the first 47 mile rider came into the event village while the last 95 mile rider made the most of the day and took 7 hour and 46 minutes to complete the course. Unfortunately we had some problems with the feeding stations which we would like to apologise for and guarantee the riders that the shortcomings will be overcome for the 2011 event.
The Selkirk round was the final Road Sportive in 2010. But we will return with a selection of sportives in 2011. To find out more and stay in touch about next year’s events please go to www.roadsportives.co.uk/index.php.
The rest of the weekend
After the road event came to an end on Saturday afternoon the mountain bikers started to descend onto the event village in Selkirk. More than 800 riders lined up ignoring the less promising weather forecast that a rather wet and unstable day would lie ahead. And luckily for everyone the weather prognosis was wrong with the rain holding off for almost the entire day only with the rain coming in for the last 15-20 riders. Following feedback from the last couple of years course designer Pete Laing changed a few of the key sections as well as adding some more fantastic singletrack to the menu. The T-shirt crew at the Rugby Club were greeted with a sheer endless line of big smiles and grins on people’s faces telling us that Pete had once more done a great job. One of the most impressed riders was marathon regular and multiple national XC and marathon champion Nick Craig who gave the event and the course in particular the thumbs up calling it ‘the best MTB marathon ever’. The sunshine and the perfect finish line setup encouraged lots of people to stay for a while and to enjoy a cold drink while watching the riders come over the line. The first rider on the Mini Marathon made it over the line in just over an hour while the last rider on the 88km long full marathon took 8hours and 18min to complete the challenging course.
The final round of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport will head to Ruthin for the 18-19th September. For further details of the last marathon of the 2010 series please head to www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/ruthin.php" p or go directly to the entry page to secure your entry.
Photos and website updates
Our event photographer Jon Brooke and his colleagues were again on site as well as on course taking pictures of pretty much everybody. So just go onto Jon’s website - www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk to find your photos there to view or buy.
