Sportive

Six ways to extend your cycling season through autumn

Keep on riding and beat the end-of-season blues

End-of-season sportive

The end of summer doesn't have to mean the end of the cycling season (Pic: Vulpine)
Autumn and winter is cyclo-cross season (Pic: Balint Hamvas)
Pack your bags and go touring
There's no shortage of climbing in Tenerife (Pic: Polka Dot Cycling)
Put your summer fitness to good use on an end-of-season sportive
Fancy riding on the track? Try a taster session or join a track league if you're more experienced (Pic: Alex Broadway/SWpix.com)
It could be time to recharge your batteries (Pic: Media24)

End-of-season sportive

The sportive season runs well into September and beyond, as more and more events spring up on the UK cycling calendar.

Eight dos and don’ts for your first sportive

There’s no shortage of events, including the Aviva Tour Ride (October 4), with 64km, 120 and 160km courses which follow part of the route of the 2014 Tour of Britain, and the Exmoor Beast (October 18), a classic end-of-season test on tough 100km and 100-mile routes in Devon.

Five essential items for your sportive kit bag

But they’re just two options among many, so pick your event, get booked in, mark the calendar and have one last sportive hit-out before winter. What better reason to get out on the bike on a chilly autumnal morning than a sportive to finish the season.