Getting over the climbs is only half of the challenge, with the 60-mile distance also a significant hurdle for a sportive newcomer.

But focusing on endurance, clocking the miles – many and often ahead of the event – is essential not just for taking on a sportive but also as the base preparation for any big ride, as our coaching columnist Mike Cotty has often stressed.

And Burke echoed the same sentiments, saying: “Getting the endurance is like the bottom layer in a stack of cards for riders like me.

“If you don’t have the endurance it’s like trying to build on quicksand – it will all collapse.

“It’s very important to build up your endurance, and then you can build on that with your more specific efforts and training. Getting the endurance right gets the riders ready for more intensity.”