Sportive

Ten of the best sportives to ride in August

Looking to make use of your form this summer? These ten sportives are all still open for entry...

How’s your form? With summer in full swing, there are plenty of sportives across the UK to test your mettle and make the most of the (fingers crossed) fine weather.

There’s no shortage of choice out there, with rides which include everything from super-steep climbs to Roubaix-inspired cobbles complete with a velodrome finale, as well as the chance to ride the same roads as the 2014 Tour de France.

Looking for a sportive to ride this August?

After months of turning the pedals to get into shape, a sportive gives you the chance to put your efforts to good use, and to join your fellow cyclists on some of the best roads the UK has to offer.

So what are you waiting for? We’ve picked out ten of the best sportives across the country this August.

Sunday August 7 – Reading Roubaix

Inspired by the Queen of the Classics, the Reading Roubaix is exactly as it sounds – the latest addition to the Cycle Classics series of sportives based on the biggest European pro races.

The 100km route includes thirteen unpaved, cobbled and gravel sectors in all, from 400m to 1800m in length, and totaling 14km in all.

And to really add to the Roubaix-theme, the event finishes with a lap of the outdoor velodrome at Reading’s Palmer Park Stadium.

Entry: £25
Website: Cycle Classics

Sunday August 7 – Wiggle Haywards Heath Howler

Punchy climbs are the order of the day in an event regarded as one of the toughest in the Wiggle Super Series of sportives.

Three routes are on offer – 47 miles, 72 miles and 103 miles – with Ditchling Beacon among the climbs awaiting riders on Sunday August 7.

Ditchling Beacon featured in the 2014 Tour of Britain and the steep climb is also on the Wiggle Haywards Heath Howler sportive this August (Pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

The renowned climb, on the outskirts of British, is just shy of 1.5km long, but with an average gradient of nine per cent and a maximum kick of up to 16 per cent, it’s not one to be taken lightly.

Turners Hill and testing reservoir climbs around Balcombe, Ardingly and the Weir Wood Reservoir are also packed in on the challenging but rewarding routes.

Entry: £26 (short); £35 (standard, epic)
Website: UK Cycling Events

Saturday August 13 – Herculean Sportive

One of the more unlikely cult heroes in Scottish history, Hercules the bear is also the inspiration for the island-hopping Herculean Sportive.

Starting in North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, the route is inspired by the grizzly bear’s escape when filming a tissue commercial in 1980, and subsequent 24-day evasion from capture.

Two routes are available on remote, quiet roads with the 70-mile Herculean Beag route covering four of the Western Isles and the 90-mile Herculean Mor route taking in five islands.

Camping facilities are available, and airport transfers can also be arranged in advance by contacting the event organiser.

Entry: £16
Website: Herculean Sportive

Sunday August 14 – New Forest Rattler

Three balanced routes, each with a nasty sting in the tail, are the order of the day for the New Forest Rattler.

Expect rolling roads which showcase the best the New Forest National Park has to offer for cyclists, but watch out for the 25 per cent gradient of the Blissford Hill climb, which features towards the end of all three routes.

Speaking of which, the Hampshire sportive features 47-mile, 82-mile and 102-mile route options for riders on Sunday August 14..

Entry: £27 (47-mile); £30 (82-mile, 102-mile)
Website: Cyclofanatic

Sunday August 14 – The 3 Counties Challenge

The 3 Counties Challenge takes in the ‘most difficult and challenging terrain’ on offer in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Finishing in the picturesque hills of the Lake District, the 112-mile route – dubbed ‘the ultimate challenge’ – packs in more than 10,000 feet of climbing.

Kirkstone Pass features on the 3 Counties Challenge sportive (Pic: Matthew Robey via Flickr Creative Commons)

Among the hills to be tackled is the Kirkstone Pass – the highest major road in the Lake District – which is tackled from Ullswater, and boasts an average gradient of six per cent.

Also on offer is the 60-mile ‘Hills and the Lune Valley’ route, which features just short of 6,000ft of climbing but again featured no shortage of stunning scenery.

Entry: £25 (112 miles); £20 (60 miles)
Website: 3 Counties Challenge

Saturday August 20 – Wiggle Yorkshire Tour

Following some of the same roads used for Yorkshire’s Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014, the Wiggle Yorkshire Tour pairs quiet, scenic roads with the vistas from the top of the high, exposed moors of the Dales.

Challenging climbs include Summer Lodge Moor, while the picturesque routes (there are three on offer in total) also travel through Bellerby Ranges and cross the River Ure at the Aysgart Falls.

Starting and finishing at Thirsk Racecourse, the three routes cover 39, 81 and 103 miles.

Linking with the Tour de France route around Wensleydale, this is the chance to follow in the tyre tracksof some of the WorldTour’s very best riders.

Entry: £26 (short); £35 (standard, epic)
Website: UK Cycling Events

The Wiggle Yorkshire Tour sportive takes in some of the county’s best road (Pic: UK Cycling Events)

Sunday August 21 – Tour de Mon

The Tour de Mon offers a trip around the North Welsh island of Anglesey (or Ynys Mon, hence the name), and comes from the organisers of the Etape Eryri.

Undulating hills make for tough riding on the 103-mile course, including the roads joining Trefor and Carmel, which welcome you with a sharp 12 per cent ramp at the start.

And just to mix it up a bit, the sportive also includes a timed ‘flying mile’ at Mona Airfield. A full lap of the airfield is completed by the timed one-mile dash to the end of the landing strip.

Three routes are available in all – the 107-mile Mawr, 76-mile Canol and 42-mile Bach.

Entry: £39.99 (Mawr); £37.99 (Canol); £35.99 (Bach)
Website: Tour de Mon

Sunday August 28 – Severn Bridge Sportive

A closed-road crossing of the Severn Bridge is the stand-out feature of the Severn Bridge Sportive which offers 100km or 100-mile routes for those looking to clock a century ride.

Starting and finishing at the Castle Combe Circuit, the longer route also includes the climb through Wentwood formerly used on the UCI Ladies World Cup race in 2005.

The short-but-steep Star Hill and the climb up onto the Cotswold Edge also feature on the long route – though you need not decide which route to take until you reach the split point.

Now in its sixth year, the sportive is also accompanied by a family cycling day, giving you the chance to make a weekend of it.

Entry: £29
Website: Severn Bridge Sportive

Sunday August 28 – Rise Above Sportive

The official sportive of Mark Cavendish, the Rise Above Sportive returns for its second edition in 2016.

Starting out in Chester, the sportive crosses the border into North Wales and goes out as far as the challenging but picturesque Horseshoe Pass – a timed, four-mile climb which averages five per cent, but peaks at 20 per cent.

The Rise Above Sportive includes the climb of Horseshoe Pass (Pic: Tejvan Pettinger via Creative Commons)

The route then turns back across the border and onto closed roads in Chester city centre.

There are three routes in all – 80km, 120km and 160km – which have all been tweaked slightly from 2015 to offer what organisers are calling ‘an even better Rise Above’.

Entry: £39
Website: Rise Above Sportive

Sunday August 28 – Roof of England Sportive

The North Pennines are designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Roof of England Sportive is your chance to take in the views on two wheels.

With plenty of climbing to negotiate on each route, riders have the choice of three fully-signed courses in all, topped by the 90-mile ‘Winking Sheep’ route, with 9,119 feet of ascent.

The ‘Durham Dales’ course is 56 miles in length, with 4,869 feet of climbing, while the 34-mile ‘Short and Steep’ course does exactly what it says on the tin with very little respite from the 3,476ft of climbing it packs in.

Entry: £25
Website: Roof of England Cycling