Sportive

Ten sportives to kick-start your summer with a bang

Rides to test your form through to the end of June

Richmond 5 Dales - Saturday May 23

Summer is coming and there are plenty of sportives to test your form
The Etape du Dales takes in some of Yorkshire's toughest climbs (Pic: Simon Wilkinson/SWPix.com)
The Chenies Velo Classique is another chance to tackle the Chilterns (Pic: Steve Cadman/Creative Commons)
The Tour of Cambridgeshire will welcome more than 6,000 riders for the inaugural event (Pic: Tour of Cambridgeshire)
The Wiggle Dragon Ride is a long-standing fixture on the UK sportive calendar (Pic: Human Race)
The brutal cobbled climb of the Corkscrew is the highlight of the Cheshire Cobbled Classic (Pic: Cycle Classics)
Riders tackle the lower slopes of The Tumble at the Tour of Britain (pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Practice your descending technique in the build-up to the Etape du Tour
The undulating Northumberland countryside hosts the Virgin Money Cyclone Challenge
The NSPCC Tour of Yorkshire offers amateurs the 'ultimate pro-rider experience' (Pic: Tour of England)
Sir Dave Brailsford has given the Etape Eryri his seal of approval, having tackled the route through the Snowdonia National Park (Pic: Gwynfor James)

Richmond 5 Dales - Saturday May 23

Organised by Richmond Cycling Club, the Richmond 5 Dales is a long-standing sportive but now has the added appeal of following part of the route of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart.

There are three routes available: the 3 Dale, 4 Dale and 5 Dale, with the latter covering 118 miles and boasting eight major ascents. Among those eight ascents are the three which will be familiar to fans from the Tour de France: Kidstone Pass, Buttertubs and Whipperdale Bank.

Other climbs on the route include Fleet Moss and The Stang, and organisers say the sportive is in the same league as the feared Etape du Dales and Fred Whitton Challenge events.

This is not a sportive for the faint of heart, with the gold time cut-off of 7hrs15 a testament to that.

Price: £20 – entries close Friday May 22
Website: Richmond CC