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Rough Rider Sportif 2012, The West Riding Classic, Clapham, Yorkshire Dales, 21 April 2012
A circular 33, 60 & 75 mile non-competitive road cycle ride over the beautiful hills and valleys of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. This is a truly beautiful ride with something for everyone including first time sportive riders, intermediate riders and serious athletes.
The Black Sheep Firkin Challenge, Yorkshire Dales, 19 May 2012
Two exhilarating cycle challenges, one aim, raising money for Wooden Spoon - the children's charity of rugby.
Taking in the beautiful scenery of the Yorkshire Dales, these two circular rides offer something for everyone - whether you are a seasoned cyclist or more of a weekend rider. The Easy Rider is 60 miles and will take you from the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham to Swaledale, through Reeth and over the tops into Wensleydale before heading back to Masham. The Not so Easy Rider is 100 miles and is a challenging tour of the Dales, past Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in England - it's not for the faint hearted.
Both rides are fully supported with checkpoints, support vehicles and refreshments along the way. Entry is £20, with a minimum sponsorship of £100 per person. For more information and to register, please call 01765 689227 or email ashleigh.robson@blacksheep.co.uk.
Etape du Dales cycle ride, Yorkshire Dales, 20 May 2012
Regularly features in the Top 10 of UK rides, taking in some classic Dales climbs, this is 176km (112 miles) and 3500m of climbing that you will not forget. The event starts and finishes in Grassington - a quiet and delightful town centred around a pretty cobbled square. The route includes many famous ascents: Fleets Moss, Buttertubs Pass, Tan Hill (the highest pub in England), Mallerstang, the Coal Road, Newby Head and Halton Gill. The reward is great Dales scenery, the satisfaction of completing one of the hardest cyclosportives in the country and having helped raises money for the Dave Rayner Fund.
Entries open in early January and early booking is recommended. You'll need a road bike in good condition - make sure your brakes work well and you have low enough gears to climb several sections of 1:4.
Richmond Cyclosportives, 2 June 2012
The Richmond Cyclosportives have 50 mile, 80 mile and 100 mile versions. These are challenging rides with plenty of hills. The 5 Dales version is 100 miles with 6 major ascents, including Fleet Moss and Tan Hill. This one is for experienced cyclists only and in the same league as the Etape du Dales and the Fred Whitton Challenge.
Scarborough Festival of Cycling, Scarborough, 13-15 June 2012
This three day festival and community event will return for a second year in 2012 where you'll be able to pick and choose from different events each day.
Like 2011, there'll be BMX at Hairy Bob's Skate/BMX Park, North Bey on Friday evening, grasstrack on Saturday on Oliver's Mount and a full day of racing on Sunday, including the National Youth Circuit Series, again at Oliver's Mount and a CTT Hillclimb at 1300hrs.
Great Yorkshire Bike Ride, Wetherby, 17 June 2012
An annual sponsored cycling event, taking place on the 3rd Saturday after Spring Bank Holiday Monday. The ride is around 70 miles, mostly on country roads from Wetherby to Filey. Entries for 2012 will be open early February.
Otley Cycle Races, Otley, West Yorkshire, 20 June 2012
The Otley Town Centre Cycle Races are one of the most prestigious events in the UK's cycling calendar and have now reached their 26th year. Past winners have included Mark Cavendish, Jez Hunt, Jonny Clay, Chris Walker, Russ Downing and in 2011, local star Scott Thwaites. The races start at 6:20 pm, with the Under 12s race and culminates with the Otley Grand Prix (the 2012 British Cycling National Elite Men's and Women's Circuit Race Championships). The races take place around the town centre, which is closed off to traffic for the event, with crowds lining the length of the route. It's very popular so be sure to come early to get a get a good view.
York Cycle Show, York, 23-24 June 2012
Held at York Racecourse, there's something for all cyclists at this annual great weekend cycling festival. With shows and exhibitions, entertainment, organised rides and a grand parade through the city, it's one not to be missed.
Ron Kitching CTC Challenge Ride & Sportive, York, 23 June 2012
The annual Ron Kitching Challenge Ride takes its name from one of Yorkshire's (and the UK's) most eminent and colourful cyclists. The ride includes some of Ron's favourite roads over the North York Moors. The 100km route takes riders up on to the moors before dropping into Hutton-le-Hole and on to Marton. The 150km route tackles the climbs of Farndale and the savage Blakey Bank. The homeward stretch includes a run through the grounds of Castle Howard and then back to the attractions of the York Cycle Show.
Ryedale Grand Prix/Pete Longbottom Memorial, Ampleforth Abbey, Nr Helmsley, North Yorkshire, 24 June 2012
High action cycling will return to the roads of North Yorkshire with the annual Ryedale Grand Prix, as event that forms part of British Cycling's Premier Calendar Road Series. The 2012 event will be the location for the National Road Race Championships and will involve a major restructuring of the event with a change of location to Ampleforth Abbey. This magnificent site has a deceptively tough drag up through the grounds, which is the finishing straight that will then continue over a short but steep double hairpin climb before returning to the highway.
The Women's Championship will take in seven laps of a 9.5 mile circuit using Ampleforth and Yearsley as its main reference points. The Men's Championship will cover this circuit as a finishing loop of six laps after first negotiating three laps of an 18.9 mile route that takes in Ampleforth, Wass, Coxwold, Crayke and Brandsby en-route. The 113 mile route is the longest single day race on the British calendar. The event has gained a reputation for all out action with the identity of the winner only becoming known in the closing metres of the difficult climb towards the end. The programme will include a full range of support events, such as the Ryedale Summer Cyclo-Cross events, promoted by the Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross Association.
Coast to Coast in a Day, Seascale to Whitby, 30 June 2012
How do you fancy taking on one of the most iconic cycle routes in the UK, but with a twist? The Coast to Coast, West Cumbria to North Yorkshire is attempted by scores each year, but only a handful will ever try it in one go. Why not join the only 1 day cycle sportive that will push you to your limit, but as comfortably as possible. Starting in Seascale on the West Coast, the route takes in the lovely valleys of the Yorkshire Dales, Vale of York and the North York Moors, before finally rolling down the hill to finish by the sea in Whitby.
At 145miles and 4,600 metres of ascent, it will be a tough day out, but at the height of summer there is plenty of light to guide you, and the comprehensive signing will ensure you ride no extra metres. So if you fancy a challenge, why not get training for what will be one of the best one day rides you will ever do. Find out more.
Ryedale Rumble Cyclosportive, North Yorkshire
This annual August event for the more professional cyclist organised by British Cycling will be taking a break in 2012 for the Olympics and will return in 2013.
The event usually has three route options available from 90km through 190km. The Rumble takes in the climbs of Boltby Bank and Hawnby before heading through Helmsley to the North York Moors in what is a very challenging route. It features the usual British Cycling Yorkshire fare of a well signed route with t-shirt and fully stocked feeding arrangements. The start location at St Martin's Ampleforth Preparatory School, Gilling Castle, enables the route to begin with a south westerly loop that takes in the fearsome Boltby Bank before heading through Helmsley and on to the North York Moors circuit, retained from the first edition of the event. The final run-in holds a sting in the tail with a stiff hairpin climb up into the magnificent grounds of St. Martin's. Each of the three routes are allocated standards that are tough but achievable, though the organisers do recommend that both the distances and your fitness levels are carefully considered when choosing your route.
York 100, York, 19 August 2012
The York 100 will see more than 500 riders taking on one of our newer rides. With a gruelling 100-mile route and a tough, but shorter, 100km route, the York 100 offers plenty for experienced and novice cyclists alike. The route offers some spectacular vistas across the rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds and the impressive Howardian Hills.
Nutcracker XC Series, Yorkshire Dales (2012 dates/venues tbc)
Elite mountain bikers will love the fast and furious action of the Nutcracker XC Series. The north's very own mountain bike series takes in many of Yorkshire's off road highlights. Fancy trying your hand at cross-country racing? There's the 'just for fun' categories as well as up to the very serious.
Malham Trailquest, Yorkshire Dales, August 2012
Organised by Malham Show, this is a British Mountain Bike Orienteering event run in the usual Trailquest format with 2 and 4-hour events. One of the great things about the Malham Trailquest is that it happens alongside the Malham Show, for which you get free entry. This can make it a great full day out with plenty for the kids to do whilst one of the adults is out competing. It's best to pre-enter the event, but you can enter of the day if you want.
Richmond Grand Prix, September 2012
The final round of the British Cycling Premier Calender series reaches Swaledale. The county's top road cycling teams will battle it out on the roads of Swaledale and Wensleydale.
South Pennines Walk & Ride Festival, 8-23 September 2012
Not just for walkers... Experience some of the amazing natural and cultural heritage of the South Pennines and more than 100 events - including cycle rides, evening talks and themed events, over two action packed weeks.
Evans Ride It! Series, September 2012 (dates/venue tbc)
Fun for all the family with mountain bike rides on the Saturday and a sportive road ride on the Sunday. A great introduction to participation rides, with way marked routes of varying distances (15 to 30 miles for the mountain bike rides and 12 - 80 miles for the road rides). You can hire a bike to use on any of the rides. 2012 events to be announced soon! Find out more.
3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross, Yorkshire Dales, September 2012
Celebrating its 50th race, the 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross is staged in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and it is still regarded as the toughest and biggest Cyclo-Cross event in the UK. This is your only chance to ride to the top of the Three Peaks as most of the off-road sections are over footpaths and/or private land. This means that no training on a cycle is allowed on those sections - it is illegal to ride on there except on the day of the race. The entry form will be available from 1 June 2012. Find out more here, including details of how to enter.
Calderdale Mountain Bike Marathon, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, 14 October 2012
This 26.3 mile annual event is organised and run by 24th St. Paul's (Sowerby Bridge) Scout Group. The challenge starts at Sowerby, heading to the hills of Soyland, bypassing Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge before entering the off road sections of Hardcastle Crags and Midgely Moor. The route then descents through Luddenden and back to Sowerby up a leg burning climb.
