The Cycling Plus Sportive will be one of the highlights of this year's BikeRadar Live festival at Brands Hatch in Kent on 10-11 July.
We can now reveal the route of the 70 mile event, and if you’re up for riding the longer 106 mile route, read more about that here.
The shorter sportive route has been created by Derek Williams, a familiar figure in Kent’s cycling fraternity. Derek founded the Circuit of Kent sportive, and few know the maze of quiet roads which criss-cross the county as well as he does.
It starts and finishes on the Brands Hatch circuit, heading in a south-easterly direction via Wrotham, West Maling and Hunton. Breaking with the 107-mile riders at Headcorn, the return leg winds through the lanes to Staplehurst, Marden, Winchet Hill, Matfield and Shipbourne before finishing at Brands Hatch. The last 10 miles has a bit of climbing in it, so be warned.
While the route is rolling all the way, there are four key climbs: Hunton Hill (22 miles/36km), Winchet Hill (44 miles/71km) and Wrotham Hill (66 miles/106km)
In total, the route is 71 miles/114km long, and if you fancy the longer 107-mile route you can enter that now instead.
Cycling Plus have a full preview of the route, ridden and written by David Motton, in their next issue, on sale on 4 May. Here's a video of David riding some of it, which will give you a good flavour of the ride:
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Useful info
- Distance: 71miles/114km (full route on Bikely.com).
- Climbing: 4,530ft/1,380m.
- Duration: 6-9 hours.
- Parking: Available at Brands Hatch on the day of the sportive (Saturday 10 July).
- Nearest railway station: Swanley.
- Food and drink: Two feed stops are planned. The first is at Headcorn (32 miles) where the 70 and 106 mile routes split. The second is planned for Brenchley, around 20 miles from the finish. There are pubs and village shops en route too (including The Black Horse at Pluckley).
- Where to stay: Camping is available at Brands Hatch (and space for campervans and caravans). If you’re riding the route at another time, try www.visitkent.co.uk or www.visitheartofkent.com.
- Bike shop: Cycles UK in Tonbridge is only a short distance off the route.
You can book online now at www.bikeradar.com/live or call the BikeRadar Live hotline on 0871 230 1085. One-day, weekend and family tickets are available, with prices starting at £15 in advance.
