Where's the UK's best bike ride? The ride that sets the heart racing thanks to beautiful scenery and some serious hills?
According to readers of the UK's best selling cycling magazine, Cycling Plus, it's a stunning 40-mile loop in the Lake District. You can download the loop from Bikely and ride it yourself.
Halfords, Boardman Bikes and Cycling Plus teamed up to find Britain's Best Ride and asked readers and social network users to nominate routes they thought worthy of the title.
The shortlists were then voted on by the public before six finalists were selected and ridden by the magazine’s editorial team, including its editor, Rob Spedding.
These rides were filmed and can be viewed on the BikeRadar YouTube channel.
The Broughton Wheelers Lakes Loop, nominated by that team's clubmates James Hodgson and Lindsay McCrae, was the worthy winner. Cycling Plus described the picturesque lap as a “tough and very lumpy cookie that takes in the beautiful Coniston Water and the immensely challenging Wrynose Pass".
Olympic champion, Chris Boardman (MBE) said: "This has been an amazing series unearthing routes that show this small country has some of the very best and diverse riding to be found anywhere in the world. Any of these routes is worth a visit but especially that of our very worthy winner."
Rob Spedding, editor of Cycling Plus, said: "Over 2,000 Cycling Plus readers and social media users took part in our vote to choose Britain's Best Ride, so James Hodgson's loop around the beautiful Lake District thoroughly deserves the accolade. The ride beat off some extremely tough competition but I'm not surprised – it's got everything – stunning scenery, quiet roads and, in Wrynose Pass, a proper cycling challenge!"
Watch the video of the Broughton Wheelers Lakes Loop.
The broughton wheelers lakes loop
The other finalists were the Yorkshire Dales, Barnstable in North Devon, the Elan Valley in mid-Wales and Applecross in North Scotland. Hodgson won a Boardman road bike courtesy of Halfords and has chosen to auction his prize to raise funds for the St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston, Cumbria.
