© Phil Dobson/Cycling Plus

Route One

Bakewell Spice 65 miles More than a mile of climbing
The only real killer climb is the one up the Two Dales, where there are 20 per cent gradients. Starting from Bakewell you’ll make your way down to Ashbourne in the south via Matlock Bath, a perfect stopping point, though you’re spoilt for choice for cafes and pubs en route.
Get the route here

Route Two
Snake in the Pass 50 miles  Challenging, with more than 1800m of climbing
Your chance to tackle the legendary Snake Pass… The climbing starts almost immediately as you leave Hathersage and head up to Ladybower Reservoir. Enjoy the breather. Looping round through Glossop and Chapel-en-le-Frith you’ll encounter some fast bits before climbing to Castleton, where you could detour through Winnat’s Pass, another classic.
Get the route here

Route Three
Opal Monsal 21 miles  Moderate, with a tough climb, great views and a long descent
From the start in Bakewell you begin climbing almost straight away, but the views from Monsal Head are worth the effort. You then get to enjoy the fantastic twisting ride through Miller’s Dale. The picture postcard village of Tideswell is worth stopping at, with a choice of pubs and cafés. After that the ride is finished off with a fast descent through Ashford in the Water.
Get the route here

Local Knowledge

Have breakfast here…
Pool Cafe, Hathersage
A magnificent full English at any time of day. If a fry-up before Snake Pass is a worry, have it when you get back.
Oddfellows Road, Hathersage S32 1DU Tel: 01433 651159

Stop for cake here…
Hassop Station
Sublime scones, brilliant bagels and unusual toasties, plus bike hire and a gift shop.
Hassop Station, on A6020 north of Bakewell Tel: 01629 815668
www.hassopstation.co.uk

Get spare tubes here…
High Peak Cycles
All the bits and bobs you could possibly need for your ride, along with a fair amount of bling that’s bound to get you drooling.
2 Smithy Fold, Glossop SK13 8DD Tel: 01457 861535

Fancy a pint?
Monsal Head Hotel
A pub converted from a stable on the side of the hotel, with views to die for.
Great Longstone, near Bakewell DE45 1NL
Tel: 01629 640250
www.monsalhead.com

Dump the family…
Gulliver’s Kingdom
Rides, rollercoasters, magic shows, castles… Spend as long as you like on your bike and they won’t complain.
Temple Walk, Matlock Bath DE4 3PG
www.gulliversfun.co.uk

In our June issue – number 249 – Guy Kesteven found a brilliant 45-mile ride over the Yorkshire cobbles. Based around Bronte country it’s a proper leg burner! Download the route here

Russell Burton/Cycling Plus

The Route

Distance 73.3km (45.5 miles) Climbing 1980m (6496ft)
Grade Hard Duration 3.5-5.5 hours Maps OS Landranger 103 Leeds and Bradford, and 104 Blackburn and Burnley

From Haworth railway station climb hill towards town centre. At 600m take left fork onto cobbled High Street. Left onto main road at end, then up past cemetery to T-junction.

Left along road to Oxenhope. Right up main road and over the top through Duck Hill and Pecket Well to Hebden Bridge.

Turn right towards market, right again over the cobbled bridge and up The Buttress. At top, turn left then right up to Heptonstall.

At Slack take right fork to Widdop and follow past Hardcastle Crags and reservoir over the top to Thursden. Take right fork at bottom of descent over cattle grids , up steep climb then stay right at next junction.

Drop downhill then climb up to crossroads, straight across and descend past Hill End. Turn right at steep left-hand bend down steep descent into Colne.

Turn right uphill through cobbled back streets, jinking left then right and over the top into Colne centre. Turn right down High Street then straight ahead as main road curves left past the cemetery to large roundabout.

Take second exit to Heyroyd, left then right, following signs to Lothersdale.

Turn right through Lothersdale, across crossroads to Cononley. Head through village taking left fork to Farnhill, crossing the A629 Keighley/Skipton road on the way. Take back road to Silsden, turning right in town centre.

Left after 300m to Riddlesden, right at T-junction then third left after crossing river. Straight across A650 roundabout, left and left again up cobbled climb to Thwaites Brow.

Turn right at T-junction, left on right-hand bend (signposted ‘museum’), left up hill, right at T-junction, then right again at the next T-junction. At roundabout turn left back into Haworth.

Russell Burton/Cycling Plus

Nearest Station

Keighley www.nationalrail.co.uk. The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway can get you to Haworth in steamy style on weekends and school holidays www.kwvr.co.uk

Food and Drink

There are loads of places to refuel along the route from old cafes and country pubs to the vegan wonderland of Hebden Bridge. We recommend Towngate Tea Room and Deli in Heptonstall and The Fleece in Haworth.

Where to stay

Thanks to the Brontës there are plenty of places to stay in Haworth, from hotels to B&Bs and a YHA in a Victorian mansion.
Haworth TIC 01535 642329 www.haworth-village.org.uk

Bike Shops

Keighley: Aire Valley Cycles 01535 610839
www.airevalleycycles.com
Hebden Bridge: Blazing Saddles  01422 844435,
www.blazingsaddles.co.uk
Colne: Fox’s Cycles  01282 86301
www.foxscycles.com
Wicked Cycles 01282 863089
www.wickedcycles.co.uk

© Phil Dobson/Cycling Plus

ROUTE ONE
Belvoir Fever 66 miles Long pulls and some climbs
Head north to the stunning scenery of the Vale of Belvoir (pronounced ‘beaver’) and Belvoir Castle. The south-eastern return can be tough on days when the wind blows in from the Fens, and this section is where the long pulls come in. Plenty of pubs and cafes en route.
Get the route here!

ROUTE TWO
Wymondham Whip-round 50 miles Lumpy on scenic, quiet roads through pretty villages
You’re spoilt for choice of quiet roads in and around Rutland. This one starts in the market town of Oakham and skirts round the whole county, taking in quaint villages with a few decent hills to push the climbing legs – 2000ft of climbing in total, so a good test. Don’t forget to call in to Wymondham Mill for coffee and cake; it’s one of the best cycling cafes you’ll ever visit.
Get the route here!

ROUTE THREE
Round Rutland 16 miles Easy and undulating with some off-road sections
The reservoir is man-made but it all looks completely natural. Parts of the ride go off-road on good tracks. It’s manageable on a road bike in all but the worst weather. Start from the visitor centre at Whitwell and take your pick – clockwise or anti-clockwise. It’s a great route either way. The halfway point is the village of Manton where the Horse and Jockey makes an ideal stopping point.
View the route here!

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Have breakfast here…

Lake View Fishery
A full English or the healthy option? You won’t be disappointed with the portions or the price.
Landyke Lane, Holwell, Leics LE14 4SX
www.lakeviewfishery.com

Stop for cake here…

Wymondham Windmill
It’s not every day you go to a cafe in a windmill – and it serves great coffee, lunches and homemade cakes.
Butt Lane, Wymondham LE14 2BU
wymondhamwindmill.co.uk

Get spare tubes here…

Rutland Cycling
Bling carbon bikes on display to drool at, plus bike hire and workshop on site.
Whitwell Leisure Park, Whitwell, Rutland LE15 8BL
Tel: 01780 460705

Fancy a pint?

The Grainstore
A pub with its own brewery attached? Result! And it serves brilliant grub too.
Grainstore Brewery, Station Approach, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6RE
www.grainstorebrewery.com

Dump the family…

Whitwell Leisure Park
Water, ducks, a playground, a climbing wall, bike hire and a nice cafe. What more could they want?
Whitwell Leisure Park, Whitwell, Rutland LE15 8BL
www.discover-rutland.co.uk

We rode with these guys...

Turning up in the New Forest I clearly wasn’t the only one to beat the spam filter and win one of the coveted 500 places – the field was packed with roadies getting kitted up by their cars before dodging the cowpats to sign in for their free guided 28-mile ride out through the spectacular Hampshire countryside. You could tell this ride was going to be agricultural.

Just inside the gates lurked the the Garmin-Cervelo team’s own deathstar team bus in menacing black, white and blue. In total contrast, the pro riders themselves where all smiles and informality as they milled around chatting and posing for photos. Dan Martin, Roger Hammond and Andrew Talansky were all spotted, with Hammond and fellow Garmin-Cervelo pro Lucy Martin leading the 100 or so riders in my so-called ’18mph average speed’ group.

18 mph my Fizik Arione. The actual 20 mph average was no surprise really: provide 100 lycra’d up roadies a couple of sociable pro riders and a fast, rolling 28-mile course and they’re bound to take the bait. With a camara helicopter riding alongside to pose for, beautiful quiet roads to enjoy and pros to impress, the result was inevitable. Sprints and break-aways galore. Hammond himself couldn’t resist egging everyone on either as he shouted out impromtu primes along the way: ‘First past the camera car gets my race jersey!’. I might have narrowly missed winning one of his gillets had I not been completely spent after 10 mins on the front in the wind… and been too lazy to jump. It wouldn’t have fitted anyway…

What a ride though! Pros, primes, helicopter chases, suicidal kamakaze cows (everywhere), pigs, and even donkeys… not to mention fantastic scenery and riding company. Oh yes: and the best free goody bag I’ve had in ages – Park Tool bottle opener, Mule Bar, energy gums and chamois cream. And the latest issue of Cycling Plus. What more could you need? All for the price of an email. See you next year.

Check out the video of the day – you might even recognise the bloke in red talking about more ‘exciting’ livestock…

Teams of four will compete for the  RIDE24 trophy, won by the team that completes the most laps and therefore travels furthest in 24 hours. The winning team will also secure themselves a free place in the French 24 Heures Velo event at the legendary Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans.

When not in the saddle, competitors can recover in the RIDE24 rider village, which includes camping facilities, 24-hour hot and cold food and snacks, massage area, first aid and mechanical support.

Event manager Sarah Stevenson, from Action Medical Research, says: “This is the ultimate in biking challenges, with teams racing day and night around a fantastic circuit. It’s your chance to push yourself and your team mates to the limit in an exciting, well-supported and unforgettable experience, and all for a good cause. Next year’s event promises to be bigger, better and more competitive than ever so do join us.”

The 2010 event was won by the Sky Estall Express team, a team of BSkyB employees, who completed 191 laps, travelling 876.6km. Team captain Richard Broadbent said: “We were pushed every yard by some superb and very hungry competition but by dawn had built up a decent lead. Crossing the line for the final time was unforgettable – my best ever moment on two wheels. The event was slickly organised and had a fantastic atmosphere, with friendly faces both on and off the track – mostly masking a steely determination to win!”

Cyclists participating in RIDE24 raise money to help fund medical research into conditions affecting babies and children. Research currently being supported by Action Medical Research includes work around meningitis, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and premature birth, as well as some very rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children. Last year’s event raised more than £85,000 for the charity.

For more information about RIDE24 and to register, visit  www.action.org.uk/ride24.

There is a registration fee of £299 per team and you will also need to raise £1,250 in sponsorship as a team.

Setting off from John O’Groats on Saturday 11 June 2011, riders will cycle through over 950 miles of spectacular scenery, as they ride the length of Britain in nine daily stages, finishing in Land’s End on Sunday 19 June 2011.  The event offers a unique way to see the best of Britain either solo or in a relay team, with an event route carefully mapped to take riders through some of Britain’s finest countryside.

The Deloitte Ride Across Britain takes in stunning scenery.

At the end of each stage, cyclists are able to relax in the ready-installed base camps which provide accommodation, showers and toilets, food and drink, and the chance to share their experience with other riders.  On sign up, riders are supplied with specifically tailored training plans designed by Professor Greg Whyte – the man who trained comedians David Walliams and Eddie Izzard for thei charity sporting challenges – and expert advice from bike mechanics, nutritionists, physios, and other support staff will be on offer throughout the event – so all riders have to worry about is the pedalling.

The inaugural event took place in June 2010 and saw Olympians James Cracknell and Rebecca Romero and Paralympians Jody Cundy, Sarah Storey and Barney Storey cycle alongside over 600 riders as they completed the first staging of this epic ‘end to end’ challenge.

A total of £372,182 was raised for the event’s benefiting charity, ParalympicsGB.  Deloitte Ride Across Britain will work towards reaching a £1 million fundraising goal over the next three years to support Great Britain’s future Paralympians up to London 2012 and beyond.  With riders also able to raise money for other charities, the already impressive fundraising total was boosted by many riders also cycling for their own causes.

Julian Mack, co-founding director of Threshold Sports said: “There are a few iconic challenges in life that are must do….this end to end ride is one of them. Arduous yes, at times punishing even, but what rewards – friendship, self-esteem, bucket loads of fundraising”.

Heather Hancock, Managing Partner Brand and Innovation at Deloitte said: “The inaugural Deloitte Ride Across Britain was a phenomenal success.  We are really looking forward to building on that next June as we continue Deloitte’s long-standing support for disability sport in the UK.  This event has really caught the imagination of our people – an opportunity to take on a great personal challenge, savour the spectacular route through Britain’s beautiful towns and countryside and most importantly, to raise a lot of money for ParalympicsGB in the process.”

Tim Reddish, Chairman of ParalympicsGB, said: “Deloitte Ride Across Britain 2010 was an incredible challenge and I feel privileged to have been part of the inaugural event, which I rode on a tandem piloted by my son.  With the Games coming to London in 2012, ParalympicsGB has a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a lasting impact on attitudes towards disability sport and to achieve our 2012 ambitions; Deloitte Ride Across Britain has already contributed greatly towards these goals and we look forward building on this in 2011.”

Registration is now open to the public for 2011 Deloitte Ride Across Britain and places are selling fast. For more information please visit www.rideacrossbritain.com