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Cyclists from across the country will be riding the new Championship Sportive in June. And if you’re a member of British Cycling you can SAVE twenty per cent when you sign up to ride one of the biggest and best sportives in the UK this year.
The sportive is not, as some people may think, a competitive race but four leisure rides which all take place on the same day from various starting points around Monmouthshire.
Entrants can ride as fast or as slow as they wish through the glorious Monmouthshire countryside on the Gold, Silver or Bronze Route or there’s a Women’s-Only Route that follows the course to be ridden by the Elite Women’s competitors the following day.
Double world champion, Becky James encourages everyone to take part in her home county of Monmouthshire, "The roads in Monmouthshire are fantastic to ride on. They are hilly and it can be tough, but the scenery is gorgoeus. I definitely recommend coming to Wales and taking part."
The Championship Sportive takes place on Saturday 28 June, with both the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s National Road Race Championships, featuring some of Britain’s greatest professional riders, taking place the next day on Sunday 29 June.
The Championship Sportive is also one of the best facilitated rides in the country. It features feed stations for people to fill up their drinks bottles and enjoy a snack; timing chips so you know how fast you have completed the course; medical facilities and an emergency call centre; ‘service’ vehicles for any riders who suffer mechanical problems with their bikes; plus medals, certificates, photos at the finish – and much more!
Leisure Bronze route:
Start: 10:00
Distance: 20 miles/32km – over the the flat roads of Monmouthshire.
Entrance fees: £15
Who is it for? The Bronze Route is designed for anyone who wishes to take part, whether they are beginners, people who just want to have a quiet, enjoyable few hours in the country or families looking for some active fun.
Riders will be escorted out of Abergavenny Town Centre and onto the B4598 Usk Road where they will turn left towards Usk, pass the iconic windmill landmark at Llancayo before turning left at Bettws Newydd.
This will be the half-way point and riders will be able to access a feed station for sustenance before returning to Abergavenny via Clytha, Penpergwm and the Hardwick Roundabout, where there will be marshals to guide people safely around this busy junction and through a safe route.
Silver route:
Start: 9:30
Distance: 62 miles/100km and is run over the Men’s British Road Race Championship Course.
Entrance fees: £30 pre-book or £40 on the day.
This route will take riders out from Abergavenny and along the same route as the Bronze riders. However, they will turn towards Caerleon when they reach Usk and head towards another iconic landmark, the 2010 Ryder Cup course at the Celtic Manor Resort, passing by the 18th green and the TwentyTen Clubhouse.
There will be a feed station at the top of the climb (past the Clubhouse) before riders turn left onto Cats Ash Road, reach the A48 and ride towards Chepstow.
They will then turn at the Chepstow Town Arch and head north, with another feed station at Chepstow Leisure Centre. They then pass Chepstow Racecourse, home of the Welsh Grand National, and head towards Tintern Parva along the Wye Valley before they climb out to Trellech, head into Monmouth, where there is a third feed station, and then pass the village of Welsh Newtown, turning onto the old Ross Road and riding through Skenfrith and Cross Ash on the outskirts of Abergavenny to finish at Bailey Park.
Gold route:
Start: 9:00
Distance: 100 miles/160km is run over the Men’s British Road Race Championship Course (same as Silver route) and extends to include the Tumble mountain.
Entrance fees: £40 pre-book or £50 on the day.
The most energetic of riders can extend the Silver Route to the Gold Route and will add a climb up the Tumble mountain to their ride. Riders will drop down over the summit of the Tumble, which will be used as the finish for Stage Three of the Tour of Britain this year, before turning right past the World Heritage Site of Blaenavon and towards Brynmawr.
They cross the moors on the journey north before descending into Llangynir and then follow the route of the Monmouthshire Canal back to Bailey Park and the finish.
If you choose to tackle the Tumble and ride the Gold Route, it’s worth thinking about where you want to start from.
If you start from Abergavenny, you’ll reach the Tumble after 72 miles.
If you start from the Celtic Manor, you’ll reach the Tumble after 54 miles.
Starting at Chepstow means you’ll hit it at 39 miles, and from Monmouth you’ll hit it at 25 miles.
Women’s-only route:
Start: 08:30
Distance: 46miles/74km and is run over the Women’s British Road Race Championship Course (not a breeze).
Entrance fees: £25 pre-book or £35 on the day.
The new initiative of a Women’s-Only Route is designed to give female riders the amazing chance to ride the course used by the stars of British Cycling the following day when they battle for the National Jersey.
Riders escorted out of Abergavenny to the Usk Road where they will ride to Usk and then turn onto the old Monmouth Road to pass the fantastic Raglan Castle, through Mitchell Troy and into Monmouth itself.
After visiting the feed station in the town, the women will turn onto Hereford Road, and then, as with the Silver Route, ride along the Ross Road through Skenfrith and Cross Ash to the finish line in Bailey Park.
And, for the first time, the Championship Sportive will feature multiple starting points. That means you can choose where you start from Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth or the Celtic Manor Resort. It won’t be easy to choose though, each starting point is pretty special.
For one day only, you can ride the Road of Champions and feel what it’s like to be one of the stars of British Cycling. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now.
