Many club members take part in sportives, which are non-competitive cycling challenges ranging in distance up to 200 miles, and also include multi-day events like Haute Route or LEJOG. Iconic UK events include Ride London, Fred Whitton and the Tour of Cambridgeshire (which also includes a competitive category). There are also smaller local events giving people the chance to ride in a supported event with many other cyclists. There are often other club members taking part in popular sportives, so that if you want you can choose to ride with people you know.
Audaxes and reliability rides
As well as the modern sportives, with food stations and mechanical support, the more traditional audax is an unsupported non-competitive ride, with riders expected to ride 200, 400 or even 600 km along a route they choose themselves, checking in at a number of waypoints before the finish and keeping inside a time limit. Reliability rides are over a shorter distance, also unsupported, and may include a guide time that participants are expected to hit. As someone once said:
“Sportives are for people who like to pretend they’re racing; audaxes are for people who like to pretend they aren’t!”
Ultra endurance events
With increasing numbers entering events like the Trans-Continental Race, where riders traverse the whole of Europe in as few days as possible, this is a growing side of the sport. Taking everything you need for the whole ride, this is a logistical as well as an athletic and mental challenge.
