01 SÖLDEN, AUSTRIA Ötztaler Radmarathon 227km | 01 September 2024
Austria's Ötztaler Radmarathon has been shocking all comers for years with a route that makes the eyes water. The Ultrafondo Marmotte, profiled later on, is technically tougher, with much more climbing over a shorter distance, but its double ascent, loop back around, of Alpe d'Huez is a contrivance that loses it a few marks.
The 227km Ötztaler is a pure loop, taking in four humongous climbs (totalling 5,500m of ascent) from the ski resort of Sölden, with the highest pass Timmelsjoch (2,474m), saved for last. As it's an early September date, you should be more likely to dodge the extreme heat of summer, but at these altitudes you won't want to meet it on a cold, damp day either. oetztaler-radmarathon.com
02 WICKLOW, IRELAND Wicklow 200 200km | 09 June 2024
This 200km Irish classic has been running since 1982, reflecting the popularity of cycling in the country in the heyday of Sean Kelly, who won the first of four Tour de France points jerseys that summer. Few mass-participation cycling events can boast such history and its longevity is reflected in how long you'll spend on the bike in this 200km ride. Beginning on the coast in Bray, a short distance south from the capital Dublin, the route delves deep into the Wicklow Mountains National Park, taking you as high as 524m and, all told, climbing 3,420m by the time you make it back to base in Bray. The Wicklow 200 is to Ireland what the Fred Whitton Challenge is to the UK, only tougher. It attracts riders from across Ireland and further afield and, for British riders, is more than worth a ferry journey over the Irish Sea to ride. wicklow200.ie
03 YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND Yorkshire Beast 327km | 29 June 2024
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Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
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