Sportives

Unlike a traditional bike race, a sportive is an organised cycling event where the aim is usually to complete your chosen route rather than compete for a finishing position. Routes are signed and events generally provide support such as feed stations or mechanical assistance along the way. Riders set off in groups or waves and then ride at their own pace, which makes the format suitable for a much wider range of cyclists than a bunch race.

Sportives can cover anything from relatively short rides to well over 100km, and many events let you choose between several route lengths. The 2027 Tour De Northamptonshire, for example, has 30, 40 and 60-mile options, with the longer riders setting off first. The Kent Classic offers short, middle and long routes of 47km, 82km and 112km, so you don’t have to commit to the biggest distance.

Around £30 to £50 is a solid ballpark for many of the adult sportive entries currently on the calendar, although the price often changes with the route you choose. At the Kent Classic, the short route is £31.02 and the long route £46.53. Tour De Northamptonshire follows a similar pattern, ranging from £32.04 for 30 miles to £47.97 for 60 miles.

Some sportives involve lots of hills, but that’s not always the case. You can also find events that are mostly flat. The current Kent Classic routes range from 600m of climbing over 47km to 1,498m over 112km, and the organiser describes the terrain as rolling rather than especially severe. Because course profiles vary a lot, you should check both the distance and the elevation before deciding which route suits you.

You can definitely take part in a sportive as a beginner cyclist, as long as you choose one that matches your ability and fitness. The great thing about these events is that you don’t have to tackle the longest distance - Tour De Northamptonshire has a 30-mile option as well as its longer routes, while the Kent Classic starts at 47km. Sportives are also ridden at your own pace rather than as a conventional race, so there’s no need to worry about keeping up with the fastest group.

The current Find a Race calendar becomes much quieter after October, but that doesn’t mean sportives officially stop for the winter. More dates can be added as organisers open entries, so treat that gap as the current state of the calendar rather than a fixed sportive season.