Bike Blenheim Palace, launched last year, returns to the Oxfordshire seat of the Dukes of Marlborough, and Sir Winston Churchill’s birthplace, on Sunday 4 October, with new events including a sportive ride through the scenic Cotswolds countryside and cyclo-cross races around a 1.25-mile circuit in the palace grounds.
Events returning from 2008 include the 20km time trial on a closed course in Blenheim’s 2,100 acres of parkland, the inaugural edition of which was won by UK time trial champion Michael Hutchinson, and the Brompton World Championships, which in 2008 attracted 400 riders, with Britain’s Alistair Kay outsprinting former Vuelta winner, Roberto Heras, to win.
There will also be an event village, including demonstrations of bike polo and mountain biking as well as trade stands, and in the afternoon the grounds, normally closed to cyclists, will be open to the public to ride around.
The organisers hope to build on the success of last year’s event, which attracted 4,500 competitors and spectators, and expect 1,000 riders to sign up for the new sportive alone, the route of which – perhaps unintentionally – passes the front door of Top Gear presenter and bête noire of the cycling community, Jeremy Clarkson, near Chipping Norton, before heading off to the Gloucestershire hill-top town of Stow-on-the-Wold.
Shortly after, at Lower Swell, the route splits, with riders on the 60-mile circuit turning back towards Blenheim, while those on the longer, 100-mile ride continue towards Cheltenham before heading north to skirt the picturesque village of Broadway before rejoining the shorter circuit.
Full details of the day’s programme, as well as information about how to register, can be found on the Bike Blenheim Palace website. The palace, a World Heritage Site, is located in the historic market town of Woodstock, eight miles north of Oxford and also hosts the Blenheim Triathlon (pictured).
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
I listened to the BBC R4 prog "Should cyclists stay in their lane" and it was pretty much what you'd expect from the BBC, a well-informed cyclist...
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
You have to add images via a reply to yourself after the topic is created. One at a time too.
“Plus, riders who pair CarBack to their smartphone using the Trek Accessory app can enjoy even more features, including the ability to see the...
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...
Decathlon have the Garmin Varia RTL515 on offer at the moment for £129.99: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/rearview-radar-varia-rtl515-65-lumens/_/R-...
So when you said "all Jews" you didn't actually mean all Jews, just religious ones. However even that distinction is erroneous, as you must surely...