Chiltern Classic Sportive

The Chiltern Hills double up their uses in the Chiltern Classic sportive: not only do the winding roads make for some inspired climbing action on the bike, the hills are also a sight to behold whether viewed from the bottom, the top or halfway up on a demanding test of stamina.

Straight out of the starting blocks, this ride will have you going through the gears as we ease you in on a gradual gradient, moving out of the Adams Park departure point in High Wycombe, before making you familiar with the kind of swooping descent that drops as much as you’ll have to make up soon after, a common trait for this swooping course.

Once you’ve crossed under the M40, the gradient settles and you’re free to get into your own rhythm, pace and time, not dictated by hill climbs, making this a great mid-season test for riders keen on testing their hand against the clock on a kinder course.

Once you’re past the outskirts of Thame, you’ll find yourself among peerless views across the Aylesbury Vale district in an area lined with quaint and quiet villages as you traverse the sheltered country lanes that link them. On leaving the loop exclusive to Epic course riders – just east of Oxford – you’ll enter the Chiltern Hills area once more on the way back to base.

A handful of manageable climbs wait before you can claim your finisher’s medal, t-shirt and PowerBar recovery product, and hopefully you’ll have enough left in the tank to enjoy these on completion of a rewarding day out on the bike!