Rise Above, the official sportive of Mark Cavendish, will return this summer with three new and exciting routes around Cheltenham and the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty.
Taking place on Sunday 5 August, the third edition of the 30-time Tour de France stage winners sportive will provide a challenging test for all riders, similar to those challenges professional riders face every time they race.
Cavendish will once again be the official starter of the sportive, before taking to the roads to complete one of the rides that he has helped create.
The three circular routes on offer are:
Enthusiast 50 kilometres with 697m elevation gain
Purist 105km with 1,388m of elevation gain
Extremist 153km with 1,845m of elevation gain
Speaking about the event Mark Cavendish said, Im very excited to announce the return of my Rise Above Sportive. We have been working on the return of the event for some time and I am looking forward to taking the Sportive to the beautiful roads of the Cotswolds.
The parcours weve chosen for all three routes will be really special and testing for any level of rider so there is a great opportunity for people of all abilities to take part and join me. I hope to see you there after the Tour de France.
This years Rise Above Sportive starts and finishes at Cheltenham Racecourse, one of the worlds most famous horse racing venues. All three routes will tackle the arduous Cleeve Hill, which featured in last years OVO Energy Tour of Britain race, and features sections that reach a 25 per cent gradient.
Riders who sign up for the two longer distances will also test themselves on the energy-sapping Snowshill climb, a three-kilometre ascent that gradually increases in severity, which will be a part of the OVO Energy Womens Tour in June, as well as having previously featured in the mens Tour.