Event: 11 May 2013
Location: Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire
Rough Rider Sportif launch 'The Commuter Belt Classic' and announce new community partner Bike Works.
The Commuter Belt Classic Sportive from Rough Beats Festival on Vimeo.
Rough Rider Sportif have added The Commuter Belt Classic, a 50 mile sportive on 11 May to The West Riding Classic on 21 April, now in its 3rd year.
Sticking with the principal of making sportives fun and social as well as challenging and rewarding, the Commuter Belt Classic is a 50 mile point-to-point sportive starting in Hertfordshire and winding through Essex before dropping in to Dalston where riders and friends are invited to a disco, drinks and free food.
Starting in rural Watton-on-Stone, a short train journey from Kings Cross and Finsbury Park, it represents a great sprint for seasoned sportive riders and an ideal laid back entry level sportive for those leisure riders and commuters who want to give the legs a good stretch.
The Commuter Belt Classic is the second sportive to be launched by Rough Rider Sportif after The West Riding Classic was started in 2010 to great acclaim. British Cycling described the event as "great route, great food, great vibe... a must-do on the sportive calendar". Read the full article here.
Rough Rider Sportif was started by Brendan and Michael McSherry after becoming dissatisfied with the sportives on offer and decided they wanted an experience which was more personal, social and rewarding.
Organiser Brendan McSherry said:
"We wanted to create an event that was more about the challenges of the route, the views and the company along the way. Having grown up in Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales we knew we could put together a really good set of rides along some of the most beautiful roads in the UK. We also wanted to make it really accessible so we have three routes ranging from 33 miles up to 75 miles, we also take a lot of pride in providing what we believe is the best food station on any sportive in the world!"
The Commuter Belt Classic is relatively short for a sportive, Organiser Michael McSherry explains the reasoning:
"The Commuter Belt Classic is designed to be a fun day out for anyone who enjoys riding a bike. We'd like to think it offers enough of a challenge for serious riders but also not too daunting for their friends and family who might be trying their first sportive. At the West Riding Classic the short route is entry level, the long route is a really really good work out and the long route is actually pretty tough. If anyone is planning to take on this years Etape du Tour then they would be well advised to test their legs on the West Riding Classic in April. It is just 12km shorter than the Etape and has 2.2km of vertical climbing compared to the Etape's 4km".
The West Riding Classic - 20th April 2013 from Rough Beats Festival on Vimeo.
Enter The West Riding Classic | Enter The Commuter Belt Classic
Visit Rough Rider Sportif website here
New Community Partner
London based social enterprise Bikeworks is the new community partner for The Commuter Belt Classic. Bikeworks is a social enterprise using bicycles and cycling as a tool to tackle social and environmental challenges at a community level.
Cycle into Work from Dave Miller on Vimeo.
Since opening up in Tower Hamlets, East London in 2008 they have been delivering innovative community cycling initiatives across the capital.
In this time they have been able to support many thousands of people into cycling for the first time, given thousands of old bicycles a new life, helped hundreds of homeless people gain skills and get jobs in the cycling industry & much much more.
Bikeworks success has been recognised in winning a number of awards including Best Social enterprise at the 2011 Private Business Awards by PWC & Best New social enterprise in the UK in 2009.
Bikeworks will be providing entrants to the Commuter Belt Classic with mechanical assistance and will receive £1.50 from each ticket.
Find out more at www.bikeworks.org.uk
