Let the Peak District Summer of Cycling begin!
Epic blue sky, epic climbs, epic scenery, epic feats of endurance…..the Peak Epic once again lived up to its name.
A glorious sunny day greeted the riders for this years event in stark contrast to the foul weather of 12 months ago. Starting from Lady Manners School in Bakewell riders began in great spirits thanks to the clear sky and hardly a breath of wind making for perfect riding conditions – the only thing that may have dampened their mood was the knowledge of all the gruelling climbs that lay ahead. As with all events in the Dark & White sportive series, riders are provided with a very detailed technical analysis of all the climbs of the event and it wasn’t long until riders passed the first roadside climbing information board for the steep ascent of Ballcross Woods.
Riders had a choice of three routes: a short 63km route with 4 climbs, the medium 101km option with 7 climbs or the “epic” long 165km route with 14 climbs and 4000m of ascent! All routes displayed and revealed the hidden gems of the Peak District; use of small, quiet and in places remote country lanes is what makes the Peak Epic stand out from the other “larger” Peak District based sportives.
Post event, tired riders were seen relaxing on the grass, refuelling on home made soup, assorted varieties of cake plus the usual endless cups of tea & coffee all the while recalling tales of joy and hardship having completed the toughest Peak District Sportive.
Peak Epic rider times can be found here
Next up in the series of Dark & White Sportives is our new event for 2014, the Buxton Spa on Sunday 27th July starting from The Pavilion Gardens close to the Opera House in the centre of Buxton. Featuring a substantial 3600m of climbing over 136km, the long route spans the three counties of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire – there are also shorter 89km and 68km route options.
