Bike Blenheim Sportive 2012

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EVENT DATE

Sunday 19th August 2012

LOCATION

Woodcote, Oxfordshire

EVENT SUMMARY

Two routes (60 and 100 miles) starting from the event village at the heart of Breast Cancer Care’s Bike Blenheim Palace.

ROUTE INFORMATION

The ride starts at Blenheim Palace and journeys through the beautiful Oxfordshire Cotswolds with the finish back at the event village.

A choice of 2 routes on offer

  • 60 miles
  • 100 miles

“Both routes commence by travelling out through the park to exit at Ditchley Gate. The routes travel through the undulating Cotswold Countryside including the villages of Stonesfield, Charlbury, Spelsbury, Chalfont Green, Cornwell through beautiful lanes and tree lined avenues to Adelstrop. At Broadwell the route passes the Village Green before climbing the 1.6miles of Broadwell Hill before arriving at Stow-on-the-Wold.

Stow-on-the-Wold is a delightful Cotswold market town and the route travels along the exposed 700 feet high hill where seven major roads meet, including the Roman Fosse Way. The route turns right close to the famous Market Square and drops downhill to the rest stop at Lower Swell.

At the rest stop the route divides. The 100 mile course turns right and travels an additional 40mile loop to return to the rest stop a second time, before rejoining the joint course to the finish.

LONG COURSE LOOP – From the rest stop there is a 1.4mile climb of Swell Hill and Chalk Hill, past the Cotswolds Farm Park and onto the highest point of the course. The course remains hilly through Snowshill until the long descent to Bury End where the route turns left across level ground to Wormington. The route through the Vale of Evesham is relatively flat until it reaches Alstone (42miles) and the long loop rest stop and checkpoint. From Gretton and Winchcombe it is undulating until the climbs including Belas Knap and Roel Gate are reached. From Guiting Power there is a long 3 mile climb before dropping downhill to the Rest stop at Lower Swell (64miles).

From the Swell rest stop, the short route turns left and is joined within 150 metres by the long route for the return to Blenheim. The route is again undulating and travels through the beautiful Lower Slaughter village and then through Bourton-on-the- Water. Bourton-on-the-Water straddles the river Windrush with its series of elegant low bridges beside neat tree-shaded greens and tidy stone banks with many traditional Cotswolds buildings standing back from the river.

The route then continues through the undulating countryside to Great Rissington, Great Barrington, Taynton, Asthall Leigh, Minster Lovell, Hailey and Delly End. At Hailey (48 and 88 miles in on 60mile and 100mile routes respectively) there is an additional rest stop where drink, snacks and energy products will be available. The route then travels through East End, Long Hanborough and Combe before returning into Blenheim Park at Ditchley Gate to the finish.”

EVENT FACILITIES

  • Choice of waymarked routes
  • Electronic Timing
  • On course marshalls
  • Mechanical support
  • Feed Stations
  • Event photographer

START LOCATION

Blenheim Palace
Woodstock
Oxfordshire
OX20 1PX

Map

ENTRY DETAILS

Website entry – Yes (entry webpage)

ENTRY PRICES

  • £35.00 per rider

ORGANISER’S WEBSITE

Bike Blenheim Palace