Mark Cavendish’s Cycle Sportive Comes To Wrexham This Weekend

This Sunday will see 3,000 amateur cyclists take to the roads of North Wales and Cheshire in the official sportive of former World and British Champion Mark Cavendish, Rise Above.

The brand new for 2015 event, which starts and finishes in Chester uses three challenging routes heading west from the city and across the border in Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy.

While some roads in Chester city centre will be closed for the start and finish of the sportive, there will be no other road closures for the event in North Wales. First riders will depart from Chester at 0700 in small groups of no more than 50 riders, with the earliest finishers expected at around 1130. All riders will have completed the course by 1800.

There are three different route – you can look at the interactive map by clicking here!

Joining the riders in the event will be Mark Cavendish himself, who recently won his 26th stage of the Tour de France, and will ride in the middle distance, Purist, route on Sunday 9th August.

Commenting on the news, Mark Cavendish said: “I can’t wait to see the sight of 3,000 cyclists getting ready to enjoy their ride from Chester city centre on Sunday morning, which is a fantastic setting for Rise Above to start and finish in.

“All three routes are really special and through some beautiful countryside in North Wales, which I’m proud to be showcasing with Rise Above. I hope riders in Rise Above can look forward to lots of support and encouragement from the local communities at the roadside as they take on the challenge, and I look forward to sharing the experience with them.”

Linking the scenic forestry roads with breathtaking views and iconic Welsh landscapes, challenging climbs and inspiring countryside will culminate in the closed roads finale of Chester city centre.

Three separate, circular, routes will allow the Rise Above Sportive to appeal to a wide range of abilities of cyclist, from the 80-kilometre Enthusiast route, to a 120-kilometre Purist route with 1,720-metres of ascent to the 185-kilometre Extremist route with 2,800-metres of ascent.

Both the Purist and Extremist routes feature the iconic climb of Horseshoe Pass, with the longer distance also including the quiet roads and stunning scenery around Llyn Brenig and Clocaenog Forest.

The full Sportive Guide is available to download here although is designed for participants rather than spectators!