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A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation
cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
event, typically held annually. The Italian term ''
Gran Fondo A Gran Fondo is a type of long-distance road cycling ride originating in Italy in 1970, and roughly translates into English as "Big Ride". Italian Gran Fondos are officially defined and certified by the Italian Cycling Federation as a bicycle ev ...
'' is commonly used for these events in the United States, Australia and some other English-speaking countries. ''Cyclosportive'' is short for the French term (the spelling cyclosportif is sometimes also used but ''cyclosportive'' is correct as ''randonnée'' is a feminine noun in French). Many cyclists use sportives to challenge themselves in a personal battle against the distance and then ultimately, the clock. Some participants in a cyclosportive will ride the event like a race, with prizes awarded and considerable prestige for top place finishers, particularly in events like
La Marmotte La Marmotte is an annual, one-day cyclosportive event in France for amateur cyclists. It is named after the Marmot, large ground squirrel that is known to inhabit the slopes of the final climb to the finish in Alpe d'Huez. The first event held i ...
,
L'Étape du Tour L'Étape du Tour de France (also called L'Étape du Tour or just L'Étape) is an organised mass participation cyclosportive that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. First held in 1993, and now organised b ...
and the Ardechoise. A cyclosportive falls between a traditional cycle road race and the more challenging non-competitive randonnée or Audax events. Riders normally carry a number and the time they take to complete the course is recorded. There is usually an upper time limit within which the course must be completed (unlike many randonnée events, there is no lower limit preventing riders from completing the course quickly). The already lengthy course will traditionally include climbs and difficult riding conditions, adding to the merit of the event (e.g. the cobblestones of the
Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...
). The routes will usually be well sign-posted and/or marshalled (some cyclosportives take place on roads which have been closed to motor traffic for the duration of the event), riders will be able to use feeding stations positioned at intervals along the route to replenish their food and drink supplies and mechanical and medical support may also be provided. Some attract thousands of participants – since 2000
l'Étape du Tour L'Étape du Tour de France (also called L'Étape du Tour or just L'Étape) is an organised mass participation cyclosportive that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. First held in 1993, and now organised b ...
has offered places to 8,500 riders each year.


Sportive event timings

Although sportives are not races, entrants' times are usually recorded and sometimes riders are given their finishing position. This can encourage the fastest cyclists to push the pace, with faster riders working together to increase speed in a pro-peloton style. The majority of riders will simply be happy to complete the distance within the time allowance. It is common in France and Italy for prizes to be awarded to the winner and to those winning age-related categories. In the United Kingdom, sportives are not held as races in order to avoid strict rules governing cycle races on public roads.


Established sportive events

The first ever French cyclosportive was
La Marmotte La Marmotte is an annual, one-day cyclosportive event in France for amateur cyclists. It is named after the Marmot, large ground squirrel that is known to inhabit the slopes of the final climb to the finish in Alpe d'Huez. The first event held i ...
, which was first run in 1982 on a route starting in Le Bourg-d'Oisans and taking in the
Col de la Croix de Fer Col de la Croix de Fer () (el. 2067 m.) is a high mountain pass in the French Alps linking Le Bourg-d'Oisans and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Details of climb The approach from the northeast from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is 29.5 km at an average ...
,
Col du Télégraphe Col du Télégraphe is a mountain pass in the French Alps situated above the Maurienne valley between the eastern end of the massif d'Arvan-Villards and the massif des Cerces. The pass links Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne to the north and Valloire t ...
and
Col du Galibier The Col du Galibier (el. ) is a mountain pass in the southern region of the France, French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth List of highest paved roads in Europe, highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the List of highe ...
before climbing to finish at the top of one of the most famous
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
climbs at
Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in Southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the central French Western Alps, in the Communes of France, commune of Huez, which is part of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-R ...
. It remains one of the most popular cyclosportive events today in Europe and is often considered to be the hardest cyclosportive. Arguably the most famous of the cyclosportives today is the French
l'Étape du Tour L'Étape du Tour de France (also called L'Étape du Tour or just L'Étape) is an organised mass participation cyclosportive that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. First held in 1993, and now organised b ...
, held each July over a stage of that particular year's Tour de France, usually a mountain stage. This over-subscribed event sees approximately 7,500 riders attempting to emulate the professional cyclists. The Ardéchoise is one of Europe's largest event with 15,000 riders taking part but this time participants are able to choose from a range of circuits, from 66 km to 268 km. The
Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...
had 18,000 participants in its 2007 edition and 17,000 in 2008. Riders can also choose from different circuits including mountainbike courses, from 28 km to 256 km. These events often enjoy roads closed to traffic for the duration of the event, allowing riders to enjoy the full width of the road and to profit from the often technical sections of the route. Another coveted French event, the Paris–Roubaix Challenge, mimics the legendary one-day classic
Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...
. Held bi-annually, this sportive increases the test of reliability and endurance yet further with 26 sections of pavé which total some 42 km (26 miles). It is not uncommon for riders to break bikes and even bones over these cobbled roads. Other notable events are the Cape Argus Cycle Tour in South Africa which celebrated its 30th year in 2007 with 40,000 entrants and Italy's
Maratona dles Dolomites The Maratona dles Dolomites (Ladin language, Ladin for "Dolomites Marathon"; ), is an annual single-day road bicycle race covering seven mountain passes in the Dolomites. Open to amateur cyclists, the Maratona—with 9,000 riders chosen from ...
. The largest open road cyclosportive in the UK is the ''Verenti
Dragon Ride Wales Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales by Le Tour de France is a cyclosportive event based in South Wales, UK. The event is a non competitive cycling marathon run over the hills of South Wales and the Brecon Beacons National Park. The ride takes in the cha ...
'', held each June over a challenging 200 km mountainous course in South Wales. There are three UK cyclosportives held on closed roads: the annual ''Etape Caledonia'' which attracted some 3,500 cyclists in its 2009 edition, follows a route around the Perthshire highlands; the ''Etape Cymru'', first held in October 2011 on North Wales roads including the Horseshoe Pass; and the
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 The RideLondon-Surrey 100 is a 100-mile closed-road cyclosportive closely following the 2012 Olympic road race course (with a minor diversion, avoiding Richmond Hill) starting at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and heading through central Lo ...
through central London and the Surrey countryside, which in its inaugural run in 2013 was completed by nearly 16,000 riders, and by over 20,000 the next year. Cyclosportives that are longer than 300 km fit the criteria for
ultra-distance cycling Ultra-distance cycling is the riding of any Cycle sport, bike race or route longer than a century ride, which is . However, such events are relatively common, so using a longer distance to define the category may be more useful, such as any race or ...
events. Although the
Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
cyclosportive proclaims itself to be the "longest Granfondo in the world", it is only long and there are several others that are longer.
Bordeaux–Paris The Bordeaux–Paris professional road bicycle racing, cycle race was one of Europe's classic cycle races, and one of the longest in the professional calendar, covering approximately – more than twice most single-day races. It started in north ...
was a professional race until 1988 and returned in 2014 as a cyclosportive with a route of about . Th
Tour du Mont Blanc
is a long cyclosportive over mountainous terrain through France, Switzerland, and Italy. Slightly longer still is th
Wysam 333
in Switzerland at . There is also the
Vätternrundan Vätternrundan is a ( before 2020) cyclosportive event held annually over two weekends in June in Sweden. In 2011, 27,973 cyclists passed the finish line; 18,272 on the course, 3,686 on the course, and 6,015 on the course). The 315 km co ...
cyclosportive that does a tour of the Swedish lake, which is a route that measures . In New Zealand, there is the
Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is New Zealand's largest mass participation cycling event. First held in 1977, it takes place on the last Saturday of each November and circumnavigates Lake Taupō, a volcanic crater lake in the centre of the N ...
. The standard cyclosportive option involves a single lap of the lake, which is long, but there are also options to do two laps in one day for , with no support on the first lap, or start one day earlier and do four laps, , which is more of a
randonneuring Randonneuring (also known as Audax in the UK, Australia and Brazil) is a long-distance cycling sport with its origins in audax cycling. In randonneuring, riders attempt courses of 200 km or more, passing through predetermined "controls" ( ...
event. Every second year there is also an 8 lap option, long, but a following support vehicle is required for that version making it an ultracycling event.


Examples of notable cyclosportives

*Australia **
Around the Bay in a Day Around the Bay in a Day is a non-competitive fully supported recreational cycling fundraising event organised by Bicycle Network in Victoria, Australia. Cyclists register to ride a course which is either clockwise or anti-clockwise around Port P ...
**
Audax Alpine Classic The Alpine Classic (formerly Audax Alpine Classic) was an Australian bicycle event run every Australia Day weekend (late January) in Bright, Victoria. The decision was made to permanently cancel the event as it was being run at a loss. The eve ...
*Belgium **
Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...
**
Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège , also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Cycling monument, Monuments'' of the Eur ...
*Italy **
Granfondo Milano–Sanremo A Gran Fondo is a type of long-distance road cycling ride originating in Italy in 1970, and roughly translates into English as "Big Ride". Italian Gran Fondos are officially defined and certified by the Italian Cycling Federation as a bicycle eve ...
**
Milano–Torino Milano–Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest classic race in the world. The ...
**
Gran Piemonte The Giro del Piemonte, since 2009 known also as Gran Piemonte, is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Piedmont region, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. From 2005–2019, the race was organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Eur ...
**
Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...
**
L'Eroica L'Eroica is an annual non-competitive cycling event which has taken place since 1997 in the province of Siena, Italy. The theme of the event is vintage cycling, with participants using vintage bikes (up to and including 1987), accessories and clot ...
– vintage themed cyclosportive **
Maratona dles Dolomites The Maratona dles Dolomites (Ladin language, Ladin for "Dolomites Marathon"; ), is an annual single-day road bicycle race covering seven mountain passes in the Dolomites. Open to amateur cyclists, the Maratona—with 9,000 riders chosen from ...
*Finland **
Tour de Helsinki The Tour de Helsinki was an annual cyclosportive in the metropolitan area of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It took place on the first Sunday in September. Start and finish were at the Helsinki Velodrome, originally built for the 1952 Summer Ol ...
*France **
l'Étape du Tour L'Étape du Tour de France (also called L'Étape du Tour or just L'Étape) is an organised mass participation cyclosportive that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. First held in 1993, and now organised b ...
. **
La Marmotte La Marmotte is an annual, one-day cyclosportive event in France for amateur cyclists. It is named after the Marmot, large ground squirrel that is known to inhabit the slopes of the final climb to the finish in Alpe d'Huez. The first event held i ...
. ** Time-Megeve-Mont-Blanc *Greece ** The Tour of Crete *Ireland ** Wicklow 200 *New Zealand **
Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is New Zealand's largest mass participation cycling event. First held in 1977, it takes place on the last Saturday of each November and circumnavigates Lake Taupō, a volcanic crater lake in the centre of the N ...
*Norway **
Styrkeprøven , also called ('The Great Trial of Strength'), is a long bicycle cyclosportive which starts in Trondheim and finishes in Oslo, Norway. It was first held in 1967, initiated by Erik Gjems-Onstad and has taken place since then in late June eve ...
*South Africa ** Pick 'n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour ** 94.7 Cycle Challenge ** Herald Cycle Tour ** Pick n Pay Fast One **Amashova Durban Classic Race *Spain ** Quebrantahuesos *Sweden **
Vätternrundan Vätternrundan is a ( before 2020) cyclosportive event held annually over two weekends in June in Sweden. In 2011, 27,973 cyclists passed the finish line; 18,272 on the course, 3,686 on the course, and 6,015 on the course). The 315 km co ...
*United Kingdom ** Etape du Dales **
Fred Whitton Challenge The Fred Whitton Challenge is a charity cyclosportive event held annually in the English Lake District, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, Cumbria's air ambulances, the mountain rescue service and various youth cycling projects. It is held in m ...
http://www.fredwhittonchallenge.org.uk ** Great Manchester Cycle ** Tour Pour La Mer **
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 The RideLondon-Surrey 100 is a 100-mile closed-road cyclosportive closely following the 2012 Olympic road race course (with a minor diversion, avoiding Richmond Hill) starting at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and heading through central Lo ...
*United States ** King Ridge GranFondo **
Sea Otter Classic The Sea Otter Classic is a bicycling and outdoor sports festival and exposition held each spring since 1991 at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. The four-day event is considered the world's largest cycling festival, ...


See also

* Brevet or Randonnée *
Challenge riding Challenge riding is a form of cycling where the riders challenge themselves rather than each other. Some challenge rides are charity events or pledge rides. Some are organised as pre- or early-season training events (sometimes in the UK called r ...
* UCI Golden Bike * Century ride *
Gran Fondo A Gran Fondo is a type of long-distance road cycling ride originating in Italy in 1970, and roughly translates into English as "Big Ride". Italian Gran Fondos are officially defined and certified by the Italian Cycling Federation as a bicycle ev ...


References

{{cycling Cycling events