Annual Canterbury Bike Ride A Great Success
The Canterbury Bike Ride took place on 23rd July with a choice of three route lengths, offering cyclists the chance to enjoy a day out in the picturesque Kent countryside, while raising money for charity.
The main sponsors of the event were: Justin Richardson, Sally Hatcher Estates, Barretts of Kent and Clague Architects.
On Sunday 23rd July we were treated to a miraculous break in the rain during this 'Very British Summer'. 350 riders took full advantage and rolled out of Canterbury Rugby Club for the annual Canterbury Bike Ride. It may have been dry, but there were blustery winds, so coupled with three challenging routes around the hilly Kent Downs, it was a hard, but rewarding, day in the saddle. Riders were extremely well looked after, with coffee and refreshments from the brand new, yet to be opened, Wye Hub, and a hearty chili from Ted at the finish line at Canterbury Rugby Club, washed down with a pint of Shepherd Neame – what’s not to love…
Images Iconic Cycling Events
About the event
The three routes of 29, 55 and 79 miles will leave the rugby club and head out to explore the Kent Downs Area of Natural Beauty.
As an entrant to the Canterbury Bike Ride you benefit from: Three fully sign-posted routes; Feed stations on all routes; On-course first aid and mechanical support; Plus a medal, a hot meal and, thanks to Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewer, all riders can enjoy a complimentary pint at the end of their ride.
Cyclists of all ages and abilities are welcome, as well as charities to enter teams.
New medal design for 2023
There are new Canterbury Bike Ride medals for 2023. Adapted from a poster design created by pelotondesign.co.uk the medal has a male and female rider riding down a winding road with the Canterbury skyline in the background. All riders will be greeted at the finish line with a smiley face and bespoke CBR medal.
Join the club
If you’re looking for training ride inspiration you can join the Strava Club, find the 2023 Canterbury Bike Ride routes in club posts and save them to your profile at www.strava.com/clubs/1044777
History
First held in 2014 The Canterbury Bike Ride has since grown to attract hundreds of participants. It’s a non-competitive “sportive” event, designed to appeal to both experienced and novice riders. Cyclists of all ages and abilities are welcome, and charities are also welcomed to enter teams. And speaking of charity, much-needed funds will be raised for the Kent MS Therapy Centre, Canterbury Hellfire Wheelchair Rugby Club, Kent Association For The Blind and the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity.
As an entrant to the Canterbury Bike Ride you benefit from fully sign-posted routes with a back-up route map and GPS files, a finisher's medal, feed stations on the long and medium routes and on-course first aid and mechanical support.
There are a host of opportunities to partner with The Canterbury Bike Ride. Businesses interested in partnering with the event should get in touch at info@iconiccyclingevents.co.uk
The Canterbury Bike Ride 2023 Routes
The three provisional routes head out from Canterbury Rugby Club to the west, into the Kent Downs AONB, climbing and then descending to the first refreshment stop in Wye. After the stop, riders will need to climb out of the valley. The short route continues to Hastingleigh before heading north back towards the rugby club. The medium and long routes take a wider loop of the Downs via Stowting and North Elham, shortly after which the medium route splits and turns north towards the finish. The long route continues east, largely downhill, towards the coast, where there's a second refreshment stop available at Betteshanger Park, and from there it's a rolling route back towards the rugby club, hopefully with a tailwind to help you home.
THE SPONSORS
Justin Richardson
Craftsmen of unique custom-made jewellery and bespoke silverware, Justin Richardson is based in the historic city of Canterbury. The shop on Sun Street has an extensive gallery of fine jewellery, silverware and gifts and you can even view the expert craftsmen at work in the on-site workshop. The team of designer makers can help you choose pieces from the gallery or help custom design that special item. Specialist services include bespoke commissions, jewellery re-design, repairs, free design consultations and re-stringing, as well as engraving and valuations.
• Visit https://www.justinrichardson.co.uk
Clague Architects
Clague is a multidisciplinary architecture, masterplanning and design practice with over 60 architects, interior designers and historic building consultants based in offices in Canterbury, Harpenden and London. Clague Architects were formed over 80 years ago and Clague is regularly entrusted with working in historic settings, precious landscapes and in places of varied character throughout the UK and abroad. Clague believes in the power of great design and great places to improve people’s lives directly and indirectly and is regularly in the Architects Journal top 120 UK Practices.
• Visit https://www.clague.co.uk
Barretts of Kent
Barretts is a family business that has been trading in Canterbury since the turn of the last century, providing unique, personal and first-class customer service across Kent dealing in Jaguars, Land Rovers, BMWs, Minis, Citroëns, DS and Hondas. There are 11 dealerships across Ashford and Canterbury, which specialise in new and used car sales for both personal and business use. Barretts also offer the Motability Scheme and van sales at selected dealerships. Each site is equipped with state-of-the-art service facilities and Barretts also benefits from an award-winning Accident Repair Centre based in Hersden, Canterbury.
• Visit https://www.barrettskent.co.uk
Sally Hatcher Estates
Sally Hatcher Estates provides residential lettings for professionals and students and sales within the Canterbury area. It has a straight forward approach to estate agency and a wealth of experience to help you get moved. Sally Hatcher Estates think it is important for clients to be informed of all the facts before choosing an agent. It is not pushy and does not pressure sell but will provide you with as much information and advice as possible and then let you decide.
• Visit https://www.sallyhatcher.co.uk
Six top tips for your first sportive
The key to having a good sportive is in the preparation. Not only in training for the event, but also what you do on the day. From the spares you pack, to your pacing strategy, even what you wear and what you eat – here’s a few tips that will help you get the best out of yourself on the day.
Bike set-up
If you’re new to cycling or are building up your mileage, you should expect to be a little achy – it will take a period of time for your body to adapt to the new strains and positions that riding demands. However, you shouldn’t be in pain or picking up cycling injuries while riding your bike. Either is a sure sign that something is wrong.
There are a number of easy ways you can tweak the fit of your bike and making sure your saddle and handlebars are set up correctly will give you a much more comfortable and efficient ride and avoid picking up an injury. Getting your saddle height right is possibly the most important aspect of road bike positioning and is the first adjustment for building a new position. As a general rule of thumb, your knee should have a slight bend in it when you’re at the bottom of the pedal stroke. As a starting point, you can achieve this by setting a saddle height that, with your heel on the pedal and pedalling backwards slowly, your knee just barely locks out at the point of maximum extension. If you have to reach, it’s too high. If you don’t quite lock out your knee, it’s too low.
Well-positioned handlebars are crucial for your comfort and important for control of your steering and brakes. A good position to start is with your handlebars at the same height as your saddle. For a more ‘head up’ riding position that’s easier on your back and gives confidence in traffic, you can raise the bars a little.
Bike maintenance
You want to make sure your equipment is on point for event day, your bike needs to be in tip top condition. This is the big day you’ve been training for so you don’t want to ruin it by having a mechanical five miles in. If you’re mechanically minded you can check the bike yourself but if not, your local bike shop will happily check it over for you.
You want to make sure your brake pads aren’t worn down, your chain is lubed, the tyres aren’t getting too thin and you have them pumped up to the right level, and your gears are indexed or if required, you have your di2 charged up because, believe me, you don’t want to be mid-ride with no gears and a hilly ride home.
Carry spares
Spare inner tubes on a sportive are absolutely essential but very easy to forget. If you do get a puncture there is often a mechanical support vehicle trailing the route but you don’t want to be waiting on the side of the road for them to come past. A saddle pack is ideal for carrying spare tubes, tyre levers and a multitool. If you haven’t changed a tyre before it would be a great idea to get a bit of practise in before your big event.
Image Fleur Challis Photography
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Fuel right
The night before you want a high-carb/low-fat meal. Good examples are: pasta with grilled salmon/chicken or the traditional pre-ride favourite spaghetti bolognese. In the morning you want to try to ensure you have your pre-event breakfast two to three hours before to allow enough time to digest it before you set off. Opt for something that’s light on the stomach and high in carbohydrate. Good examples are porridge, scrambled egg on toast or cereal with semi skimmed milk.
On the ride you want to ensure you are carrying enough water so you can drink whenever you get thirsty and enough provisions to eat little and often – stick to what you’re used to, be that energy bars, flapjack, bananas, sweets – don’t use the big event as your test bed for trying out new exotic gels.
Pace yourself
Don’t get carried away starting your ride in a big group and wanting to go at a pace that’s too much for you. You don’t want to get drawn into riding hard on climbs or riding at a pace with a group that’s way outside of your comfort zone, especially if you are tackling a distance you are either not used to or have never done before. Take it steady and build up to the back end of the sportive if you’re feeling fresh.
Clothing
Clothing is really important, it has the potential to make or break your ride. Depending on the weather, a packable rain jacket, a gilet or a set of arm warmers can go in the back pocket or a top tube bag to give you the versatility of layering up or down and maintaining an optimum temperature to enjoy your ride.
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