Event: 23 June 2013
The Mid-Devon Cycling Club, which already organises the sell-out Dartmoor Classic sportive, has recently launched the Dartmoor Debutante. This new, women only, event is for those who ride bikes occasionally, or have only recently taken up the pastime.
The ride will be held on Sunday, June 23 – the same date as the Classic - and will start at 08:30, immediately after the main field of 3000 participants leave Newton Abbot Racecourse, on their marathons of 107 or 67 miles.
However, the Debutante will be over a much shorter route of just 34 miles. The course will take in Bovey Tracey, the newly opened traffic-free cycle path to Lustleigh, on to Moretonhampstead, where a feeding station will be positioned, and then the climb to Doccombe village before a return via the picturesque Teign Valley.
Becky Kelly, leading lady of the organising team and secretary of the Dartmoor Classic, said
“The Classic is hugely popular and sold out in just four days. We know however that for a lot of riders, and women in particular, even the 34 mile route will be a serious challenge. We hope this new addition to the sportive calendar will encourage women, who already cycle a bit, to stretch themselves and have a go. The route has a couple of fairly demanding climbs, but is within the reach of occasional cyclists. It’s definitely not a race, it’s a leisure ride, which those who want to can take at their own pace and in their own time.”
Entry to the Debutant costs £15, in return for which finishers will enjoy all the trappings of a full blown sportive, including a medal, granite trophy, commemorative designer t-shirt, drinks bottle and a Specialized mini saddle bag.
For full details and to enter the event on-line visit www.dartmoorclassic.co.uk but hurry, places are strictly limited and local residents, who have benefited from priority entry, already fill over half the 200 rider capacity.
