This is my latest ride planned for Sunday 14 October. Its a game of two halves this one with a really nasty half-time killer climb thrown into the mix.
The profile reminds me of all the Mad March Hare Sportives I organised. A gentle downhill trend to half way. A serious spike up and down and then a gently rolling uphill profile home. This route mirrors this kind of profile and at 130km too in mid-October it could be a biggy if its cold.
See the route here
Rolling out from Bromsgrove, the route takes in a regular route I use to get to Droitwich which is a quiet lane and tracks the A38 before it drops into the town briefly and pops back out again into the lanes now tracking the M5 south through Crowle and Broughton Hackett. We cross the A44 and skirt Pershore and head out into the lanes to Defford before crossing the M5 at Strensham and onto new roads for me through Twyning. We drop onto the A38 briefly into Tewkesbury and head out the back door of town across to Bishops Cleeve.
Here the the road ironically heads up to heaven but is actually a road to hell. Bushcombe Lane needs no introduction. I’ve never ridden it but I know about it from reading and talking to mates that have. Its been on my bucket list for a while now. To all intents and purposes its simply very steep and fucking horrible but lets not get put off by a bit of steep tarmac, think of the views from Cleeve Hill!
After the climb, I’m rewarded with a great descent into Winchcombe for a lunch stop. Plenty of choices here for food but will do some research.
After lunch its Northwards cutting across to Sedgeberrow and skirting Bredon Hill. After Cropthorne we climb out of Fladbury and ride back through the Lenches to Flyford Flavell and then more lanes home.
