Top 10 sell-out Cyclo-Sportives and Gran Fondos

Some Cyclo-Sportives and Gran Fondos are so good that they are oversubscribed and they actually sell out. Not to worry as we are here to help. Find below our selection of the 10 best sell-out amateur cycling events that you can do right now with Sports Tours International.

No 1 – The Etape du Tour

When: 21 July, 2019
Where: Albertville to Val Thorens, French Alps
Field: 15000 riders
Distance: 170 – 200km
Ascent: 4200 to 5000m
Climbs: Cormet de Roselend, Val Thorens
Accessibility: Fly into Geneva or drive
Entry availability: Entries are sold out on the Etape du Tour website. Guaranteed entries with Sports Tours International.
What’s so special about it?: This is your chance to ride a stage of the Tour de France, the greatest cycle race in the world. Every year you have the opportunity to test yourself against the riders of the pro Peloton on the exact same course on closed roads. The stage which is chosen usually alternates between a Pyrenean and an Alpine stage but in 2016, 2017, 2018, we break with this tradition as we are in the Alps again. I guess it’s not a tradition anymore if you break with it too often?! With many Pros now present on Strava, you can even have a look to see how you did against their speed, power output and heart rate.

No 2 – La Marmotte Alps

When: Sunday 7 July, 2019
Where: From Bourg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez
Field: 8500 riders
Distance: 170km
Ascent: 5000m
Climbs: Col du Glandon, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier, Alpe d’huez climb
Accessibility: Fly into Geneva or Lyon or drive
Entry availability: On sale in December, guaranteed entries with Sports Tours
What’s so special about it?: The Granfondo Marmotte is an extremely tough event. It is a 170km Alpine climbing bonanza between Bourg d’Oisans and Alpe d’Huez with 5000m of climbing. The event does not take place on closed roads but there are rolling road closures. The Marmotte is a firm favourite for foreign riders with the field containing just 20% French riders. Previous winners of the Marmotte include Dutchman Laurens ten Dam and Belgian Sander Armee before they turned pro. There are no cut off points en-route but you have to get to the bottom of Alpe d’Huez before 18.30 otherwise you will not be allowed to start the climb and you will be taken up to your hotel by car. In 2015 the Marmotte took place on an adjusted course without the Galibier as the Tunnel du Chambon was closed and it was also extremely hot that day. In 2016 we were back on the ‘classic’ route and we’ve remained there ever since.

No 3 – Maratona dles Dolomites

Our first Italian event on the list is the Maratona dles Dolomites. The Maratona dles Dolomites is widely regarded as one of the toughest cycling events around, packing in a lot of climbing despite its relatively short distance
When: Sunday July 7, 2019
Where: Italian Dolomites
Field: 8500 riders
Distance: 138km
Ascent: 4100m
Climbs: Passo Campologno, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Giau, Valparola, Mur DL Giat
Accessibility: Fly into Venice Marco Polo or Treviso airport and take our airport transfer
Entry availability: On sale in December, sold out within a day, guaranteed entries with Sports Tours
What’s so special about it?: Not because of the distance but the amount of climbing packed into the route. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016, the Maratona is held in the beautiful Italian Dolomites. This is a quality event, from the event itself and its flawless organisation to the hotel standard. Even though the Maratona dles Dolomites is not one of the longest, it makes up for it with the amount of climbing. It manages to pack 4190m of climbing into its 138km course and as you’ll soon discover the climbs are steeper, in general, than both the Alps and Pyrenees!

The race can be done in 3 different ways of varying difficulty: the Sellaronda course, the Middle course and the Maratona course. All riders start at 06:30am in the village of La Villa and the Sellaronda course with 4 mountain passes will be completed first. After completing the Sellaronda course riders can either choose to finish the race or carry on and do the Middle course. As the full Maratona course is basically an extension of the preceding shorter Middle course, riders who want to tackle the full Maratona dles Dolomites have to do the middle course after the Sella Ronda course.

No 4 – Gran Fondo Quebrantahuesos

Our first Spanish event on the list is the Gran Fondo Quebrantahuesos or “la Quebranta” or the ‘Bone Breaker’, as this event is commonly called is Spain’s most popular Cyclo-Sportive. The event takes place on Saturday the 23rd of June 2018 in the Spanish and French Pyrenees. Spain’s largest Cyclo-Sportive starts and finishes in Sabiñánigo.

When: Saturday 22 June, 2019
Where: Sabiñánigo
Field: 8000 riders
Distance: 200km
Ascent: 3500m
Climbs: Col du Somport (1604m), Col du Marie Blanque (1035m), Col du Portalet (1795m)
Accessibility: Barcelona, Biarritz airport
Entry availability: You’ll see Miguel Indurain at the start probably. On sale in December, sold out within a day, guaranteed entries with Sports Tours
What’s so special about it? As this event passes through spectacular protected areas of natural beauty and for the participant’s safety, the number of cyclists is limited to a relatively small field. For this reason and given the high demand to enter, there is a lottery and the event is vastly over-subscribed so is extremely difficult to get into. Hotels in the area are also very difficult to get. That’s where we come in!

No 5 – Mallorca 312

The Mallorca 312 is the longest one day amateur cycling event on the sportive calendar and it’s also one of the toughest. The long course takes in 312 kilometres of riding with over 5,000m of climbing whilst the other shorter distances still also pack in a lot of ascent. On the one hand it’s nice to have a focus for your winter training but on the other hand as the event comes fairly early in the year, it may be tough to put in the necessary training miles. It is great therefore that when you register for the event you don’t have to specify which route you will ride and like the Maratona dles Dolomites and the Sella Ronda,  you can decide on the day. The initial part of all 3 distance routes is the same but if you get to half way and you don’t feel up to it, you can always do just the 167km. The event was conceived initially as a lap of the island but but now loops back back north to facilitate road closures. The sportive includes the main climbs of the Tramuntana mountains like the Puig Major, Col de sa Predissa and Col de Feminina.

When: Saturday 25 April, 2020
Where: Mallorca
Field: 8,000 riders registered for the 2019 Mallorca 312
Distance: 312km, 225km, 167km
Ascent: 5500m (312km), 3972m (225km),  2500m (167km)
Climbs: Puig Major, Col de sa Predissa and Col de Feminina
Accessibility: Palma Airport
Entry availability: Sells out in a week.Guaranteed entries with Sports Tours International
What’s so special about it? This is the longest one day amateur cycling event in the world, with a distance of  312 kilometres

No 6 – Cape Town Cycle Tour

The 2020 Cape Town Cycle Tour takes place on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The Cape Town Cycle Tour which was previously held under the name of one of the sponsors, the Cape Argus is a cycling event held in Cape Town, South Africa and it is the largest, timed cycling event in the world. Traditionally the race is held on the second Sunday in March. This is a large international event with more than 30,000 people taking part from all over the World. The route is 110km long and you will ride through various town and communities in the Western Cape of South Africa.

When: Sunday, March 8, 2020
Where: Cape Town
Field: 35000 riders
Distance: 109km
Ascent: N/A
Climbs: N/A
Accessibility: Cape Town Airport
Entry availability: Travel and support packages with Sports Tours International
What’s so special about it? Grown from humble beginnings in 1978 when just 525 riders took part, the 2020 event will see 35 000 cyclists line up to tackle the spectacular 109-kilometre loop of the peninsula. In so doing, they will not only participate in the world’s largest timed cycling event, but be part of a special day in the history of the event.

No 7 – Taiwan KOM Challenge

The Taiwan KOM Challenge is one of the toughest single day road cycling events in the world. The elite and professional men’s and women’s fields start together in a mass-start with a 15km neutral section. The 105km route then passes through the Taroko Gorge, and climbed to Taiwan’s highest passable road apex atop Route 14A to Wuling Pass. The route begins at sea level on the eastern coast and then takes riders up to 3,275 metres. In 2018 600 sportive riders conquered the Taiwan KOM Challenge. The line-up for this year’s race included Team CCC’s Laurens ten Dam in the men’s category, while the women’s category boasted Mitchelton-Scott’s Lucy Kennedy and Emma Pooley who also won in 2017 and 2016 when she said that it was her “hardest single day on a bike”.

When: Friday October 25, 2019
Where: Taiwan
Field: 600
Distance: 105km
Ascent: 3275 metres
Climbs: Only one very long one!!
Accessibility: Taipei airport
Entry availability: Travel and support packages with Sports Tours International
What’s so special about it? The event is put on by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and the Taiwan Cyclist Federation and in its 105km route, riders gain an incredible 3275 metres.

No 8 – UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Poznan, Poland

Something a bit different on number 8 in our rundown of the top European Cyclosportive and Gran Fondo events. Did you know that you could qualify for the 2019 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships and that you could wear the official UCI rainbow jersey for a year? It is not as difficult as you may think either. Just enter into one of the official qualifier events and finish in the top 20% of your age group. You will then receive an invitation to take part in the 2019 UCI world championships which takes place in Poznan in August 2019. Our travel packages facilitate those taking part in the ITT on the Thursday and the Gran Fondo on the Sunday or both. We offer hotels in the city centre, mechanical support, airport transfers from Berlin and Poznan, an overland bike transport service, Trek bike rental and a private warm up tent.

When: Thursday 29 August to Sunday 1 September, 2019
Where: Poznan, Poland
Field: 2500 riders
Distance: Various
Ascent: N/A
Climbs: N/A
Accessibility: Poznan, Berlin airport
Entry availability: Travel and support packages with Sports Tours International
What’s so special about it? Like the age group athletes who qualify to represent their countries at the Holy Grail of Ironman Triathlon on Kona, Hawaii, the same exists for cycling. Wear your national colours with pride and try to win your age group for the honour to wear the coveted UCI rainbow jersey for a year.

No 9 – The official 2019 UCI World Championships Yorkshire Sportive

Spend the weekend riding the roads of the Yorkshire UCI Road World Championships with us and watch the Pros battle it out on the first races. A choice of hotels is available as well as the services of our local cycling guides and a guaranteed entry into the Worlds Sportive in Harrogate. Harrogate will be the focal point for the Championships and host the finish of every race over the nine days of competition. The Championships will run from 21-29 September 2019. The Worlds Cyclo-Sportive in Harrogate features 3 professionally designed routes. Each course takes in large sections of the Elite events happening over the 2 weeks, including the Harrogate loop which will be closed road for the Sportive. Whether you want a challenge on the Long Route or something less hilly on the short, there is a route available for everyone.

When: Sunday 22 September, 2019
Where: Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK
Field: 8500 riders
Distance: Various
Ascent: LONG ROUTE – 145km with 1900 metres of climbing
Climbs: Greenhow and Kidstones
Accessibility: Car, train, Leeds Bradford airport
Entry availability: Long distance is sold out but you can get a guaranteed long distance entry with travel and support packages with Sports Tours International
What’s so special about it? Like the age group athletes who qualify to represent their countries at the Holy Grail of Ironman Triathlon on Kona, Hawaii, the same exists for cycling. Wear your national colours with pride and try to win your age group for the honour to wear the coveted UCI rainbow jersey for a year.

Our travel packages facilitate those taking part in the ITT on the Thursday and the Gran Fondo on the Sunday or both. We offer hotels in the city centre, mechanical support, airport transfers from Berlin and Poznan, an overland bike transport service, Trek bike rental and a private warm up tent.

No 10 – Prudential RideLondon – Surrey

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 forms part of the London 2012 Olympics legacy events for cycling. It is your opportunity to cycle on closed roads around London, and most importantly for Cyclosportive riders, ride a route that replicates much of the 2012 Olympics Road Race course. The new Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46 mile distance event takes place on the same day as the 100, setting off after all the “100” riders have departed – this is ideal for those wanting the RideLondon experience, without the stress of riding 100 miles.

When: Sunday 4 August, 2019
Where: London
Field: 20,000 riders
Distance: 160km (100 miles)
Ascent: 1250m
Climbs: Leith Hill, Box Hill
Accessibility: Various London Airports, trains etc.
Entry availability: On sale in December, sold out within a day, guaranteed entries with Sports Tours*
What’s so special about it?: Riding on closed roads around all the famous landmarks in London. An incredible experience. The ride will pass through nine London boroughs and the county of Surrey, before returning to Central London for a finish on The Mall. Later in the afternoon there will also be a Pro cycling event. Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is the UCI event for 150 of the world’s best cyclists. The route of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is a variation on the London 2012 Olympic Road Race route. It will follow a similar route as the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 course and feature a route extension (in Surrey) to meet UCI pro race requirements. You will be able to watch the finish of the Pro Race on the Mall this afternoon after you have finished yourself and got changed at the hotel.

*Guaranteed entries only available to overseas competitors. Our hotel packages are available to everyone.

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