Entries open for Severn Bridge Sportive, ties in this year with inaugural Castle Combe Cycling Festival

Entries are now open for the annual Severn Bridge Sportive, taking place this year on Sunday 25 August to coincide with the Castle Combe Cycling Festival, with the motor racing circuit on the Wiltshire/Somerset border acting as base for the sportive.

Event organiser, Andy Cook said: “We are delighted to have the booking system for the Severn Bridge Sportive up and running.”

“We have already received a number of enquiries from people who have either joined us at the Severn Bridge Sportive previously or have been recommended to the event through friends and family. We know that riders are raring to go, it was just a matter of getting the booking system live and then off we go!

“This is the third year of the Severn Bridge Sportive and we are capping numbers at approximately 1,000 riders,” he added.

“We are confident that we could probably take a few more than this but the main thing from our point of view is to give riders a really enjoyable ride out into the countryside with good maps, signage, routes and stop off venues.

“The routes we have chosen are fabulous and will take you through some classic English countryside before heading over the Severn Bridge and into Wales. There are two routes available – 56 mile and 100 mile – and you don’t need to make your mind up on which route to tackle until the day itself.”

While cyclists have regularly been able to enjoy riding on the Castle Combe circuit on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with the venue also hosting charity events on behalf of schools and clubs in the area, the hosting of the Cycling Festival represents it moving up a gear in its embrace of all things pedal-powered.

According to the circuit’s marketing and events manager, Jo Sparrow, “The joy of a race circuit is that you have a large area of level tarmac, enclosed safe surroundings and great access which means that we can welcome events of all shapes and sizes.

“We have been working with Andy Cook for several years now and it seemed a perfect time to set up the Castle Combe Cycling Festival incorporating the Severn Bridge Sportive,” she added.

Speaking of the Cycling Festival itself, she added: “We have already signed up a great programme of cycling events and activities with real grass root cycling through to the more dedicated Sportive cycling.

“There will be youth racing on the circuit, a stunt bike display team, the circuit lap challenging raising funds for our nominated partner charity, Meningitis UK, and much more.

“The main aim of the event is to attract people of all levels of cycling interest whether they are weekend leisure cyclists, dedicated cyclists or a bit of both.

“We are hoping for kids as young as 18 months to get out on the Toddlebikes and Strider Bikes and then we’ve got the Stunt Bike Team and Skills Participation Area, Have-A-Go Cyclo Cross and more for older riders. This really should be an event for everyone,” she concluded.

More information on both the Castle Combe Cycling Festival as well as the Severn Bridge Sportive, including how to enter, can be found on a dedicated website.