The first edition of the Rise Above Sportive, the official sportive of Mark Cavendish MBE, has been hailed a great success after almost 3,000 cyclists took part last weekend.
Sunday 9th August saw Chester's historic city centre taken over by the colourful spectacle of 3,000 riders setting off on one of three sportive routes into North Wales and back, with former World and British Champion Cavendish himself riding the 120-kilometre Purist route.
Commenting on the Rise Above Sportive Mark Cavendish said;
"It was incredible to sell out in the inaugural year and to see so many riders turn out on Sunday. All three routes were real challenging, testing the riders mentally and physically in North Wales. I was super happy with Chester as a start and finish venue. It was great to see the partners in action through the Promo Village which created a nice atmosphere once the riders had finished. I'm looking forward to making Rise Above bigger and better in 2016 and hope to see you there.”
Andrew Adam, of Chester, was on the Purist Route with the Graham Weigh team. He said:
"This was Chester at its best! The city was magnificent, and there surely cannot be better venues than here to run an event like this. Rolling out of the city centre under the Eastgate Clock with my Graham Weigh team mates was really special.
"The course was suitably tough, great scenery, great roads to ride and we returned to a noisy finish all the way up Lower Bridge Street. Can't wait for the next one!”
Plans are already being put in place for the 2016 event by Mark and his CVNDSH brand to build on the success of 2015 and deliver an even bigger and better event next year.
All three of the Rise Above Sportive routes started and finished on the closed, cobbled roads of Chester city centre, with each ride heading west from the city and across the border in to Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy, linking scenic forestry roads with breathtaking views, challenging climbs and iconic Welsh landscapes.
The Rise Above Sportive's Official Partners were David M Robinson, Oakley, Jaguar, SiS, Specialized and Cyclist magazine.
Right to Play and Help for Heroes are the two Official Charity Partners for Rise Above Sportive. Mark has personally supported both charities for a number of years and was delighted to have them both involved in his inaugural Official Sportive, with teams from each charity riding to raise money for their respective causes.