This Year’s Ride will be on Sunday 12th May

We’ve reached the 20 year Milestone!

Entry to this draw is now open and will stay open up to and including Thursday 17th January. All the results of the draw will be posted on the 21st January. To enter, first read the notes below and then to enter click the Start Registration button.

Individual entry vs. Group entry The lottery draw uses a “one registration, one ticket” system. When you click Start Registration button you can either enter just one person in that registration – they will then get their own individual ‘ticket’ in the draw – or you can enter a group of people (max 4 riders).

Entry Fee The entry fee is £60 for each rider, plus a small transaction charge that your bank takes.

After the draw We’ll email you to let you know if you have a place in the event (if you are not successful you can join a reserve list). If you do get a place in the event then then you will be given 7 days to complete the entry fee payment, or your place will go to the next riders on the reserve list.

First-time riders 400 places are reserved for first-time riders, so you’ll be asked if you’ve ridden the event before (be honest, we’ll check).

The Fred Whitton Challenge

The Fred Whitton Challenge is one of the most popular sportives in the UK and is also famed as being particularly difficult. Riders rank it alongside European events such as the Marmotte in terms of difficulty.

The ride is a real challenge and everyone who completes it has a true sense of achievement. The Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge is a charity event in honour of the late Fred Whitton who was a great advocate for cycle sport in Cumbria and North Lancashire. It is with respect to Fred and his ideals that the event remains just that, ‘a challenge’. Fred, who died aged just 50 in 1998, was an extremely popular member of the Lakes Road Club.

The Fred Whitton Challenge consists of a 112 mile sportive around the Lake District, starting at Grasmere and taking in climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott & Wrynose passes.

The very top riders complete the route in just under six hours but eleven hours and over are not uncommon for the average Sportive rider. This is a very tough route and going on rider feedback the hardest one day ride in the UK, the event includes all the Lakeland passes, one with a 30% gradient and this comes at 98 miles.

There’s an excellent description of the 2018 ride from Ollie Bridgewood from Cycling Weekly. Ollie completed the ride in under 6 hours (one of only three riders to do so), on a slightly longer course–including the Blea Tarn climb and the whole of Great Langdale. He made a great video of the ride too. A big thanks from all at The Saddleback Fred Whitton. You can see the video here.

Latest News