Welcome to 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. Dubbed ‘The Daddy of them all’ by Cycling Weekly, 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’.

The Fred Whitton Challenge consists of a 113 mile sportive around the Lake District, now a World Heritage Site. Starting at Grasmere and taking in climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott, Wrynose and Blea Tarn 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.

Next Event: 19/09/21

FRED WHITTON

The person who inspired the ride, and whose untimely death moved us to ride the route and raise money for charity in his memory.

SADDLEBACK

Our main sponsors and valued supporters of the event for the past 10 years

CHALLENGE

That’s exactly what it is – 113 miles on the toughest route in Britain. We make no bones about the ride, it is hard, and will probably be the hardest one day ride you will ever complete. It will take a lot of effort and willpower to finish the event, please don’t take it lightly, and don’t attempt it if it’s your first sportive.

VOLUNTEER

3 MONTH TRAINING PLAN

KMC FUEL GUIDE

We now have a small number of special charity entries available; this is the only way to guarantee a place for the September 2021 event if you don’t already have a place. More details and entry can be found here

An email has been sent out to all riders in the 2021 event to inform you that unfortunately due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the UK, the Fred Whitton Challenge Steering group have made the unanimous decision to reschedule the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge to Sunday 19th September 2021.

We worked hard to make the event happen in May, exploring all avenues and options, but the risk of late cancellation in May due to government guidance was just too high. This decision was also made with the lake district community in mind and all of our volunteers, many of whom are in the at-risk age bracket.

Moving to September will give us the best chance of delivering an event we are proud of, with the community atmosphere that has come to be expected of a Fred Whitton Challenge event. Plus, riders will have the chance to train through summer, a first for the Fred Whitton Challenge!

All riders entered into the May 2021 event will be automatically transferred to the 19th September 2021 event, you do not have to do anything.

Due to the unique situation we are all facing, we are making an exception to our standard terms and conditions. If you are unable to ride in September 2021 for any reason, you can move your entry to May 2022 (08/05/22) free of charge. If you would like to do this, please email entriesfwc@gmail.com.

For any other queries or if you have changed your postal address or email address since entering, please contact info@fredwhittonchallenge.co.uk.

Further information will be posted on our website shortly.

Please stay safe during your training and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in September.

Paul Loftus MBE – President of the Fred Whitton Challenge Steering Group

YEARS

CHARITIES

TOTAL RAISED

FWC News

Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge

Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge Donates £55,000 to Charity amid International Pandemic

Despite not being able to deliver the event in 2020 due to COVID-19, the annual Lake District cycling event the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge has been able to donate a much needed £55,000 across Macmillan Cancer Research and three additional Cumbria based charities.

Fred Whitton & the Challenge

The Fred Whitton Challenge has been raising money for charity since it began in 1999, but who is Fred Whitton – and why is it named after him? Until his untimely death in 1998 at the age of 50, Fred Whitton was an extremely popular member of the Lakes Road Club. Not only was Fred the main instigator behind all the clubs’ activities, but he was also always there on the club runs and training weekends. Living near to all the big Lake District steep climbs Fred would have known them all, so the year following his death we decided to cycle the route in his honour and use it as an opportunity to raise a bit of money for charity… twenty years later that ‘bit’ for charity is now reaching the £2000000 mark! We always think of Fred’s reaction to the event on the day and wonder what he would have made of it all.

Serving the Community Since 1999

The Fred Whitton Challenge was the first Cycle Sportive in the UK and is now regarded as the hardest one-day cycling event in the British Isles, it also has the title of The Daddy of Them All. What started off as a club ride for a friend, has grown to be one of the most famous cycling events in Europe, never in our wildest dreams did we think the event would be still running after 20 years and would generate such a fantastic amount of donations for our Special Charities. In recent years the event has given MacMillan Nurses an average of just over £100,000 each year. Along with this, the event has shared the donation of £608,000 to the two Air Ambulances in Cumbria, The Mountain Rescue and Various youth Cycling projects. After 15 years Starting and Finishing in Coniston, the event moved to the Grasmere Sports Ground and has proved extremely popular, with over 5,000 riders applying for just over 2,500 places. The ride has participants from Holland, Norway, Spain, Belgium, France, Russia, Switzerland, and two riders made the trip all the way from Australia especially to ride in the event.

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