70miles of (think) closed roads starting and finishing at Oulton Park and out through Delamere and the surrounding villages? Register an interest here

Etape Mercia

Looks like a flat uninteresting course for which you pay a massive premium to enter. Etape Pennines was ok, apart from them delaying the start because like all UK events they’d buggered up the parking, and the price.

£63!!! it’s a no from me.

As above – £63? no chance

most roady entry fee’s these days are quite expensive….but for closed roads thats a bonus in my book.

sometimes i cannot understand the need to “not race” on open roads and pay for the privilege, go out with your mates and save your cash for more carbon bling 😉

Pitched just about right IMHO.

That bit of Cheshire must be stuffed to the gunnels with portly MAMILS who would love the opportunity to ride a flat closed road course for charidee.

Genius

*might actually enter myself 8)

Wouldn’t touch an IMG organised event after reading about their financial link with Marie Curie.
Paying your £63 and seeing Marie Curie splashed all over the website i’d assume that part of my entry went to the charity.
Not so.I think for the Pennines etape Marie Curie paid IMG £100,000 for the publicity in the hope that riders would raise their own sponsorship for the charity.
My local council organises rides from 50 to 101 miles with a feed station and check in for £5.Better to support that than overpriced sportives .

If you want a closed road event that’s more of a challenge, I’d be looking at the Etape Cymru in September.

Paying 60 quid for a ride is another matter however.

Some good points above but

Marie Curie paid IMG £100,000 for the publicity in the hope that riders would raise their own sponsorship for the charity.

– not impressed by that at all 🙁

Agree course not that challenging but interested as I could ride to/from start/finish and not had experience of riding on closed roads as 95% of my riding is mtb with a weekly duel with Frodsham traffic commuting to work – twitchy moments always in morning when drivers not woken up!