I’ve been asked to help plan a 3 day ride from London to manchester with work next year and I’m looking for some advice on where to find routes etc…

Has anyone got experience of using routes from the CTC/sustrans etc…?

I’m hoping to build in options as it’s likely we will have two groups riding so some decent climbing would be nice. I know the roads north of stafford and will probably divert through the peaks to get to manchester but the bits further south are currently a mystery.

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers

I did a road ride from Dorset to Sheffield this summer, and found that MapMyRide produced a reasonable route once I got the settings sorted out – the only problem I had with it was that the software was addicted to using cycle routes, which aren’t always ideal for road bikes.

If I do anything similar again on unfamiliar roads, I’d probably plan it in MapMyRide and then check the route against another map (either OS or online) before riding it…

Ride with GPS has a useful search feature that I have used in the past to identify routes as a starting point. e.g. search for rides starting in Manchester with keyword London gives these two:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5325281
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/3409454

Probably worth a look to give you some ideas…

You could also try http://www.cyclestreets.net

Rapha have just done a london to manchester charity ride, might be some routes on strava from that.

Someone off here did it a couple of years ago in a day, can’t remember his username though.

Excellent, thanks for those links. I will dog through them later tonight! I wonder if Rapha will send me their routes and some free kit! 🙂

Spoonie!! I can’t believe you forgot me when I think about you every day :-).
I did London, Luton, Northampton, Leicester, Derby, Matlock (wtf was I thinking, fading fast), Buxton (dead on my pedals), Manchester.
Whilst it is resurrected, huge thanks again to everybody who sponsored me. It topped out at just under 2k for the hospice with gift aid and thanks to Fatboyjon, Crikey, Mercx Steve and Crazy Legs for dragging me along for the last bit.

and thanks to Fatboyjon, Crikey, Mercx Steve and Crazy Legs for dragging me along for the last bit.

Haha, I remember that! You were **** by that point! Massive hats off for completing it though, top effort. 🙂

manderson – have a look on Strava or on rapha.cc for their recent (last weekend) Manchester to London ride then just reverse that. I lead out a ride from Manchester to Chesterfield a couple of weeks ago as the final training ride/recce of the northern end of the section. Basic route was Manc Velodrome out to Stockport, Offerotn, Marple, Disley, Whaley Bridge, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Dove Holes, Peak Dale, Millers Dale, down the Monsal Trail to Bakewell then A6 down to Matlock. Reverse that.

The bit from London to Matlock you’ll have to find off the rapha website or by searching for M2L/Manchester to London on Strava.

Think the quickest time on the M2L was about 12hrs 30 mins.