LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP

FOR MANY AMBITIOUS ROAD CYCLISTS THE TRADITIONAL 160KM SPORTIVE IS NO LONGER ENOUGH. ULTRA-ENDURANCE EVENTS – A DOUBLE CENTURY, OR MORE – ARE THE NEXT BIG TREND AND, WITH THE RIGHT TRAINING AND COMMITMENT, YOU TOO CAN GO ALL THE WAY…

The legendary world of ultra cycling – typically defined as endurance challenges of 200-300km or longer – is often seen as the preserve of super-fit semi-pro athletes and extreme amateur racers. But with the right training and mindset, any amateur cyclist can conquer an ultra. The annual sportive calendar is now studded with epic one-day ultra events (see overleaf), while the World Ultracycling Association also oversees a calendar of ultra events worldwide. As ultra challenges are even longer than the Queen stages of the Tour de France, every heroic finisher is guaranteed lifelong cycling kudos.

Neil Kelsall, 52, from Surrey, began road cycling in 2010, but after completing a few cycling jaunts to the Alps and the Pyrenees, and a 150km sportive in Yorkshire in 2019, he tackled his first ultra - the Mallorca 312 - last October. “I had dabbled with road cycling but never really committed,” admits Kelsall. “But I was due to take my son Tom – who has learning difficulties and Type 1 diabetes - to Mallorca for a