Advance charity entries for the 2017 edition of the Fred Whitton Challenge are now open. Offering a guaranteed place on arguably the UK's toughest sportive before lottery entries open in January 2017, a charity entry is a great way to make your ride count by contributing to local air ambulance and mountain rescue services.
The Fred Whitton Challenge has been running since 1999. It's named after Fred Whitton, club secretary of the Lakes Road Club, who died aged 50 in 1998. The ride named in his memory has grown to become one of the best known and fearsome sportive challenges in the UK, featuring a 112-mile course that includes climbs of the steepest peaks in the Lake District with gradients touching 30%.
With around 3,950m of climbing including an ascent of the ferocious Hardknott Pass near the finish, it's not for the faint-hearted. Finish times range from just under 6 hours for the ridiculously fit, to 9 hours and over for mere mortals. For an idea of what to expect, check out our report by Ian Fillingham, who rode the 2016 Fred and survived to tell the tale.
The event is oversubscribed each year so 2,000 places are now allocated by a lottery, which will open in January. The advance charity entry is the only way to guarantee your place, and costs £60 plus upfront payment of a charity fundraising commitment of £250, which will later be refunded if you raise £250 or more.
The main charity beneficiary of the Fred Whitton is Macmillan Cancer Support, but funds raised by riders on advance entries will go to three smaller local charities: North West Air Ambulance, the Great North Air Ambulance and the Duddon & Furness Mountain Rescue Team.
Completing the Fred is a hard-won badge of honour, but it's also an incredible day's cycling through beautiful scenery; why not make sure of your place, and contribute to some worthy local causes along the way?
For more information and to register, visit www.fredwhittonchallenge.co.uk.
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