Top Dog Events organise great cycling events in NW England.

Our 4 x annual sportives are fully supported, friendly and non competitive – each explores a different area of fells, dales, forests, lakes & coasts of NW England.

*2024 ONLINE ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN *

Come and enjoy some of the most challenging and scenic rides in the UK.

These are the events that we would love to ride in ourselves.

*see our latest newsletter here*

* for monthly newsletters + events info  –  send us your e mail address to be added to our mailing list *

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“Such a well organised Sportive and the people are very nice. The route was perfect, a good mix with some nice challenges. My favourite one of 2023 and a great way to end the season.”

Jess – rider 110 – The Boxer 23

* see more rider reviews*

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Fully supported UK sportives  2024

14 April 2024 – The Ram – Yorkshire Dales 80 mile sportive (new route)

ENTRIES OPEN

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9 June 2024 – The Raptor – Forest of Bowland 63 mile sportive

ENTRIES OPEN

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18 August 2024 – The Beast – Lake District 108 mile sportive – 

ENTRIES OPEN

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13 October 2024 – The Boxer – South Lakes 66 mile sportive

ENTRIES OPEN

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all our events are –

• organised by local cyclists on the quiet country roads, hill climbs and remote lanes we know so well

• registered and insured by British Cycling

• challenging in parts but 100% rideable by most

• non competitive – as fast or as casual as you choose to ride them –  blast round or stop for lunch

• easy to get to and from by both road and rail

• supported by a friendly team of experienced helpers

• surrounded by great places to stay for the weekend – with 2 x hotels right on the start line

• way marked with both directional and safety signage throughout + GPX of routes sent to each participant

• limited to 250 riders per event

• set among the stunning scenery of the lake district, Silverdale and Arnside, Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland

• safe and fully supported by marshals, paramedics, ambulance and broom wagons

• and have –

• vegan and vegetarian friendly “grab and go” feed stations en route

• free snacks and drinks at the finish area chill out zone

• discounted post ride guest entry into 3-1-5 Health Club to use their swimming pool, saunas, steam rooms, hot tub, showers and changing rooms

• goody bags and completion certificate for every finisher

• £15 million public liability insurance cover

• bespoke souvenir medals and car stickers available as optional extras when booking online

• gift voucher entry available online to give as presents

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read reviews from previous events

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come and take part in one or more of the cycling events we organise throughout the year.  discover some of the best places to ride in england. 

we don’t need to close the roads for any of our cycling events, as they are truly remote and practically traffic free.  all our routes are among challenging terrain and breath taking scenery.  participant numbers are limited to 250 per event this season – to preserve the friendly feel of the events – so don’t delay – book your place today.

 

we choose to locate all our cycling events at welcoming and interesting venues in and around the north west of england. because this is where we live and ride our various bikes regularly.

look where you’ll ride

riders feedback

 

 

come and discover some unforgettable places to ride your bike.  we are a bit biased – as we live here – but we think that the cycling in north west england is among the best in the uk, if not the world.

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cycling areas

on our doorstep we are blessed to have several stunning national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, all are just a short ride from our event hq’s – and offer some of the best cycling in north west england.

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lancaster

the majority of our cycling events are based at the fantastic 3-1-5 health club, in lancaster, which is very accessible by both road – m6 junction 34 – and rail – main line to lancaster station. we have 2 x great places to stay right on the start line – holiday inn and premier inn .  lancaster is the county town of lancashire and straddles the river lune. the house of lancaster was once a branch of the english royal family, now the duchy of lancaster holds large estates on behalf of elizabeth ii, who is also the duke of lancaster.

find a bed –

it is a lively university city, dominated by lancaster castle, lancaster priory church and the ashton memorial. it is home to lancaster university and a campus of the university of cumbria. with many welcoming places to spend an evening, most have live music at weekends.

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the lake district national park

also known as the lakes or lakeland, is a mountainous region in the county of cumbria.  a popular holiday destination, it attracts over 18 million visitors from all over the world each year.  the region is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains (or fells), which offer some great cycling routes, and its associations with william wordsworth and other lake poets as well as with beatrix potter and john ruskin.

find a bed –

the lake district national park was established in 1951 and covers an area of 2,362 square kilometres, and some classic hill climbs like the struggle, kirkstone, honister, wrynose passes. it was designated a unesco world heritage site in 2017, and is home to mile after mile of secluded lanes.  some of which we use for our events.  

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the yorkshire dales national park

a stunning upland area of the pennines in the historic county of yorkshire, often simply called the dales, most of the area is in the yorkshire dales national park which was created in 1954.

find a bed –

the dales comprise of many river valleys and the hills rising from the vale of york westwards to the hilltops of the pennine watershed, the riding here is fast becoming known worldwide with le tour de france, uci world championships and the tour of britain all having stages in the area in recent years.   cyclists now enjoy the benefits of some incredibly well re surfaced roads due to these events, and you will generally see many more sheep than cars when out riding.

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forest of bowland area of outstanding natural beauty 

also known as the bowland fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east lancashire, but with a small part in north yorkshire (before 1974, some of the area was in the west riding of yorkshire). it is a western spur of the pennines and was once described as the “switzerland of england”.

the forest of bowland has been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty (aonb) since 1964.  bowland survives as the north-western remainder of the ancient wilderness that once stretched over a huge part of england, encompassing the forest of bowland, sherwood forest , the new forest  and savernake forest (wiltshire) . the remote country lanes are fantastic for cycling, and the well known ascents of cow ark, waddington fell and the trough of bowland will test many riders.

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silverdale and arnside areas of outstanding natural beauty 

a designated area of outstanding natural beauty since 1972, on the border between lancashire and cumbria, and bound by the morecambe bay coast on one side and limestone fells on the other.  the area is one of the smallest aonbs, covering just 29 square miles (75 km²) between the kent estuary, the river keer and the a6 road.

the leighton moss nature reserve (recently seen on bbc’s springwatch), owned by the rspb, is the largest area of reedbeds in north west england, and is an important bird breeding ground. the seashores and rolling limestone hills make for some memorable riding in and around arnside and silverdale which are the main villages in the area.

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the howgill fells

are the remote fells often seen from the m6 motorway, between the lake district and the yorkshire dales, lying roughly in the middle of a triangle made by the towns of sedbergh, kirkby stephen and tebay. the name howgill derives from the old norse word haugr meaning a hill or barrow, plus gil meaning a narrow valley.

the howgill fells are bounded by the river lune (and the m6 motorway to the west), to the north by upper reaches of the river lune, and to the east by the river rawthey.  the old roman road that we follow on our events rarely sees any traffic at all, and the hills above are home to several herds of semi wild fell ponies, who will happily stand and watch you ride past.