After the Trans Alp last July my Mum decided she would like to take on some cycling challenges, as you can imagine I was thrilled at the thought of being able to share some biking adventures with her.

On Sunday the adventures started with a trip to the New Forest to take part in the Spring Sportive.

Since buying her road bike a few months back my Mum has managed a few rides but had not really been out for any distance so this was a great test of her endurance.

We arrived in the New Forest early Sunday morning to cloudless skies and warming sun. We picked up our Power Bar goodies and numbers and headed to the start. We were soon pedalling our way through country lanes around the New Forest on our 30 mile route.

The miles seemed to fly by and soon we were at the feed station, a very pretty village hall where we stocked up on jammy dodgers and flapjacks. 12 miles down we rolled out for the final 17 miles Mum was doing really well and we were averaging around 13/14 miles an hour eating up the miles passing through quaint villages, farmers’ fields, New Forest ponies and even a Donkey greasing the verge.

The elevation of the last section included a few steady inclines and I could tell this last 2/3 miles were becoming difficult for her so we eased off enjoying the views. The great thing about Sportives over races in the huge mixture of abilities enjoying time on their bikes, there is no pressure to go fast you can take things leisurely.

Cycling through the New Forest

We soon turned back down the long track to the finish line to complete our first mother and daughter sportive.  I am sure there will be more to come!

Sportives are a great way to test your endurance cycling ability in a safe environment knowing you can rely on feed stations and mechanical support if needed, making them a great opportunity for new cyclists to get out and enjoy time on their bikes and explore new areas on two wheels.