Really well organised event on closed roads with a festival feeling to the expo area. However I have never raced on roads in such bad condition, what in the end took me out of a qualifying position after hitting a series of huge potholes. bent my bars down and dropped my chain what jammed in the BB. I seen a number of riders with similar issues throughout the race. Very disappointing after travelling so far south to qualify.

I think doing RideLondon the weekend before may have spoiled me. There were no regular mile markers on this event, the pit stops felt poorly planned and rushed, there was no bike storage at the pit stops. The course itself left a lot to be desired, the only bits I can really remember is the incredibly boring straight sections that felt neverending. The event hq itself wasn't bad, there were a few stalls you could see them all in 10 mins. Which isn't great considering the wanted people to arrive before 7am so the parking was free and not setting off until past 10am. With such a delay between arriving and starting you'd think there may have been changing facilities but there wasn't. Thinking of facilities there were no where near enough toilets, many without toilet paper and the only ones on the course were at the rest stops (RideLondon had them all the way along the course). It's laughable to call this a closed roads ride as we encountered so much traffic, at one point on a fast section there was almost a nasty crash because of a tractor driving head on to cyclists, marshalls didn't seem to care about it either. Some marshalls were good, others were sat around smoking and drinking... Not a great look on the event. I was planning on pulling out and doing the event next year but seeing as it's the last one I decided to do it. The event felt like it was the last one too, not going out with a bang but going out with organisers putting in minimal effort.

Disappointing that after a hefty price tag we had to pay for parking. Food was poor, only cheese and onion pasties and flapjacks. No recovery shakes at the end. Also, late start was only communicated week before. Late start meant I didn't get home until midnight on Sunday. Would not do again.

Another great TOC, I was on the start line on 2015 and have been every year since the inception. A great vision to bring this event to the UK. I will miss this event, as it offers a unique experience for ordinary everyday cyclists. Sure there are some things that are for everyone, but overall it’s well run, a great choice if routes and the enthusiasm along the route is unprecedented. Thank you for the initiative in 2015 and achieving a final edition that befits the event. Chapeau!

What a great day! We really enjoyed the event. Riding through lovely countryside on completely closed roads was an absolute delight. The course was pretty flat, but enough hills to make it challenging (as if the strong head wind in the middle third wasn't enough!). In terms of improvements, I'd say offering coffee (and other hot drinks) at the pit stops would be great; also, putting signs up where the 50/70/100 mile courses diverged a bit further ahead of the junctions would allow riders to position themselves properly and not get in the way of others making a turn. Overall though a fantastic event and I hope somebody takes it over so it can come back again in the near future.

My main raeson for leaving this review is because of one issue. It was supposed to be closed roads, except for about the middle 25, when out of the blue there were cars overtaking us and coming the other way. Marshals said nothing, no pre race warning. Really, really poor organisation and dangerous - you can’t have a safe closed road sportive that is only part closed. Some of the route had nasty road surfaces with bad potholes and collapsed shoulders. Lots of marshals at the beginning but many locations were unmanned towards the end of the route. Signage was a bit average - needed to be larger and earlier before the bend/junction etc. Registration was good. Easy to park. Feed stations were well stocked and had friendly helpers, but quite cramped and no racking, so bikes just dropped or balanced everywhere. Some local support, but not as much as I’ve experienced elsewhere in the UK. Maybe the residents have had enough of closed road days?

The event was really well organised and the marshals on route were fantastic. The feed stations were excellent! Great route and lots of support from spectators. Medal not great, and no goodie bag and not enough for children to do while they waited, but that said a brilliant bike ride.

Disappointing, no mention of the fact that the road race and gran fondo and sportive times would be amalgamated for the results until we were sat on the start line. Almost impossible to qualify if you entered the gran fondo. Good job its not coming back, would not ride this event again. over priced and over rated event