FUCHS Silkolene Tour of the Potteries 2016
FUCHS Silkolene Tour of the Potteries 2016
Paul Horta-Hopkins
A new event, the FUCHS Silkolene Tour of the Potteries will take you over some of the best roads of the Peak District, including the killer climb of Mow Cop.
Sunday 4th September will see the first running of The Tour of the Potteries Sportive; sponsored by motorcycle/cycle lubricant manufacturer FUCHS Silkolene the new event has three routes on offer and as well as the usual cycling action, there will be a stunt display team to watch, plus race vehicles of the motorsport variety to drool over. Many of the drivers and service crews will also be riding the sportive, great if you’re a petrol head and a chance to add to your autograph collection
The Tour of the Potteries goes through the Peak District including the climb of Mow Cop
The Tour of the Potteries has three distances to choose from; 150, 100 and 50 kilometres, all of which start from FUCHS Silkolene’s headquarters in Hanley. The courses will take in some of the local climbs, including Gun Hill – which was used in the Tour of Britain – and Mow Cop. The organisers had this to say about the iconic climb of Mow Cop “It may be short at just under a mile but don’t be fooled. It may have an average gradient around 9% but throw in the maximum gradient of 23%, which veers up at you near the top, and it will soon become clear who’s expended too much energy earlier in the ride.”
All three rides head out towards Leek, but only the long and medium routes pass through the feed station at Flash, the highest village in England at 1518ft! The climb of Mow Cop only features on the long route, ensuring your legs are properly warmed up before tackling the monster!
For those of a family persuasion, the organisers have arranged an almost traffic free family route called the Knotty Family Ride. This is free to enter and won’t go anywhere near Mow Cop! The Tour of the Potteries is helping to raise money for local children’s charity the Donna Louise Trust and sponsorship forms are avilable.
Each route is fully supported with signage, mechanical back up, broom wagon service and feed stops. There is ample free car parking and changing facilities at the event headquarters in Hanley. Ride captains will be on hand for support on the short route and family rides. All entrants will receive a goody bag and snack on their return.
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