Big Tim's Big Day Out

Cycle Sportive, Ardingly – Sunday, 02 Sep 2018

Event Overview

Big Tim’s Big Day Out – a cycle sportive in memory of Tim Stevens and a way for all local South East cyclists to donate to the Royal Marsden Hospital charity.

For those who knew Tim, this day will bring you all together again, and for those who didn’t know Tim, read more here, watch the video and be inspired to ride. Or to just donate anyway, visit the JustGiving page

Read Tim's Obituary in Cyling Weekly

About Big Tim’s Big Day Out

Event Details

Big Tim’s Big Day Out is a ride of 90km – the Grande - or a ride of 50km – the Cortado. Created by none other than Sean Yates, both rides start and finish at the South of England Showground at Ardingly and head off towards the Ashdown Forest to take in some classic local climbs. The route splits at Splaynes Green, the Grande heading south through some rolling terrain to Ringmer before heading back north. The Cortado takes a slightly easier route back to Ardingly, but beware, both routes have a sting in the tail...

The route split at Splaynes Green (29.7km) will have a water station, and there will be a feed station at Chailey School at 63.2km on the Grande route. The team at Chailey School have very kindly allowed us to use their facilities for free, so please respect the environment if you do stop there.

The Espresso ride is the easy way to enjoy the party - sign up for this ride and come along for the food and drink and know that your entry fee will go towards the Royal Marsden Charity. And if you're up for it, do the 15 km route, starting at 10.30am, suitable for families and those who want a shorter ride.

MamaC will have her Airstream Caravan at the Showground with food for all finishers as well as other offerings to purchase, and the BeerMe Belgian brewery will provide a beer for all riders and a pop-up bar. Electronic multi-point chip timing, super-fast registration make for a great day on the road. Enter now on the British Cycling website, £32 for the Grande, £28 for the Cortado and £16 for the Espresso.

Pick up your ticket for food/beer/soft drink from the timing HQ.

After Party

Fantastic local band The Straw Dogs and rock band Stone Cold Sober have been booked to entertain you from 13:00 hrs at the after party at the Ardingly Showground.

To pick up your free food and beer after your ride, you'll need to collect your ride-time ticket from the timing HQ and present that to MamaC for food and BeerMe for beer. More food and beer will be available to purchase to see you through the party!

Please note that on the day entries are not available for this event. This is because your entry fee includes food and a beer after your ride, and the caterers need advance numbers. Please enter in advance on the British Cycling website.

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

For a future beyond cancer.

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity raises money solely to support The Royal Marsden, a world-leading cancer centre. They ensure their nurses, doctors and research teams can provide the very best care and develop life-saving treatments, which are used across the UK and around the world.

From funding state-of-the-art equipment and groundbreaking research, to creating the very best patient environments, they will never stop looking for ways to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.

Further Information

Mechanical Support

Mechanical support is kindly donated by our good friends at In-Gear Cycles of Forest Row.

The In-Gear mechanic will be available before the ride and will be out at the feed station should you need a tweak.

Ride Numbers

Your ride number and timing chip has been kindly sponsored by Shaw Harley-Davidson.

Steve Willis, Dealer Principal at Shaw Harley-Davidson, who raced at the same time as Tim, recalls - "lapping the field at Eastways with Tim, and also Tim taking more than 3 minutes out of me in second place at Eastbourne Rovers Open 25 in 1995".

"He was a big man and a big rider. I'm more than happy to be able to contribute in some way to this great event in memory of Tim."

Kermis Beer for Everyone (over 18!)

Paul Watson of Kermis beer is giving a bottle of beer to all ticket holders.

Paul is three times British Champion, World Masters Road Champ, Milk Race stage winner, Tour de France rider, and made headlines when he finished 6th in Flèche Wallonne.

Paul says "I first met Tim at the 1985 World Championships in Italy. We shared a room I rode the Road Race and Tim was selected for the Team Time Trial.. It was great getting to know Tim, what a great guy he was.."

Partners

The following partners have all kindly donated prizes for the finishers raffle, or are supporting with the event in some way.

Please visit their websites to find out more:

• Sportive Photo

  Sportive Photo have been photographing some of the best sportives in Great Britain. We are pleased to announce Sportive Photo as official photographers for Big Tim's Big Day Out.

• Summit Finish

  Summit Finish Cycling Gifts and Products.

• TrainSharp Cycle Coaching

  TrainSharp is a UK based cycle coaching company set up by Jon Sharples. Together in partnership with Sean Yates their coaching strategies make for a formidable team. Train Sharp are giving away a Bioracer Aerofit & a free fitness test.

• Velo Culture

  Velo Culture takes punctured innertubes that would otherwise be destined for landfill and gives them a second life turning them into new, fun and hardwearing accessories.

• La Vie En Velo

  La Vie en Vélo helps cyclists to ride in small groups in iconic destinations and to hidden gems around Europe. La Vie En Vélo are providing field support and broom services for this event.

• Muhdo Health

  Muhdo performs a detailed analysis of your DNA and provides you with personalised health and fitness recommendations to help you achieve your goal. We provide you with free access to hundreds of recipes, workouts and lifestyle advice – all tailored to your DNA. Muhdo have provided a free DNA testing kit for athletes worth £250 to give away.

• Madison

  Madison are the UK's leading distributor of cycle parts and accessories. Madison have provided energy supplements for the feed stations.

• Rejuvenate

  Rejuvenate will be providing sports massage for £10 at the after party with 20% going to the cause.

• Team Wiggins

  WIGGINS was founded in 2015 with a clear vision to develop the next generation of British and international riders and to assist them in their pursuit of riding at the elite level of professional cycling. Team Wiggins are supplying bottles and caps to give away.

• The Puncheur Sportive

  The challenge of PUNCHEUR is to keep up a good tempo along rolling roads over 65 miles, and to keep your rhythm up the short climbs and drags. PUNCHEUR sells out every year. It's a carefully planned route, with a unique selling point: a tough, summit finish. The Puncheur Sportive have offered one free space on their 2019 sportive.

Route and GPS Files