Struggle

Henrietta completed Struggle Dales as part of her training for the Tour de Yorkshire pro women’s race. Now racing professionally on the continent, Henrietta explains how you can improve your climbing in the lead up to our hilly Yorkshire sportives. 

1. Set Tough Goals

“The majority of my racing in 2017 was in Holland and Belgium - a few lumps here and there but no 20 km climbs! At the end of 2017 I raced Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche; a 5-day stage race in the South of France. It included 30 km+ climbs in 30 degree...

Trapping Hill is the penultimate climb on the Struggle Dales. In our latest video blog we take you on a tour of this testing ascent and show you how to tackle it.

For more videos of climbs on the Struggle check out our Struggle Events You Tube page.

"If you’ve ever had the pleasure of riding in North Yorkshire, it’s highly likely you’ve tackled the roads used for the Tour de Yorkshire. But according to The Struggle Dales organiser, Matt Mannakee, you’ve been missing out on some of the region’s most spectacular and untouched scenery," says Cycling Weekly. read their recon review here...

Image: The Stunning Scenery on surrounding Malham Cove Climb 

Why Ride Struggle Dales

Taking in seven of North Yorkshire’s killer climbs, the Struggle certainly lives up to its name. 108 miles in this neck of...

Cycling Plus uses our Struggle sportive course to put two cheap steeds to the ultimate test: "We take on one of the toughest sportive courses in the UK on two £250 road bikes to find out which breaks first – us, the bikes or our snobbish price preconceptions."

Billed as Yorkshire’s hardest sportive, Struggle Dales already has a fearsome reputation. At 108 miles it’s short enough to trick you into thinking it’s relatively doable, but its elevation profile is a hungry parade of brutally sharp fangs. It doesn’t take long to show those teeth, nipping...

Weave your way between the drystone walls, remembering to leave something in the tank for the later stage of this cruel climb of two halves.

The Cove Road

The Cove Road, as it’s known by locals, is the steeper of your two get-outs from the village of Malham. Ignore the righthand road inviting you to Malham Tarn and force yourself left.

This notorious Yorkshire cycling climb is located at mile 38 on Struggle Dales sportive. The scenery surrounding Malham is famous for its drystone walls cutting through the landscape. It’s these suffocating restraints...