Leicestershire and Rutland Road Cycling - Day 2

This event is the second day of a two-day circular road cycling route.  It's possible, however, to return to Stamford from Leicester by train at the end of the day's cycling.

• Leicestershire and Rutland Road Cycling - Day 1

• Leicestershire and Rutland Road Cycling - Day 2

We'll start off in the historic town of Stamford, which very oddly straddles the borders of Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. 

From Stamford we head out to Rutland Water; one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in England, but by capacity it is exceeded by Kielder Water.

We cycle around Rutland Water along the shoreline, and then into Oakham where we will stop to see Oakham Castle (from the outside only) and the historic Buttercross and Market Square before stopping for an early-ish lunch.

After lunch we cycle westwards back into Leicestershire, where the countryside gets a little more hilly.

We will stop at the well-known cycle Cafe Ventoux, near the village of Tugby, which has excellent coffee and cake options. 

We'll head back into Leicester through the leafy Clarendon Park neighbourhood, which offers more options for another cheeky coffee and cake before we head through Victoria Park and down to our destination at Leicester Station.

The cycle will be only moderately challenging: 76km (47 miles) with 670m (2,198ft) of ascent.  There are a few rolling hilly sections, but no significant climbs. The route is best suited to road bikes (or gravel bikes / touring bikes with slicks, not chunky tyres) and those with road cycling experience, as most of the distance is on-road (albeit mostly relatively quiet country roads) - although there are a few sections of gravel around Rutland Water.  Overall, it's unsuitable for hybrids and mountain bikes.

The proposed route can be viewed and the GPX downloaded from Cycle.travel here.  

If you have any questions about the event or the route please contact Skip.

Participation Statement

You MUST complete the Participation Statement at https://outdoorlads.events/CyclingParticipation in addition to booking your event space before attending a cycling event.

COVID-19 – IMPORTANT, Please read the following before you sign up to this event:

• Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who lives or is in a support bubble with someone showing symptoms, is asked not to attend. This is in line with the government’s coronavirus advice.
• You must also immediately self-isolate and not attend the event if you or someone in your household or support bubble shows coronavirus symptoms or tests positive. You can find the NHS self-isolation guidance here.
• The main symptoms of COVID-19 are a high temperature, a new continuous cough, and a loss or change to your sense of taste and/or smell.
• You may be subject to local lockdown restrictions, which you must fully comply with. Details of the location of these restrictions can be found here for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 
• We do not encourage car sharing to events during the pandemic. Please comply with the safety travel guidance for England, Wales, and Scotland. Face coverings should be worn on public transport.
• OutdoorLads will support the tracing systems in place across the UK  and attendance at an OutdoorLads event is considered permission to use contact details for this purpose if requested by the appropriate authority.  
• All are required to practice social distancing – staying 2m (not 1m) apart at all times, including the lunch stop. Remember: Face, Hands, Space.
• Unfortunately, there won’t be any planned pub / café stops en route or at the end, and please don’t share sweets or snacks with others – we’re sorry!
• Please bring your own hand sanitising gel for your own use throughout the day. Use of face coverings is at your own choice, but please bring one with you just in case it's needed. Please bring any other PPE items required. Bring a disposable bag for any used PPE.
• Members are advised to bring their own small first aid kit for personal use..
• Be aware that opportunities for toilet stops may be minimal if facilities are closed.
• Please, please cancel at your earliest opportunity if you are unable to attend or are unwell, so that we can allow others to take up these valuable event spaces.
• Much as it's difficult - no handshakes or hugs!

COVID-19: Events Participation Statement

OutdoorLads draws your attention to the fact that travelling and being away from home increases the risk of receiving and transmitting Coronavirus, whilst it is present in the UK. You are likely to choose not to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst there is a risk of Coronavirus transmission. However, should you choose to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst the risk is present, you must be aware of and follow the law and government guidelines, both when travelling to and from events as well as when participating in events.

Please note that every person participating should be aware of (and accept) that those members perceived as ‘in charge’ or leading the event are not experts,  do not need to be experts, and are not regarded by OutdoorLads, or themselves as experts, but are amateurs with some experience in the event type and who are happy to impart their knowledge.  Any advice given should be considered with this in mind by the recipient.

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Image credits: Image 1: St Leonard's Priory -  Stamford © Tim Heaton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence; Image 2: St Leonard's Priory (remains of) Stamford © Richard Humphrey and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence; Image 5: provided by ODL leader and permission is granted for its use and reuse.  All other photos Pixabay public domain free use.