We did it! We all did it! Thank you to everyone who took part and the collective effort from the staff, venues, contractors and riders to make the Mad Summer Hare thrive in the current Covid world. Mad Summer Hare 2020 was one of the very first cycling events in the country following British Cycling lifting restrictions on mass-participation cycling activities in early September. We were all champing at the bit to get this show on the road and it was extremely pleasing (after months of uncertainty, followed by weeks of hard work) to see everyone playing their part in keeping us all safe whilst enjoying the glorious sunshine. Mad Summer Hare is an iconic sportive in the late summer season tackling the hill climbs of the beautiful but challenging Cotswold terrain designed to challenge both legs and lungs. Riders can choose how many climbs they take on to suit their ability, all linked together by a scenic route through country roads and quaint Cotswold villages.
The event was planned using the Safe Event Scheme process ensuring that we were poised and ready to adapt whenever a new challenge arose. The beautiful wide open space of Umberslade Farm Park, Tanworth-in-Arden as the event HQ enabled us to accommodate all the necessary provisions and social distancing required. Multiple hand sanitising stations were on site as well as a separate bar area, non-contact feed stations and outdoor facilities throughout. Known for the quality of our feed stations we teamed up with Londis and High5 Sports Nutrition to fuel up our riders en route (especially before those punishing climbs!) and post-race. Chapeau to 1st Tidbury Green (Wythall) Scout Group and Let’s Feed Brum / Manningford Hall Community Association for such hard work feeding the troops. The Dynamic Rides team were on hand for mechanical issues. Trans Med Training on their shiny new motorbikes along the route did a fantastic job as medical support. Signage and timings provided by Sportive HQ.
And thank you to all you riders - all the hard work is worthwhile when the feedback is so positive. Graeme & Jonty shared, “My son and I felt completely safe the whole way round. The signage was amazing, as were the food stops”. Another rider neatly summed it up: “Thank you for navigating the complexities of organising an event in the current situation in order to deliver the simplicity of cycling for us all to enjoy”. Make sure you check out the My Sport Photos page for some truly stunning photos of you giving it your all. Digital/print versions are available to buy direct from the gallery. View Gallery It's not a race, but it's always nice to know how you did on the day so check out your official ride time here on Rufus. Once again, thank you for everyone’s collective effort in making Mad Summer Hare such a success. Thank you to everyone who donated to UK Sepsis Trust when registering to ride. We’re currently totalling up our charity donations to our 3 charities and we’ll be announcing the total shortly.