Wiggle Chalky Chaser

When: Sunday March 5th

Where: Salisbury, Wiltshire

Distances: 13 miles, 21 miles or 32 miles

Entry Fee: from £23

Event Website Here

The Chalky Chaser MTB sportive takes you on some awesome rural routes through Wiltshire’s beautiful scenery. Descending into villages, winding around country off-road paths with the occaisional gut busting climb.

This event is fully supported throughout with waymarkers, feed stations and a shiny medal awaiting for you at the finish line. There are three distances to choose from, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling: short (13 miles), standard (21 miles), epic (32 miles).

Moors and Shores Adventure Cross

When: Sunday April 2nd

Where: Pickering, North Yorkshire

Distances: 43 miles or 58 miles

Entry Fee: From £26

Event Website Here

Time for something a little different? Adventure cross has been rapidly gaining momentum in the cycling world. It’s basically a cross-country endurance mountain bike event, that can be ridden on a cross bike.

Of course you don’t have to ride a cross bike if you don’t want to, you can complete either the Massif (58 miles) or Mini Massif (43 miles) routes on your regular mountain companion, although a hardtail may be more suitable. Be prepared to get a little – or a lot – muddy in this race.

Scott MTB Marathon Series

When: 8th and 9th April

Where: Builth Wells, Wales

Distances: 25km, 45km and 65km

Entry Fee: From £28

Event Website Here

The Scott MTB Marathon series is back for the 17th year. This huge event should be on every mountain biker’s “must-do” list.

Kicking off the series this year, the tour begins in Builth Wells where the Saturday night will play host to a night time ride supported by Exposure Lights. You can choose from a 20km or 40km night ride which serves as the perfect warm up for the following day.

Bright and early on Sunday morning will see the beginning of the main event. You can choose from the following distances: mini (25km), half (45km) or full (65km). All riders receive a bag of goodies, a finishers t-shirt and well stocked feed stations along the way.

TweedLove International Enduro

When:Friday June 9th – Sunday June 11th

Where: Peebles, Scotland

Entry Fee: From £60

Event Website Here

One of the pinnacle events for the UK enduro scene is TweedLove. It’s a 3 day event where you can ride, race or just go along for the fun.

With a full enduro expo throughout the weekend and big name riders like Tracey Moseley, you can surround yourself with professional and amateur talent to feel inspired and get motivated.

Mountain Mayhem

When: Friday June 16th – Sunday June 18th

Where: Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire

Entry Fee: Solo £82 – Teams from £159

Event Website Here

2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Mountain Mayhem, a 24hr MTB endurance event which sees hundreds of riders from all over the country take part.

You can enter this in teams, or make it a solo mission. Setting off at 12:00 noon, you have 24hrs to ride as much as you want, or can, of the designated course. The winners are those that have completed the most laps in the allocated time. It’s gruelling, it’s tough, but it’s a true test of your fitness, strength and skill.

Trans Alps

When: Sunday July 16th – Sunday July 22nd

Where: starting in Mayrhofen, Austria – finishing in Riva del Garda, Italy

Distance: 50km – 100km per day

Entry Fee: 795 euros

Event Website Here

Thinking of going on a cycling holiday this summer?

While the Trans Alp race is far from a holiday, you do get to cycle through some pretty spectacular landscapes. This 7 day stage event is famed for it’s tough climbs, and fast open descents. Each day you and your team mate will ride between 50km – 100km to the next stage town.

Ideal for professionals and enthusiastic amateurs, the Trans Alp bike event is a lifetime challenge to conquer. Read Hannah’s Trans Alp race diary from 2016 for some more info and insight.

Evans Cycles Peak District

When: Saturday August 19th

Where: New Mills, High Peak

Distance: 16 miles or 27 miles

Entry Fee: £22

Event Website Here

Evans Cycles host a number of both road and off-road sportives throughout the year, and across the country. These events are great for riders of all ages and abilities, and they’re really good fun as well.

While these events aren’t races, you will be able to track your times with timing devices provided. Feed stations will keep you feeling energised throughout the ride and mechanical help is on hand if the worst were to happen. If this event isn’t right for you, there are plenty more listed on the Evans Cycles website.

Downs Dash

When: Saturday October 7th

Where: Cranleigh, Surrey

Distances: 15 miles, 19 miles or 25 miles

Entry Fee: from £26

Event Website Here

The race season may be over by October, but that doesn’t mean you have to be!

The Downs Dash offers a wide variety of bridleways, single tracks, technical descents and tough climbs to challenge and thrill riders of all abilities. The route will be fully sign-posted, with feed stations and assistance along the way, there’ll even be some professional photographers lurking in the trees.

Events yet to announce details, but we really can’t wait for:

Red Bull Foxhunt with Rachel Atherton: Returning for its 4th year will be the Red Bull Foxhunt with the queen of downhill racing, Rachel Atherton. Having spent the first two years up in Scotland, last year we saw the largest women’s mass start event move to the valleys of Cumbria. Where will it be held this year?

Brecon Beast: This extreme ride is a pedal pushing, gut busting event which takes a lot of physical and mental power, but the pay-off is fantastic. Extraordinary landscapes and stunning views across Brecon, this event is a highlight many riders each year. All updates can be found on their website.

Brighton Big Dog: This endurance MTB event is a firm favourite amongst many for the amazing atmosphere and riding. With 6 hours, solo riders and teams must complete as many laps of the course as possible. Simple. Information and updates can be found here.

Hope Tech Women’s Rides: While these are not races or sportives, they are worth a mentioning for your diaries. The Hope Tech rides are awesome, a great gathering of women who enjoy riding bikes, what more could you want? Ideal for experienced riders, these rides are great for introducing new ones as well as Hope come fully equipped with a fleet of demo bikes. Check here for ride info throughout the year.

There’s a good number of events to get you excited for 2017, but these are by no means all of them. There are plenty more to be found on the British Cycling website, More dirt and even through your local trail centres and community.

Races and sportives and brilliant ways to meet like minded people who share your passion for riding. Not only that, but they enable you to really test your skills on new trails, and against the clock in order to see how much you’ve progressed, and what areas still need work.

Good luck, have fun and find adventure this year!

You may also enjoy:

Cycle into 2017 with TWC

7 Reasons to revisit old trails

Where to ride MTB: Brechfa