The Bristol Belter powered by Specialized will take place on the 23rd September 2012 and will be the ideal event to bring another great season of sportive riding to a fantastic finish. After a long summer of training rides and sportive events the riders will be in perfect shape to tackle one of the two physically and technically challenging courses on offer.

North Somerset and the Mendips offer almost a perfect setup for a UK sportive with rolling hills and coastal views mixed in with some challenging climbs, fast flowing sections and some spine tingling descents.

The event HQ will be once again hosted at the Redwood Country Club located at the western edge of the city just on the edge of quite country roads...ideal to give you the chance to settle into the challenge of the day.

The facilities of the Redwood Country Club will be open to the participants including ample parking right next to the start and finish of the event. Expect some 1st class showers and changing rooms as well as a fantastic hotel and fitness complex right next to the start line - perfect for a long sportive weekend. 

Event concept:

The Bristol Belter powered by Specialized is a non-competitive road sportive. Due to legal reasons the Sportive will be started in small waves of riders at set intervals. The start will open at 8.00am and will stay open for approximately 2 hours to give everybody the chance to have a relaxing start at the time of their choosing.

The courses are fully marked but every rider will get a small ‘backup map’ given in case that marking is not 100% clear or gets damaged or removed. Around the course you will find 1-3 service stations where you can fill up with drinks and energy food. Alongside the energy backup, mechanics will be out there trying to help everybody with any technical problems. There will be two broom wagons patrolling the courses to pick up and strugglers.

The feed stations act as check points and there are also further ‘hidden’ checkpoints to make sure that no riders get lost and that everybody completes one of the courses on offer.
We have NOW three different courses: the approximately 151km long ‘classis sportive’ the approximately 110km long ‘standard sportive’ and the approximately 85km long ‘Mini sportive’.

Once you’ve managed to complete your ride and come over the finish line make sure you don’t just race past the commentator and the timing crew as you would miss out on your unique finisher present.

Belter Certificates:

This year we will be offering certificates at the Bristol Belter powered by Specialized. Based on the riding times of the 2011 event we have the following time corridors. 

Long course - fastest 3:55 - slowest 8:46 (average 6:27:02) in 2011
Gold: 4:30 - 5:30 (or faster)
Silver: 5:31 - 6:30
Bronze: 6:31 - 7:30
VIEW LONG COURSE
 
Short course - fastest 3:27 - slowest 7:12 (average 5:09:15) in 2011
Gold: 3:30 - 5:00 (or faster)
Silver: 5:01 - 6:00
Bronze: 6:01 - 7:00
VIEW SHORT COURSE

Mini course – new course in 2012
Gold: 2:30 - 4:00 (or faster)
Silver: 4:01 - 5:00
Bronze: 5:01 - 6:00
VIEW MINI COURSE

The certificates can be picked up at the finish line at the Redwood Lodge Country Club and are not going to be posted out to the riders. Please ask the timing staff at the finish line for your personal certificate. 

Your entry fee of £25 (£20 for the Mini Belter) for the Bristol Belter powered by Specialized includes:
• Ride entry
• Electronic chip timing
• Service stations on course
• Finishing present
• Free parking
• Free usage of facilities
• Free certificate