The early morning start on Bank Holiday Monday did not deter over 132 hopeful participants in the 2015 Appleby Sportive – a record number of entrants for the annual cycling event.

The sun was shining for the 6th year of the event, jointly hosted by Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC and the Ellan Vannin Cycling Club. This year, two new courses were on offer for riders – a beginners’ course at 38km and a challenging 118km – in addition to the usual 72km and 100km courses from previous years. The courses take in over 1,500m of ascent, including the climbs of Druidale and Slieau Whallian, which offer stunning views of the Island and its coast.

This year saw Sean McLachlan complete the 100km course in an impressive 03:27:39, while Carolyn Brown in the women’s category clocked 03:48:11. The new 118km course was completed by Simon Skillicorn in just 03:50:57 and the new 38km short course, which allowed cyclists of all ages to take part, was completed by the youngest participant Cian Howard, aged 7, in 1:40:27.
Event organiser Richard Fletcher of the Ellan Vannin Cycling Club said: “Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Sportive, and thank you for making it a record year for us with the highest number of participants yet.

“I would also like to thank our sponsors Appleby for their continued support of this event. All funds raised will now be reinvested into the Appleby Youth Circuit Championships, which are due to take place on Saturday 8th August at Jurby Race Track. It promises to be a fantastic event and we hope to see as many of you as possible turn out to support the Island’s future cycling talent.”

Faye Moffett, head of the Appleby Charitable Foundation, added: “The Appleby Charitable Foundation’s focus is on the support of local youth and sport and so the Appleby Sportive is an event we are proud to sponsor. The Sportive is great fun for riders of all abilities, and it is brilliant to see this unique event go from strength to strength. We are now looking forward to the Appleby Youth Circuit Championships in August which is always an exciting event, and which we hope will attract a range of young talent for 2015.”

The Appleby Youth Circuit Championships, a fast and exciting race for 6 to 16 year olds with music, race prizes and refreshments available, will take place on Saturday 8th August at the Jurby Autodrome Kart Circuit. Spectators are also welcome. Practice will get under way from 5:30pm with racing to begin at 6:00pm. Please contact Steve Shimmin (475341) for further details or visit www.ellanvannin.cc. 

Photo - A photo from the Appleby Sportive 2015.  Courtesy of Rob Quine.