Soldato
On a separate note, I rode Etape du Dales for the first time yesterday. Glorious route and roads and a very tough day out. You end up going valley to valley and through some pretty spectacular scenery with hardly any cars (aside from a load of car clubs which was a cool distraction - never seen so many Lamborghinis outside of a show room!).
It's different from the Fred Whitton in that the gradients are less ridiculous but the climbs are longer and can be very pitchy. Buttertubs and Fleet Moss at the end are an absolute bugger. Fleet Moss isn't as steep as something like Hardknott but given the worst ramp comes after a 2 mile drag up it's just as hard in a different way. Overall though, it's an event I'd definitely recommend and unlike the Fred Whitton I think you're more or less guaranteed a spot. There's also a "mini" 60 mile route which follows the full route but cuts out the northernmost loop if you fancy a preview.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2381002941
It's different from the Fred Whitton in that the gradients are less ridiculous but the climbs are longer and can be very pitchy. Buttertubs and Fleet Moss at the end are an absolute bugger. Fleet Moss isn't as steep as something like Hardknott but given the worst ramp comes after a 2 mile drag up it's just as hard in a different way. Overall though, it's an event I'd definitely recommend and unlike the Fred Whitton I think you're more or less guaranteed a spot. There's also a "mini" 60 mile route which follows the full route but cuts out the northernmost loop if you fancy a preview.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2381002941