"Hovis Hill" to feature on Joker Sportive

Gold Hill in Shaftesbury - the famous “Hovis Hill” from the TV advertisment - is to feature on the course of the Joker sportive on April 1st.

The iconic cobbled hill became one of the most famous streets in the country as the setting of the 1973 Hovis advert, which showed a young bakers boy pushing his bike up the hill to deliver bread. It will feature as one of four optional challenge loops on the Joker, a new sportive from the Southern Sportive organisers, that combines a serious sportive challenge with an April Fools Day twist.

More Information

The Joker, based at Salisbury Race Course, has been launched to celebrate April 1st falling on a Sunday in 2012, and features some interesting route options compared to other sportives. Two 'core' routes of standard and short routes are available to choose from, with an additional number of extra optional challenges and choices which, if you complete the set, bring route on the day up to 125km, with a formidable 2000m of climbing.

Gold Hill will be the feature climb of one of the Jokers Challenge loops, and you'll earn a unique souvenir Joker playing card for every Jokers Challenge you complete. There will also be 'Fools Choices' on offer; marked short cuts that you can take without any penalty or alteration to your recorded time or course. The catch? You have to take the rough with the smooth; short cuts may include variable surfaces, gates, fords... who knows?

The Joker course will cover the droves and valleys between Salisbury and Shaftesbury, which is a beautiful and challenging cycling area.  As well as Gold Hill, the Joker is expected to include another notable Dorset summit, Zig-zag Hill; dubbed "Britain's bendiest road", it boasts more hairpins in a mile long stretch than any other road in the country. Full route details for the Joker will be published on January 20th. Entry for the event is now open at southernsportive.com.

Core Facts

  1. The famous Gold Hill cobbles run for 300 ft at an incline of 1:4

  2. The 1973 Hovis "Bicycle Boy" advert was directed by Ridley Scott. Even though it is in Dorset, the advert led many to believe that the hill was in the north of England.

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Company information

The Cycle Events Organisation have been providing public cycling events for over 20 years, through their Trail Break mountain biking and Southern Sportive road cycling brands. They have been an innovative and inventive presence in the cycling world over that time, constantly developing new events and ideas to get people riding bikes. They continue to develop new projects and established favourites both in house and in conjunction with various industry and promotional partners.

press@cyclevents.org | tel: 0118 988 6041 www.cyclevents.org | www.southernsportive.com | www.trailbreak.co.uk | www.cxsportive.com | www.cyclewight.co.uk

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9th January 2012

Main Press Contact

Martin Harrison

Web manager

0118 988 6041

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[Southern Sportive] [cyclosportive] [cycling] [Shaftesbury] [Dorset] [Salisbury] [Wiltshire] [road]

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