TWO hundred cyclists are expected to face the challenge of the notorious Dartmoor Devil cycle ride on Sunday. Now in its 16th year, the ride will start from the Cromwell Arms in Bovey Tracey for an arduous route around Dartmoor.
Organised for Audax UK, an association of long-distance cyclists, it is one of nearly 500 rides held nationally. Although one of the shorter rides, it makes its name for the uncompromising approach to hills. The 3,200m that must be climbed to successfully complete the ride give it the organisation's gold award status for altitude. Add to this the twisty, autumnal, debris-strewn lanes and the exposed moorland roads and this is not a ride for the under-prepared nor for the faint-hearted.
The route will take cyclists out of Bovey Tracey via Hind Street, Mary Street, the Bovey bypass, Pottery Road and past Blue Waters to Liverton before climbing Old Town Hill to Ilsington. The first check point is at Cross Furzes which is reached via Birchanger, Halsanger, Ashburton and Buckfast. Riders then proceed via Scoriton, Holne, New Bridge, Buckland-in-the-Moor, Cockingford and Grimspound to Chagford for soup at The Globe Inn. The route to Princetown takes riders over the high moor past Postbridge and Two Bridges. After a snack at the Foxtor Cafe, the final section passes through Two Bridges, Dartmeet, Ponsworthy and Widecombe before reaching the finish at The Kestor Inn at Manaton.
Riders will depart in two groups of 100, the first at 8am and the second at 9am. Organisers hope that any inconvenience to other road users will be minimised with these arrangements, however if you are using any of the above route please allow a little more time for your journey. If you would like to view the colourful spectacle at the start, then the pavements in Hind Street and Mary Street offer ideal vantage points.
Having completed the 70-mile ride, the earliest finishers should arrive in Manaton as early as 12.45pm, with the final riders completing by 5.30pm.