Route

The Devil Ride takes in a couple of Devils – the Staircase and the Bridge – hence the name of the event! We have also added a second fully signposted route option - the "Little Devil" - that splits from the full route immediately after the Devil's Staircase.

But the ride is more that just a chance to take on the Devils – right from the off it climbs into unspoilt moorland with breathtaking views. The route profile below gives an idea of the nature of the route – the total climbing amounts to more than 10,000 feet.

As well as the notorious Devil’s Staircase, riders on the full route will take on another nine or ten significant climbs, including the fearsome Gammallt (25%). This follows straight after the Staircase and came to fame when it forced riders onto their feet during the Milk Race. There are also plenty of other rolling climbs to keep things interesting and that will feel big enough by the end.

But don't worry, the Devil Ride is not any kind of bleak moorland slog – the wild highlands of the southern Cambrians are ever changing, and the route has a couple of quiet valley stretches to give riders an opportunity to catch their breath and take in the varied rural landscapes of mid Wales.

The ride will be fully and clearly sign posted. In addition, all riders will receive a detailed route card and OS map through the post in their rider packs. This is partly as a back up in case any signs have been dislodged, but also because route cards are great to mull over before the big day.

No-one should rely on the map outline below, as it is intended purely to give you a general idea of where the ride will be going - and it is certainly not to scale. The full route is almost bang on 100 miles (we measured it at 100.4 miles).

The Little Devil provides a 100km alternative for those riders who want a challenging ride, but don't wish to take on the full 100 miles. You don't need to decide in advance which route you are going to ride - the split comes just after the first food stop and checkpoint, at which point you can choose to take either route. The Little Devil is not an easy "bail out" route that just follows the flatter main roads back - it is a lovely ride in its own right, and has a similar amount of climbing per mile as the full route.

The long route circles the Cambrian maintains, and there are very few roads that cut across them, so anyone wanting to pull out in the middle part of the ride will probably need to get a lift back in one of our support vehicles.