Three weeks to go until the Voxwomen Big Day Out – come along for the ride!
Perhaps you’re a budding female cyclist. Perhaps you’re new to the sport and are keen to learn more. Perhaps you’ve followed your cycling heroes for years and want to know more about them.
We’ve got you covered.
Hitting Southampton in just three weeks time on Sunday 16th June, the Voxwomen Big Day Out is bringing three professional riders to the South Coast of England to lead a 42-mile guided ride for amateur female cyclists.
Olympic Gold Medallist and three-time World Champion, Dani Rowe will be joined at the front of the Southampton peloton by World Champion and current Canyon-SRAM rider, Elena Cecchini, and Bigla team rider, Sophie Wright.
This is not business as usual for these pros though; this is not a race. Instead, they will be guiding a small group of women on a journey around the New Forest, hoping to teach, befriend and inspire participants.
These girls are the cream of the crop, and they want to support women in cycling.
The route of the Voxwomen Big Day Out is designed with everyone in mind.
Let us take you through the ride…
Beginning at the stunning Harbour Hotel in Southampton Ocean Village Marina, the peloton will head safely out onto the city roads, protected by a front lead car and a following service car. The pace will be controlled and steady – as we mentioned, this is not a race!
After 6.4 miles you’ll turn onto the quiet and stunning New Forest roads. We will take a quick stop here to check that everyone is safely out of Southampton before splitting into groups.
We want this experience to be tailored to you, so you can choose the group in which you’d like to ride. Remember, Elena and Sophie will have just finished the OVO Energy Women’s Tour so they have a cafe style ride in their minds.
From here, the route takes us to Beaulieu, home of the Classic Car Museum and the famous Montagu Arms. Roaming wild New Forest ponies are likely to make for a photo opportunity at this point! After spinning past the lake on your left and glimpsing some classic cars on your right, you’ll begin a slight but very gradual incline and turn towards Lepe.
The road here is lined by trees – you’d expect nothing less from the stunning British countryside. After passing Exbury Gardens and the steam railway, you’ll start to head downhill towards the sea. A small beach will rear its head in the distance, and before you know it, you’ll be right alongside it enjoying a fantastic view of the Isle of Wight.
At the end of this road, your group can decide to take a coffee stop at the lookout if you wish. Most importantly, this is where you can take a toilet stop!
Curving away from the sea, you’ll head towards the most residential area of the route, riding in the direction of Holbury. Now and then you will get a slight view of the lofty towers of the old Fawley Refinery – a nod to the area’s industrial history. Strangely they don’t detract from the overall beauty of this ride.
Turning left, you’ll cross back into the New Forest in all its quiet beauty.
At the end of this road you’ll turn left again, back to Beaulieu, and start to retrace your steps back to Southampton. If you missed some of the scenery on the way out, be sure to drink it in now.
After 34.2 miles, the three groups will join together again to safely return to Southampton. The support vehicles will be back in action to protect the peloton, guiding you all the way back to the Southampton Harbour Hotel.
The vision for the day is for everyone to enjoy riding with some of the top riders in the world and on some fantastic roads. We hope you finish having learnt something, achieved something, or just with a huge smile on your face.
Sound like something you’d be up for taking part in?
Click here! A limited number of tickets are still available – snap yours up and come along for the ride
