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Struggle Dales 2026
Struggle Dales 2026 (Struggle:Ten) is a hilly road sportive from Harrogate in the Yorkshire Dales on 24 May 2026, billed as one of the toughest UK sportives. The 10th-anniversary edition offers 120 km, 165 km and a new 250 km Ultra route over iconic Yorkshire climbs.
Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United KingdomSold out
- Dates
- Sun, May 24, 2026
- Type
- Road
- Routes
- 120 路 165 路 250 km
Requirements
[ 00 ]
The course
Track, profile and categorized climbs at a glance. The map and altimetry come from the real GPX track; tap a numbered climb for its detail.
Official profile
Official distance and elevation with a mountain profile. We estimate your times from those numbers.
Estimate by level
Without a GPX we still estimate your time from the official distance, elevation and terrain profile. We will refine it once the track is processed.
Map, point-to-point profile and categorized climbs will appear here once we process the GPX track for this route.
[ 02 ]
Which route should I pick?
Relative demand and the key numbers for each route. Pick one and the rest of the page adapts.
[ 03 ]
Do I have time to get ready?
What each route demands versus the time left to the start.
This edition has already been raced. Use it as a reference and prepare the next one with margin.
Compare what each route demands
250 km Ultra18 weeksExtreme
165 km route14 weeksHigh
120 km route10 weeksHigh
Make it your goal250 km Ultra asks for ~18 weeks of specific preparation. Start your plan with margin and arrive ready.
Get ready for 250 km Ultra[ 04 ]
What do I need to know?
Ridium's training read and the caveats before you trust the times.
Training read 路 Ridium AIThe 250 km Ultra at Struggle Dales is an exceptionally long mountainous road day in the Yorkshire Dales with an early start and very high cumulative climbing.
- Endurance
Make very long aerobic rides the backbone of preparation and include back-to-back long days, allowing roughly 18 weeks of build so a single 250 km day is within reach.
- Climbing
Practice climbing on tired legs deep into long rides, because its 10 iconic Yorkshire climbs keep coming late in the day when fatigue is highest.
- Pacing
Start conservatively from the early 06:00 departure and ration your effort, since the difference between finishing strong and struggling on an ultra-distance day is usually decided by restraint in the first half.
- Fueling
Commit to an hourly carbohydrate and fluid plan from the start and rehearse it in training, because going many hours without consistent intake is the most common reason ultra-distance days unravel.
Caveats
- No public GPX analysis was available for this route, so exact gradients, climb lengths, and total elevation should be treated as provisional.
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