LOFTY GOALS

Higher, harder, longer... the road-sportive calendar gets ever more extreme. Here are 10 of the toughest single day rides to enter for 2024

-  John Whitney

01 SÖLDEN, AUSTRIA Ötztaler Radmarathon 227km | 01 September 2024

Austria's Ötztaler Radmarathon has been shocking all comers for years with a route that makes the eyes water. The Ultrafondo Marmotte, profiled later on, is technically tougher, with much more climbing over a shorter distance, but its double ascent, loop back around, of Alpe d'Huez is a contrivance that loses it a few marks.

The 227km Ötztaler is a pure loop, taking in four humongous climbs (totalling 5,500m of ascent) from the ski resort of Sölden, with the highest pass Timmelsjoch (2,474m), saved for last. As it's an early September date, you should be more likely to dodge the extreme heat of summer, but at these altitudes you won't want to meet it on a cold, damp day either. oetztaler-radmarathon.com

02 WICKLOW, IRELAND Wicklow 200 200km | 09 June 2024