Eroica Britannia welcomes 4,500 cyclists for '˜best ever' ride

The fourth annual festival, which took place at Friden Grange in the Peak District for the first time on the weekend of June 16-18, attracted more than 10,000 visitors each day.

On what were some of the hottest days of the year so far, sponsors Buxton Water handed out some 40,000 bottles to keep the crowds hydrated as they enjoyed food, drink, music, stalls and the cycle rides.

One of the highlights of the event was the Sunday ride, which saw some 4,500 riders make their way along roads and trails in the Peak District on pre-1987 road bikes.

Participants included Chris Boardman MBE, David Millar, Brian Robinson and Les West.

A spokesman said: “We are delighted with how the weekend unfolded, we couldn’t have wished for a better weekend weather wise, the atmosphere amongst festival visitors over the four days was incredible and the feedback from Sunday’s Ride is some of the best we’ve ever had.

“One of our goals this year with our new site was to deliver an organised Ride from the Festival site each day, and we are pleased to report all three rides that left Friden Grange over the weekend have been successful.

“We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the villages of the Peak District, Derbyshire and Staffordshire for their wonderful support alongside the hundreds of volunteers who make this event possible.”