Great stops, well organised, good signage, good route, especially without now having to go through rochdale!

Loved it! Arrived late and the organisers were still accommodating for me. Whole route was excellent - gorgeous ascents, tough but accessible climbs.

I arrived around 8am, in plenty of time to park before the start time of 9:15. Registration and startline was simple enough. The route, although very lumpy, which is why I chose it, was good.
I arranged a cheeky fuel stop with my dad at the bottom of Buckstones Road as he lives round the corner, which helped the climb. Was glad we went down grains road, instead of veering right onto Ship Lane (that road is not nice for roadies).
But this is where I have a little gripe.
I had an older version of the gpx which I used the week before to do a recce of the route in the car. All went well and I was prepared. The day before the ride I thought I would just double check the gpx on the website and found it had final in it's title. I downloaded it and imported it into Garmin. It was 98.75km because of missing out Ship Lane . We weren't warned we would have to make up the difference to 100km. I got back to the finish line and had to carry on up the path through the park and back because I wanted the 100km.
Other than that, it was a really good ride.
The Saddleworth Hotel feed stop was good. I got there just as it opened at 11am.
The Marl Pits feed stop was also ok.
The Woodhey feed stop was too soon after, so I missed that out.

After reading others feedback, I think the 100km or less sounds the better routes as manageable before the cut off time for the carpark.

I think I will do it again next year.
I'm off to train to climb Ventoux now!
Cheers!

1) Ignore the turn up 45minutes early to park. Arriving before the parking time should be disuaded, as whilst the 'staff' are already there. They hold you until the open time in a section before the parking. Not the most eco friendly aspect 100cars with most leaving engines running waiting to be allowed to actually park.
2) Make sure you don't rely on feed stations alone, supplies were abundant at some and highly restricted at others. 1 mini muffin for 20miles keeping marshalls busy yelling that they were running out.
3) If a beginner, be confident you know you can do it or plan your backup route/transport if you drove there. Seems sad shutting the car park so early. My first attempt, and I failed because I was on track to get back in time, but panicked about if I hit a wall that I would miss cut-off (not worried about that) but also car park locking. So had to bail this year.

I had a great day though, the event has a lovely feel to it. Just happy I was prepared with food. And I probably wouldnt have needed to bail if not being held up by an accident. I'll be back next year

the closure to oncoming traffic on the final descent was brilliant - it made it all worthwhile. but I think it might be worth investigating some better roads - the descent of Werneth Low was lethal, the decent off too the right when you reach to top would have been loads better with that oncoming traffic closure.
can you pick a better destination than Bacup for that big climb - it's a dull climb and a bleak place - maybe cornholme and the hill north of that.

Would be great to see more pop up's at finishing line or more people to add to atmosphere

1st pit stop was great - pasties and breakfast food nice
2nd pit stop at Rugby league place food was basic
Toilets at both places grim

The cycling sportif event was well-organized, featuring a challenging route that tested participants' endurance and skills. The aid stations were adequately stocked with hydration and nutrition options, ensuring cyclists remained fueled throughout the ride. The 100k route was much better this year with an earlier commencement of the hills

It was so well organised as an event, just a shame that Manchester is sooo full of idiot drivers.

A lot more climbs this year but fantastic scenery!

A great event, with well organised logistics and food stops. Only a couple of suggestions for next year.
1 - to have some savoury snacks earlier (ie at the second food stop)
2 - to let the Mad Manc entrants start ahead of the Classic entrants. There was a long time waiting to set off even though we arrived before 7am, in quite cold conditions.

This was my second TdM. It was a good event last year and the route was improved this year in my opinion. Well organised, easy to get to, parking was plentiful, and starting the ride simple. Only negative would be that the fed stations were not as good as 2024 and the "One item limit" at the Hare and Hounds feed station was really unhelpful for refuelling on a 200km ride. That said, still very good feed stations compared with many other events.

I won't be back in 2026 as it is clashes with another event, but would recommend this ride for the route and the scenery.

Thank you. Very well organised. From entry to the finish line. An amazing experience. A real test of the body and mind set. Great support on the course and from fellow riders. A huge sense of pride now exists from completing it.

The GPX I downloaded a couple weeks before the ride was incorrect on the day at points. Perhaps it was updated and I had an old one. Fortunately the signage was really good.

A great riding experience, I usually ride Audax events which are self sufficient rides with smaller numbers. This was an experience which had a great deal of atmosphere as you went along.

Lots of regular opportunities for the feed stations which were well spaced out at approx 25 mile intervals.

Registration at the start was very simple via the QR code and reduced faff when you just want to get going at 7am.

The route (Classic Manc) was an enjoyable start and then the hills came so, be fit and prepared for them as they don't end until approx 5 miles from the end.

There are some sections with some horrendous potholes on downhills and the downhill from Denshaw requires skill to navigate the bends as you hurtle down!

Post Ride vibes were great as you finish within time and there are a few freebies to get and the obligatory photo of you with your medal.

The website could also offer post finish mementos for riders such as the Tour de Manc T-shirt so riders can show off their achievements!