CW5000
13.7 miles - or roughly an hour of cycling - every day, for one year - can you join the community-driven 5000 mile club?
Join one of our four challenges in 2024
Are you ready to give your riding a boost in 2024? To take your fitness to the next level? Sign up to one of our four ride challenges and we’ll help inspire you to ride further than ever before. From 500 to 5,000 miles we’ve got a challenge for everyone.
Alongside the motivation that comes from setting a clear goal, we send all riders two monthly challenges on the first of each month. These range from reaching a set distance in one week, to riding multiple days in a row, and we have the ever popular photographic challenges. Sending you out to explore your local area and find new places you’ve never been to before.
The Mini - Ride 500 miles. This could take you one month, three months or all year. It doesn’t matter. 500 miles in a year is just 41.6 miles a month, so there’s no rush to start riding in the middle of winter. That’s why the monthly challenges for The Mini will at first focus on general health and fitness, before getting you to venture out on your bike when the daylight hours stretch out and the temperature starts creeping up.
The Midi - Ride 1,000 miles. To complete this challenge you’ll need to hit just under 100 miles a month. That might not be too hard in the middle of summer, but in winter it can be a big ask. For those who hit the distance sooner than they think, there’s always the chance of moving on to The Maxi
The Maxi - Ride 2,500 miles. A serious task for any rider, no matter how committed you are. Completing this challenge will require you to ride over 200 miles a month, that means 49 miles every week. As per the other challenges, all miles count toward the total, including indoor miles logged in virtual worlds.
CW5000 - Ride 5,000 miles. The original challenge and still a mammoth task for any rider, requiring consistent riding all year round. We’ve never had more than 1,000 people complete the challenge in the four years it’s been running. Could 2024 be the year we see a record number? You can find out who completed this challenge in 2023 with our finishers list. Sign up to add your name to the 2024 list.
Sign up for free
How it works
Sign up: It’s simple, quick and free. Enter your details to the form above, select which challenge you want to tackle and get involved. There’s a Facebook group to join and a club on Strava. You’ll get a welcome email, but a lot of these end up in SPAM folders. Please check yours and update your settings to let your email provider that we’re not spam.
Get riding: This is the important bit. Get out and ride your bike. Or stay in. All miles count whether they’re on a turbo ably assisted by an avatar on a screen in front of you, or out on the road IRL. Remember, it’s an individual challenge for you to complete, you’re not in a race with anyone else.
Log your miles: Keep a record of every mile you’ve ridden and watch them add up through the year. Most of our riders log their miles on Strava, but there are lots of ride logging platforms available and we don’t mind which one you use. You can also log them on a spreadsheet or on the CW mileage chart. We’ve been printing it in the magazine for over 100 years, and thousands of cyclists have used it in that time.
Get involved: The private Facebook group linked to this challenge is a supportive and friendly place where people post about their riding. You can also join the Strava club. We love hearing about your two wheel adventures, and the best stories and photographs are used in our monthly round ups. You’ll also be set two smaller challenges every month to help keep you riding.
Order your medal: Once you’ve completed the distance send us proof of your mileage and you’ll be added to the challenges finishers list. You’ll also be able to order your medal that we’ll send out along with a finishers certificate.
Latest
-
Winter fueling: how to match your cycling nutrition to the demands of cold weather riding
Getting the most out of your winter training means making sure you are optimally fuelled for every ride - here's what you need to know about the specific demands of cold season nutrition
By Joe Laverick Published
-
The truth about recovery aids for cycling: popular products rated and ranked
You only reap the rewards of your training once you've recovered – it's a process that countless products claim to enhance, but which ones really work? We take a look at the evidence
By Chris Sidwells Last updated
-
Suffering from numb feet or hands when cycling? Here's how to combat the cold
Your extremities are the first to suffer when the temperture drops. Here's how to avoid painfully cold hands and feet
By Hannah Bussey Published
-
The ideal cadence for cycling explained: are you pedalling too fast or slow?
We all have our natural pedalling speed - but what is actually optimal?
By Anna Marie Abram Last updated
-
Will riding your favourite road help you reach 5,000 miles this year?
With just two months of riding to go before our annual mileages are confirmed, here are two more challenges to keep you motivated
By Simon Richardson Published
-
CW5000 2023 Finishers club
Find out who has completed the 5,000 mile challenge. Keep logging your miles if you want to be added to the list
By Simon Richardson Published
-
Tinker Bottom on Quicksie Hill - the search for Britain's funniest road names is over
Here are the 27 of the funniest road names from across the UK. And not all of them are rude
By Simon Richardson Published
-
Ten steps to the perfect amateur 'off-season'
The season of weight training and nutritional debauchery is here
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan Published
-
Can you hit these 11 off-the-bike fitness and health benchmarks?
Throwing down almost a dozen strength, flexibility and health benchmarks, we dare you pedalling specialists to put some numbers on your all-round athleticism
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published