Falmouth’s town team are giving their support to a brand new sporting initiative which will see cyclists embarking on a 500km ride from the port to London.

Entries are open now for the inaugural Ride the Trafalgar Way, which will take place from October 17 to 18, the weekend before Trafalgar Day on the 21st. The 500km long cycle sportive, named Colossus after one of the ships involved in the Battle of Trafalgar, invites relay teams to collectively take on the momentous ride from Pendennis Point to the Admiralty in London.

As if that wasn’t a challenge enough, riders will have just 24 hours to complete the journey. However, if the full Colossus ride feels like a challenge too far, there are three solo sportives that follow the same historical route: Britannia, Falmouth to Exeter; Conqueror, Exeter to Salisbury and a night ride Victory, from Salisbury to Admiralty.

The ride follows the historic route of 1805, in which Lieutenant Lapenotière rode post-chaise, a horse-drawn carriage used for transporting passengers or mail, for 37 hours, carrying important dispatches to the Admiralty in London with the news of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson.

Jim Bellinger, event director of Ride the Trafalgar Way, said: “The idea came to me a few years ago after a friend mentioned a map had been produced to commemorate the bicentennial of the route and also cleared up the mystery of a number of road signs for Trafalgar Way around my home town, Salisbury.

“Intrigued, I decided to find out more, and it was here that I learnt all about the historical route from Falmouth to London. I am delighted the Trafalgar Way team will be working closely with the Falmouth Town Team and Falmouth Town Council to deliver a legendary ride steeped in history.”

Falmouth’s MP, Sarah Newton, said: |“I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to attend the launch of such an innovative new cycling event and I am confident that it will be a great success. As the home town MP, I am especially delighted to welcome the event to our area, and very much look forward to working with the Trafalgar Way team over the next few months.”

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID manager and a member of the town team, added: “On behalf of both Richard Gates (town manager) and myself, we are delighted to be involved in the promotion and roll-out of such a unique sporting event as host venue partner.

“It’s a great idea and one that is sure to grow quickly in terms of its popularity and appeal. Falmouth is known for hosting great festivals and regattas and this fits perfectly into that mix.”

Anyone interested in entering should go to www.ridethetrafalgarway.com and to keep up to date with all the latest |news, follow Trafalgar Way on Facebook and Twitter.