It’s the ultimate coast-to-coast, sunrise to sunset cycling challenge. Featuring four different routes across the UK, Ireland and Italy, every year Chase the Sun brings intrepid riders together in a cycling event where the only competition is you versus the sunset.
We’ve been the official cycling kit partner for Chase the Sun since 2022, and in 2023 our very own adventurer on two wheels (aka Andy) took on Chase the Sun North for himself. So it’s safe to say, we’re big fans of this epic cycling challenge.
If you’ve been thinking about giving Chase the Sun a go, read on to find out everything you need to know. From what the event entails and the different route options, to our training tips and the essential gear we’d recommend for a long day in the saddle. You can also take a look at our pick of the 2026 bucket list cycling events if you’re looking for more adventure inspiration this year!
Jump to…
- What is Chase the Sun?
- Dates, distances and route details
- Training tips
- Chase the Sun gear guide
- How to enter
- FAQs
What is Chase the Sun?
Chase the Sun is an annual cycling endurance event which takes place on the longest day of the year – the summer solstice. Riders set off at sunset and ride from coast to coast aiming to arrive at the finish line before sunset.
What began as a personal challenge for founder Olly Moore (read our interview here) has now turned into an annual event that captures the imagination of thousands of cyclists. From experienced endurance riders to first timers looking for a big, but accessible, challenge.
Chase the Sun is a non-competitive cycling challenge. There are no ‘rules’ per se (beyond the obvious ones such as the rules of the road and polite cycling etiquette!), no route signs, timing chips or awards for being the first to finish. It’s all about taking on a physical, mental and navigational challenge with the camaraderie of doing it alongside others.
The event has only grown in popularity, and now you’ve got four routes to pick from: two in the UK, one in Ireland and one in Italy – more on each one later!
Key facts
Date: 20 June 2026
Location(s): Ireland, UK North, UK South, Italy
Distance: 173-209 miles (route dependent)
Elevation: 3000-3300m
Terrain: Road
SG’s difficulty rating: Tough stuff
Chase the Sun: Event and route details
Chase the Sun now host four annual rides, all on the same day (the summer solstice) across four different locations. The distances and elevation gain might vary, but the challenge remains the same: ride from coast to coast, sunrise to sunset.
Chase the Sun UK South route
Start location: Minster on Sea
Start time: 4.41am
Distance: 205 miles
Elevation gain: 3000m
Finish location: Weston-Super-Mare
Finish time: 9.33pm
Chase the Sun South is the busiest of the four events, with over a thousand riders setting off in 2025. You’ll start your day in the Thames Estuary, before cutting across south London and covering some of Bradley Wiggin’s Olympic time trial route. Soon, the buzz of London’s outskirts will be swapped for country lanes. Wind your way from east to west on rolling country lanes and through the Vale of Pewsey. Brace yourself for a tough final few hours as you climb the Mendip hills and go up and over Cheddar Gorge. You’ll arrive on the seafront at Weston-Super-Mare – hopefully in time to see the sunset as you refuel with a well-earned order of fish and chips!
Chase the Sun UK North route
Start location: Whitley Bay
Start time: 4.27am
Distance: 200 miles
Elevation gain: 3200m
Finish location: Ayr
Finish time: 10.05pm
Chase the Sun North is the ultimate way to experience the rugged beauty (and the challenging terrain) of the north of England, and Scotland. Starting at sunrise in Whitley Bay, you’ll wind your way through the Northumberland countryside before crossing the border into Scotland. Take in the sights of lochs, forests, sweeping vistas and rugged heaths. This route gives you the chance to experience some of the most spectacular landscapes the UK has to offer… just be prepared to work for it! With 3200 metres of elevation gain over 200 miles, this is a tough challenge.
You’ll finish the day in Ayr, watching the sun dipping into the sea behind the Isle of Aran. Magical stuff.
Chase the Sun Ireland
Start location: Belfast
Start time: 4.46am
Distance: 209 miles
Elevation gain: 3100m
Finish location: Enniscrone
Finish time: 10.13pm
Experience the spectacular scenery of the ’emerald isle’ in one day of epic cycling. You’ll start at the Titanic docks in Belfast and kick things off with a ride up the coastal road before you head inland to make your way through forests and over mountains. Cross over the border from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland and make your way down the wild Atlantic Way to finish on the beach at Enniscrone.
Chase the Sun Italia
Start location: Cesenatico
Start time: 5.30am
Distance: 280 kilometres (173 miles)
Elevation gain: 3300m
Finish location: Tirrenia
Finish time: 21.05pm
Sun, sand, sea… and sensationally good local gastronomy for that all-important pre-ride carb load. Chase the Sun Italia has all the makings of an incredible day in the saddle. Starting in Cesenatico, a small port town in the Emilia-Romagna region, you’ll work your way up and over mountains and through vineyards to finish on the beach in Tirrenia, a stone’s throw from Pisa. Don’t let the slightly shorter distance fool you, with just as much elevation packed in as the longer routes, be prepared for a challenging ride. The Italian scenery and the excuse for a few days in the sun afterwards will make it more than worth it.
Nothing beats that finish line feeling when you make it in time to watch the sun set!
How to prepare for Chase the Sun
Inspired to take on this epic sunrise to sunset cycling challenge? Once you’ve picked a route, it’s time to get yourself – and your gear – ready for a big adventure. Read on for our training tips and gear recommendations.
Chase the Sun training tips
The beauty of Chase the Sun is that it’s a non-competitive event. Your only time pressure is the sunset. And even then, as long as you’ve got decent bike lights (more gear recommendations below), you can still complete the ride.
That being said, it’s still going to be a long day in the saddle. To make it as enjoyable as possible, you’ll want to tick off some solid training in the build up to make sure you can go the distance.
Gradually increase your mileage
The most obvious element of your Chase the Sun cycling training is going to be building up your endurance. But don’t be tempted to just head out and smash out a beast of a long ride right away. It’s important to increase your mileage at a steady rate. What that looks like will depend on your starting point, but in general adding on 30 minutes at a time should feel manageable.
Working in time rather than distance is useful, because this accounts for conditions and terrain. An extra 10 miles on the flat is going to take far less out of you than an extra 10 through the hills.
How long should my longest ride be?
Come Chase the Sun event day, you’re going to have >15 hours to get through the miles. That sounds like a long time to be on the bike, but keep in mind that’ll be broken up with food and rest stops. In training, we’d recommend building up to 6-7 hours of continuous steady riding (or 2/3 of the total ride distance, whatever comes first) to have a really strong base of endurance. The closing stages of the ride come event day will be tough, but you’ll have what it takes to push through!
Manage your intensity to avoid injury and burn out
If this will be your first ultra cycling event, it’s important to understand that as your mileage increases the intensity you ride at needs to decrease. If you try and hold your 1 hour blast around the lanes pace for a 5hr+ ride, you’re quite quickly going to put yourself in a black hole of injury, fatigue and burn out.
You want to keep your long rides at a Zone 2 intensity. Use data such as heart rate and power to keep yourself in check. What feels easy for the first hour can feel horrendous 4 hours in. Over time, your easy Zone 2 pace will actually get faster for the same effort as your body adapts. So don’t stress over the reduction in average pace. Take a look at our Zone 2 training explainer to learn more!
Fuel your long rides properly
If you want to go long, you’ve got to eat up. Make sure you’re taking on enough fuel during your training rides. What you eat and how much is highly individual, and training is a good time to practice with a few different options to find out what works for you. For long rides, we’d recommend taking on some fuel every 30 minutes to keep your energy levels topped up. Energy gels and carb drinks are good for fast-acting fuel, but if you prefer to eat real food consider options such as rice cakes, malt loaf, dates and even chopped up peanut butter sandwiches!
Mix up your training with intensity
It doesn’t have to all be long steady rides. That gets boring pretty quickly! Mid week, get bang for your buck by mixing in some interval work. This will help to turbo charge your fitness, improving your endurance and raising your lactate threshold so you can ride faster for less effort. Getting to the finish line before sunset will be a breeze!
Example session: over-unders
This session has you working just above and just under your 1hr threshold. It’s a great way to improve your capacity to clear lactate and recover from hard efforts.
Warm up: 10 minutes easy
3 x 2 minutes @ 110% FTP, 2 minutes @ 90% FTP [12 minutes total]
5 minutes easy recovery
3 x 2 minutes @ 110% FTP, 2 minutes @ 90% FTP [12 minutes total]
Cool down: 10 minutes easy
Consider mixing in some hill repeat sessions as well. Most of the routes have quite a lot of elevation, so making friends with the climbs in training will give you the fitness and leg strength you need to be able to tackle the hills come event day. You can either do this outdoors, starting with 4-6 x 3 minute repeats up a moderate hill. Or you can mimic hills on the indoor trainer by ramping through the gears and keeping your cadence low.
Practice using all your gear in training
Chase the Sun might not be a race, but the no new kit on race day rule still applies. We’ll talk you through our gear recommendations below. But make sure everything you choose to wear and use on event day is tried and tested in training.
Stolen Goat Managing Director Andy along with friend of SG Luke Taylor at the start line of the 2023 Chase The Sun North ride
Chase the Sun cycling gear guide: What to wear and what to take with you
Training aside, the other important consideration to get ready for Chase the Sun is your cycling gear! Here’s our recommendations for the essential kit to help you take on Chase the Sun
Cycling kit
Every Chase the Sun ride takes place on the summer solstice. So in theory, you should have nice warm temperatures to look forward to. But, perhaps Italy aside, that’s never guaranteed. So it’s all about the versatile, lightweight layers so you’re ready for changeable conditions:
- Cycling jersey: obviously we’d recommend the official Stolen Goat x Chase the Sun event jersey, it looks pretty awesome and it’s designed to keep you comfortable all ride long.
- Comfortable cycling bib shorts. This is a non-negotiable, unless you’re a weirdo and you enjoy having a super chafed, super uncomfortable undercarriage… in which case, you do you. For everyone else, make sure you pick bib shorts with a chamois pad designed for long distances. Fit is important to ensure there’s no bunching or chafing. The Stolen Goat Endurance bib shorts are designed for this very purpose, and we’ve tested them out over 464km to make sure they can go the distance! Shop men’s here and women’s here.
- Mesh base layer. This will help to wick sweat away and keep your core at the optimal temperature in a range of conditions.
- Arm warmers. First thing in the morning and as the sunset draws in, temperatures might get chilly. A good set of arm warmers will take the edge off!
- Cycling gilet. Stash a gilet in your back pocket for an extra layer of protection on chilly descents or stretches of headwind.
- Cycling mitts. Even if you don’t usually wear them, we’d recommend getting some fingerless cycling mitts for Chase the Sun. The padding will keep your hands more comfortable after several hours of gripping the handlebars.
- Helmet. An obvious one – you’ve only got one noggin (unless you’re an alien) so keep it safe.
Check out the full Stolen Goat x Chase the Sun collection here – every bit of kit is carefully constructed for next level comfort during a long day in the saddle.
Other gear
- Bike lights. You’re going to be riding at dawn and dusk (potentially into the night, too) so make sure you’re visible and you can see the road ahead of you. A flashing rear light and a good front light are both essentials in our opinion.
- Puncture repair kit. Chase the Sun is a self-sufficient adventure, so make sure you’ve got spare inner tubes, tyre levers, and a hand pump/gas canisters/electric tyre pump in case you get a flat.
- Multi-tool and chain breaker. If you’ve got space, it’s also worth carrying a couple of extra tools so if you get any other mechanicals you’ve got a chance of a roadside fix.
- Bike computer/GPS device. Chase the Sun is an unsupported event, so you’ll be responsible for navigating. You’ll get a GPX file of the route prior to the event, but there won’t be signage out on the route. We’d suggest having this loaded onto a bike computer or other GPS device. Even those of you with a phenomenal sense of direction might start to struggle with navigation in the latter stages of a double century ride!
- Top tube bag. There’ll be plenty of places en route to stop for food and drink, but it’s still important to carry nutrition with you to keep topped up. A top tube bag is a great way to carry all your snacks in a neat, accessible way.
- Sunscreen. Nobody wants to be a burnt goat, so protect your skin! We’d recommend applying an all-day sunscreen before you set off, and reapplying during the day. We really like the roll-on Pelotan sunscreen – sweat-resistant, long-lasting and easy to carry!
- Extra chamois cream. Look, just trust us on this one. When you’re 8 hours in, you’ll appreciate a fresh layer of chamois cream!
How to enter Chase the Sun 2026
Entries for all four Chase the Sun 2026 rides are currently open, you can enter online here. There are a variety of packages to choose from, including a ‘just ride’ option all the way through to an ‘all-in’ package which includes hotels, meals for the full weekend and even a pro bike mechanic. Check out the individual ride location pages for more details.
FAQs / Quick fire recap
What is Chase the Sun?
Chase the Sun is a non-competitive endurance cycling challenge, with cyclists ride from coast to coast on the longest day of the year starting at sunrise and aiming to finish before sunset.
Where can I do a Chase the Sun ride?
Currently there are four Chase the Sun ride locations: UK South, UK North, Ireland and Italy
When is Chase the Sun 2026?
Chase the Sun 2026 will take place on 20th June.
How far are the Chase the Sun rides?
The total distance varies depending on which route you choose. All of the rides, except Italy, are over 200 miles – an epic way to tackle a double century!
How much does entry cost?
Entries start from as little as £79 for the Just Ride packages (price may vary on location). But to take the stress out of logistics and planning, you can pay extra to have things like hotels, bike storage and bag transportation taken care of. Plus then you get a Stolen Goat jersey or gilet included!
How fit do I need to be to do Chase the Sun?
The Chase the Sun rides are ultra endurance cycling events, so you’ll need a good fitness level to be able to take on the full distance. Ideally, you want to build up your mileage on the bike to hit ⅔ of the distance ~3 weeks prior to event day. Chase the Sun isn’t a race, and every one who finishes gets their name on the finisher list – even if you don’t make it in time for sunset. Because it’s non-competitive, you can also participate on an e-bike. It’s a really inclusive event!
Where can I get the official Chase the Sun cycling kit?
You can shop the Chase the Sun cycling collection right here at Stolen Goat! We’ve been working with Chase the Sun as their kit supplier for years now, and we’ve worked hard to ensure all the kit is as comfortable as it is awesome-looking.
Get Kitted Out
Long-distance events demand lightweight, comfortable kit that performs all day. Our summer jerseys are built for exactly that.
