Rise of the ultra-cyclists: a new breed of riders go the distance

With no spectators, no bags of freebies and no medals, the 400km London-Wales-London ride provides a welcome antidote to overblown sportives

"Cycling far?" asks a woman in the bakery as a group of us queues for coffee and sausage rolls, as well as an all-important receipt to prove we passed through Tewkesbury.

Increasing numbers of cyclists are getting bored with 100-mile sportives and looking for something else