Pantanissima Gran Fondo, 12 September, Cesenatico, Italy (road riding)

The 130km memorial ride for the late Marco Pantani traces the infamous hill climber's training rides around his home town of Cesenatico. It's now in its third year, and just 600 people competed in 2009, creating a jovial and intimate atmosphere.

• Hotel Belvedere, a few miles away in Riccione (+39 0541 601506, belvederericcione.com), runs the event. Its seven-day Pantanissima cycling package costs €718 and includes full-board accommodation, cycle guiding and race entry

Dessafío Mountain Bike Marathon, 2 October, Andalucía, Spain (mountain biking)

A fearsome 100km, but a doable time limit of 11 hours. It takes in the hilly terrain of Andalucía but the timing means cool temperatures, along with sunny skies and dramatic vistas.

• Pure Mountains (puremountains.com) has a long-weekend package for £400, including race registration, food for two days and accommodation for four

Brighton Big Dog, 14 August, Stanmer Park, Brighton (mountain biking)

For mud lovers down south there is the Big Dog. It's fair to say the racing will be hard but so will the party, with DJs, local ales and parades all easing post-ride aches. Tickets to the main race have sold out but for £8 you can still tackle one lap of the eight-mile course.

• brightonbigdog.com. Southdown Farm (01273 843278, southdown-farm.co.uk) near Ditchling is a racers' favourite, with camping pitches from £8 for a car and one person

Nutcracker MTB series, 22 August, Swaledale, North Yorkshire (mountain biking)

Mountain bike racing can be gruesome, but the Nutcracker cross-country series includes a "fun" race at each event.

• nutcrackermtb.co.uk. The Dales Bike Centre (01748 884908, dalesbikecentre.co.uk) has dorm rooms from £24 and single rooms from £35, including the all-essential breakfast

Pedal for Scotland, 12 September, Glasgow to Edinburgh (road riding)

Now in its 12th year this classic ride is offering three options for riders – the original 51-miler, a 100-mile sportive and a short off-road route for families and newbies. The ride takes participants between the cities via closed roads, cycle paths and quiet back streets.

• pedalforscotland.org. Peebles is close to both Edinburgh and the cycling hub of Innerleithen. The Tontine Hotel (tontinehotel.com) specialises in outdoor activities and has bike storage and a drying room. B&B starts from £55pp

• This article was amended on Saturday 31 July 2010. Stanmere Park in Brighton should have been Stanmer. This has been corrected.