Bike rides are brilliant. That feels like a fairly predictable statement from us here at Cycling Weekly, sure, but there is often nothing better than getting your kit on, clipping in, and setting off an adventure.

From the smallest commute to the biggest feat of endurance, we thought we should mark our best moments on two wheels this year. There’s something about pedalling which makes our hearts sing, and I’m sure it does the same for you too.

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gravel ride in May that involved train assistance, a textbook pub stop to replenish water in a small town that had that Marie-Celeste vibe that only 7pm on a Saturday brings, and a twilight finish.

The route took in 40 miles of stunning views across the South Downs Way from Petersfield to Steyning, before switching onto the Downs Link railway path that took me in a straight, homebound line back up into Surrey. It’s one I’ll definitely revisit – ideally with a bit more fitness and possibly on a hardtail mountain bike.

Chris Hall. Along home roads here on the Norfolk Coast.

Chris is an endurance rider who takes on epic challenges for charity, mainly for the Pace Centre and Movember. Movember is a charity of great importance to men, who, particularly when reaching my age, often find themselves isolated and alone, at risk of suicide and complex but preventable mental and physical diseases.

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Chris rode the perimeter of Great Britain this Summer, hot on the wheels of Molly Weaver, who broke a world record for her effort just a couple of weeks before. Chris’s trip wasn’t about records; it was more about highlighting the importance of catching up with friends, doing something extraordinary – or ordinary – and having a good chat.

And that’s precisely what he and I did that day, on my ordinary roads, with a remarkable man, chewing the fat about what’s up and what’s not, and it was blissful. Except for the legs, it turns out keeping up with endurance athletes, even when they’re carrying everything they need, and you’re on home roads, isn’t that easy, but it was my highlight of an otherwise pretty packed riding year.

I wrote about it in more detail back then, but it remains the most fun I’ve had on the bike this year.

The lack of traffic and overwhelming number of riders was special, with snatched conversations with fellow cyclists joyful, bringing some warmth on a Scottish morning. The views of Loch Ness and the surrounding forest never stopped bringing a smile to my face either, and I won’t have been alone in wanting to take a photograph of every metre of the ride. It was stunning the whole way round.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be applauded on a bike as much as I was then, and I’ll tell you what, it was a nice feeling. The only let down was a lack of the Loch Ness monster – if you don’t see it while your brain is addled from hard exercise, when will you?

Tour de France this summer, and stood on the steep climb on the edge of the town of Mûr-de-Bretagne, I vowed that I’d go back to tackle it myself. Little did I know how soon that would be – barely two months later, in fact, on a cycling holiday with my family. As expected, those sharp two kilometres are tough and leg-sapping (I did them twice, just to be sure), but surrounding them is some of the most luscious scenery I’ve ever ridden in.

There are charming, flowered villages, slick roads, newly repaved for the Tour’s arrival, and the dog-leg-shaped Lake Guérledan, which sits covered by tall forest trees. In baking sunshine, but protected in the shade of the branches, we did a lap of the lake, and then jumped in for a dip afterwards. There’s no better way to end a bike ride. It was a perfect day out.

Dolomites remain the gem of European cycling in my opinion. However, on this visit I was probably a little bit too unfit to enjoy them to the maximum and so my favourite bike ride was the slightly less glamorous Glorious Gravel Salisbury Plain Autumn Epic.

I got to ride with my dad and a mate who’s been talking about getting a gravel bike for the last three years. We had a tailwind in all the right places, the ominous clouds never came to anything and the 3ft deep ‘tank’ puddles provided plenty of laughs.

It was everything that is good about gravel – conversation without being hounded by traffic, good views and everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there. There was certainly more ‘spirit of gravel’ than at the gravel races I’d been doing for the few weekends prior.

Gravel Burn is up there with the toughest… and most beautiful. Set in South Africa, it traverses two of the country’s most beautiful provinces: the Western and Eastern Cape.

It also takes in much of the Little and Great Karoo – a vast, semi-desert inland plateau known for its harsh but beautiful environment. The race spans 800km and 11,000m of climbing over challenging gravel roads, so it’s not easy, but the scenery and flora and fauna more than make up for any of the suffering endured.

What makes the race special is the setup, which sees professional and amateur riders race and camp alongside each other in an intimate setting. You’ll also get to see some of the most amazing animals in their natural habitat – springbok, kudu, zebra and ostrich, not to mention the Big Five – elephant, leopard, rhino, buffalo and lion.

I’d recommend Gravel Burn over the Cape Epic.