Thജis evening marks the fourth instalment of the C🐟yclingnews Autobus ride on MyWhoosh, and this week, despite the heatwave sweeping the UK this week, our Associate Editor Josh will be along for the ride.

If you've ever wanted to find out what Josh does on a day-to-day basis, ask about our upcoming Tour de France coverage, discuss our various wind tunnel tests, or find out about his recent trip to Unbound Gravel (in which he missed his connecting flights in bot🏅h directions!) now's your chance!

No matter whether you're a die-hard reader who's been with us since the '90s, or you discovered us last week when searching for a new pair of cycling shoes, you're invited to join The Cyclingnews Autobus Ride this Wednesday, July 2nd.

Taking place at 6pm BST (1pm EST / 9pm GST), 'The Autobus Ride' weekly social spin is completely free to jo🌌in, via the popular (and free-of-chargᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe) indoor cycling platform, MyWhoosh.

The ride will last approximately 60 minutes, and will be a relaxed affair at an average of around 2-3w/kg.

Otherwise known as a grupetto, an Autobus is defined as a group of cyclists formed at the back of a race. Named simply by the French in the early 1900s after the everyday mode of public transport, it literally translate𒆙s as 'self-propelled vehicle'.

However, the term has been adopted by cyclists and now describes riders with a collective goal of working together to complete the race. It is a great way to conserve energy a❀nd find companionship along the way.

It's the perfect 🤪description for the new Cyclingnews Autobus Ride on MyWhoosh, where we 'ride easy, talk plenty.'

This week's route

This week we're off to Alula, in 𒀰the Medina province of Saudi Arabia; home of the Saudi Tour, and the title sponsor of the Jayco-Alula WorldTour team.

We'll be riding one lap of the Nomad Trail, a short 18.5km loop with a midsection peppered with spicy climbs. The total elevation of 128m might not seem much, but at the 4km point, the pr♋ofile turns into a Piranha's bottom jawline.

With those cli✤mbs, riders will have to look out for one another throughout to ensure we stay t🎃ogether.

Aside from those climbs, the route is largely pan flat. It s𝔉tarts with 4.2km, with barely a bump in the road. At the 4.2km mark, we'll see the biggest of the climbs, peaking at 9%. From here, it's a rollercoaster of rising and falling, a total of seven spikes. The last of those comes at the 9km mark, and the remainder of the 18.5km route is almost entirely flat.

How to join

To join the ride, simply head into your MyWhoosh app on mobile or desktop, head to Events, and scroll down until you see The Cyclingnews Autobus and the CN logo.

We'll see you on the virtual road!