December is traditionally the time when many cyclists start scanning the upcoming year's calendar looking for a challenge. It may be an incentive to keep fit, a way to raise money for a charity or an excuse for a cycling holiday. I've looked at the 2014 calendar and these are some of the events that have caught my eye.

The toughest

There are plenty of contenders out there, starting in the UK with the Fred Whitton Challenge on 11 May (entries open 4 January) which takes in all the toughest climbs of the Lake District in one gruelling 112-mile circuit. But Spain appears to have the monopoly on suffering, with various events bearing macho names such as El Limite – 143 miles and nearly 6,000 metres of climbing over two days in the Sierra Nevada at the end of June – or the Quebrantahuesos – named after a bird of prey whose nickname is "bone crusher" – which covers 124 miles in the Pyrenees on 21 June.

But the one I've earmarked and am already training for is the self-explanatory La Sufrida – 122 miles and 5,160 metres of climbing in the mountains surrounding the Andalucían town of Ronda on 31 May.

Registration is open now, and the fee is currently €37 (£31), rising to €45 in February.

The newest

The UK sportive calendar seems to get bigger every year, but closed road events are still a rarity (and the most expensive). The newest closed-road event will ironically take place on some of the UK's quietest roads, in the Scottish Borders. Starting and finishing in the attractive town of Peebles, the Tour O' The Borders Sportive offers routes of either 77 or 55 miles(with 1,460 or 1,102 metres of climbing). Having completed the longer route earlier this year, I can vouch for how beautiful the route is, though it seems a shame the organisers have increased the entry fee by more than 50% on last year when it was merely "empty" rather than "closed" roads.

The ride takes place on Sunday 10 August. Registration is open now, and costs £55.

The most expensive

If the prospect of seven days cycling across "the roof of Europe", aka the French Alps, doesn't make your mouth water, the price tag will certainly bring tears to your eyes. The Haute Route sportive offers the chance for affluent cyclists to enjoy the experience of a mini-Grand Tour – timed stages (complete with the dreaded cut-off times), motorcycle outriders, support vehicles, massages – but at a price: €1500 (£1,260).

Despite the fact that it doesn't include hotels, meals or travel to the start in Geneva and from the finish in Nice, it has proved so popular the organisers last year introduced a Pyrenees version, and next year are offering a Dolomites/Swiss Alps version.

But if you've got the money, the last phase of registration for the original Haute Route, which takes place from 24-30 August, has just opened on the official website.

The best charity ride

There are a lot of worthy contenders out there, but the current trend seems to be for charities to employ an events company to organise the ride for them. One well-known cancer charity has even paid a six-figure sum to have its name attached to a series of sportives. I much prefer the approach of children's charity Pace which has just launched a week-long cycling event to raise money for children with disabilities. Its "Portugeezer/Gaal" ride will cover 400 miles in five days from Lisbon to the Douro Valley where riders will be able to soothe their tired legs by "treading" the grapes at the Quinta de la Rosa vineyard which is owned by one of the charity's patrons. The entry fee is a remarkable £499, which covers return flights from London, six nights' bed and breakfast accommodation on a shared basis and full support during the ride. Organiser Simon Ekless said the reason for the low entry fee was because everything had been organised "in-house" by a team of "bike-loving" volunteers:

"I'd love to be able to offer this 'low fi' option to other good causes, and therefore cut out the many event companies who make a packet from doing basically what committed volunteers can do themselves at much lower costs. We've raised £500,000 since 2008 with the nine events we've organized in this way."

Riders will be expected to commit to raising at least £1,000 in sponsorship for the event, which takes place from 14-20 September. Registration is open now.

The most female friendly

The GB cycling and para-cycling teams currently include 10 female world champions, world record-breakers or Olympic gold medallists, so it's fitting that the number of women entering British cycling-registered sportives is increasing: 24,000 signed up in 2013, a rise of 7% on the previous year according to the British cycling campaign to get a million more women cycling, A Journey of Inspiration and Opportunity.

But with four times as many men riding bikes than women, women can still feel a bit lonely or even intimidated out there, hence the rise in women-only sportives. Cycletta is a series of women-only sportives of between 15 and 60 miles that take place all over the UK during September and October each year. Entry fees range from £28-£42 and details of their 2014 rides will be announced next month.

But for something a bit less "corporate", the community-based Otley Sportive Cycling Organisation in Yorkshire has just announced a women-only sportive for 17 May. It will offer two distances – 30 or 70 miles – and take in some of the nearby Yorkshire Dales. The entry fee is expected to be between £10 and £20, reflecting the organisation's commitment to promote family cycling in the area. More details will be announced in January on their website.

So which 2014 sportives have caught your eye?