BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Velothon Wales will take place on June 14th 2015 with a capacity of up to 10,000 riders. Running alongside a UCI sanctioned elite pro race, expected to attract many of the world’s top riders and teams, the sportive is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ride London.
Starting and finishing in Cardiff city centre, the completely closed road sportive will cover 120km of route through the Welsh countryside, with over 1,400m of climbing including Caerphilly Mountain and a King of the Mountain’s Challenge on The Tumble climb in the Brecon Beacons (as featured on stage nine of this year’s Tour of Britain). A shorter 50km route takes place on completely closed roads.
British Cycling has called the launch "the arrival of a new major domestic event to the cycling calendar" and is offering its members priority access when entries open for the mass participation event – 500 discounted places will be available to members on a first come first served basis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVvAYEu__Ks
Jonny Clay, cycle sport and membership director for British Cycling, said: “We have been working closely with the organisers of Velothon Wales for over a year now and we are very excited with how the project has developed.
“Bringing together elite level road racing with mass participation events has proved to be a very exciting and successful method for staging major events in recent years and I’m confident that we will have thousands of people eager to take part, either as participants or spectators. When you add in the natural landscape of Wales and the vibrancy of the city of Cardiff, there is no doubt that Velothon Wales will be memorable event, not only for 2014, but for many years to come.”
The exact UCI grading of the Velothon Wales pro race will not be announced until the UCI calendar is released in late September.
Welsh Government minister for economy, science and transport, Edwina Hart, said: “Velothon Wales is an exciting new event and, as one of four Velothon events in the world, puts Cardiff and the surrounding area on a stage with cities like Berlin, Vienna and Philadelphia. It is another of the major sporting events we are bringing to Wales which all serve to build our reputation as a nation with an excellent pedigree in delivering major events that attract both locals and visitors alike.”
Velothon Wales’ race director Roland Hofer said: “Having worked as Race Director for Velothon Berlin since 2009, I am hugely excited to be part of the team that will be delivering Velothon Wales. Each year Velothon Berlin attracts a stellar elite field which, combined with thousands of participants taking on the exact same route, creates a truly memorable day of cycling. We are looking forward to Velothon Wales emulating its success in every respect.”
