Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales by Le Tour de France, one of Europe's biggest and best-rated sportives, will return on Sunday 11th June 2017. Each autumn sees the annual rush to secure one of the limited places in this exceptional event, with riders desperate to say they have 'slayed the Dragon' over one of the four epic distances available. The date for cyclists to mark on their calendars this year is Tuesday 27th September 2016, when entries for this sell out event will become available to the public on a first come, first served basis at 9am.
After a highly rated 2016 event the organisers, Human Race tok the refreshing step of offering riders the chance to feedback on the route; in particular whether it should be altered for the 2017 event. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with over 70% of riders requesting the route remains completely unchanged - a welcome move in our book, as the Dragon is a classic of the UK sportive scene.
This sentiment has been backed up by event partners ASO, owners of Le Tour de France and L'Etape du Tour, who will work with Human Race to continue to develop more innovative Le Tour de France experiences for the participants and spectators.
The famous route features epic climbs not unlike the alpine ascents of the Tour itself. Signature climbs include Devil's Elbow, Rhigos and Devil's Staircase, with the latter being a 5km climb with the last 1km featuring a leg busting 20% gradient up to the summit at 481m. But this iconic sportive isn't just known for its tough climbs; the course runs through some of the most stunning scenery Wales has to offer, justifying the Dragon's status as one of the world's most famous and iconic cycling sportives.
This year will once again see riders offered a selection of four distances to choose from, including the most popular Gran Fondo over 230km, Medio Fondo over 152km, Macmillan 100 over 100km and the preposterous 305km Dragon Devil.
The event gives riders the chance to get a Le Tour de France experience in the UK and thousands of entries for the event are typically sold within hours of going on sale.
Macmillan Cancer Support will return as the official charity of the event, with riders who are prepared to raise £100 or more for this fantastic cause receiving exclusive early access to places in Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales by Le Tour de France a week early. The 100km Macmillan 100 route will also return, giving riders the opportunity to taste some of the epic climbs and scenery, at a slightly more manageable distance.
Nick Rusling, CEO of Human Race Events, said: "We are delighted to announce the details of the 2017 Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales by Le Tour de France, which we know is an important date in the diary for riders all over the UK. This year we have been working with our world renowned partners and experts at ASO to ensure we are continuing to make the Dragon Ride the ultimate sportive for people to conquer in the UK. Their input has been hugely appreciated and will be valued by the riders also."
In addition to the main ride, the three-day Dragon Tour returns reflecting the same multistage stamina test that riders undertake at le Tour de France; and 2017 will see the addition of the Two Day Dragon Tour, which was trialled in 2016. The Dragon Tour takes place across the weekend and sees cyclists take on a sportive each day, culminating with the Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales on the Sunday.
For more information and to book your place, visit www.dragonride.co.uk - and remember, general entries will be available from the website from 9am on Tuesday 27th September.
0 Comments