Scotland will play host to some of the most competitive alpha MAMILs in the UK next April, following news that the Marmotte Ecosse - a new sportive forming part of the Tour of Ayrshire festival - has been selected as a qualifying event in the 2017 UCI Gran Fondo World Series.
Taking place in Kilmarnock on 29-30 April 2017, the Tour of Ayrshire is a weekend cycling festival from the organisers of the Tour of Cambridgeshire (ToC) - the only other UK event in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. The event will follow the same weekend format as the ToC with a rolling 20km closed road time trial on Saturday 29th and a challenging 137km closed road Gran Fondo on Sunday 30th.
The Gran Fondo is a qualifier for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in France next year with the top 25% of finishers in each age category getting an invite to represent their country. While the racers battle it out, more leisurely riders can enjoy closed roads and a festival atmosphere along the route and at the start and finish in Kilmarnock.
The Gran Fondo is officially the first edition of the Marmotte Ecosse, a new event from the organisers of the hugely popular Marmotte series which includes the original Marmotte Alpes, Marmotte Pyrenees and Marmotte Sestriere. Originally scheduled to take place this year, the Marmotte Ecosse was postponed pending negotiations surrounding inclusion in the UCI World Series.
The addition of a second event in the Gran Fondo World Series is a boost to the UK sportive scene and a coup for the organisers, who anticipate a packed field to line up in Kilmarnock for the event's action.
Pre-registrations for the Gran Fondo open today for guaranteed earlybird entries at a reduced price of £55. For more information and to pre-register, visit www.tourofayrshire.com.
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