Entries have opened for Ride the Classic, the sportive edition of the Galway Classic road race.
Billed as Ireland's only classics-style cycling race, the Galway Classic takes place on 15 April 2023. The following day, Sunday 16th, sees a sportive edition with a choice of two courses featuring nine gravel sectors.
"Ride The Classic is a unique leisure cycling sportive, taking you through the beautiful country lanes and bogs of East Galway," say organisers Galway Bay Cycling Club.
The route is 75% road while the remainder combines off-road sectors on bog roads, farm tracks, boreens, and manor estates.
Entries for both the race and the sportive are now open. Two routes are on offer for the sportive, The Puncheur (85km) and The Rouleur (120km). The shorter Puncheur route features eight gravel sectors totalling 16km, while the Rouleurs will tackle 10 sectors totalling 21km.
Event HQ is the Ryehill Demesne near Abbeyknockmoy in County Galway.
The event is suitable for road bikes, although no doubt plenty of entrants will opt for the added comfort of gravel rigs with wider tyres.
Although the organisers describe the course as "predominantly flat", take this with a pinch of salt. A look at the course profile suggests no shortage of punchy climbs on both routes, and with over 500m of elevation gain on the Puncheur and 800m on the Rouleur it's fair to say a challenge lies in wait.
On course mechanics and feed stops (one on the short route, two on the long) will take care of you along the way, and there's a well-earned BBQ at the finish line as a reward.
Entries are open now priced €55 for the Puncheur and €60 for the Rouleur route. Enter before 1 March and you'll even get a free event t-shirt... just the thing to wipe the mud off your face at the finish!
Find out more at www.ridetheclassic.com.
Ride The Classic is a unique leisure cycling sportive, taking you through the beautiful country lanes and bogs of East Galway. A combination of off-road sectors on bog roads, farm tracks, boreens, and manor estates, make up about 25% of the route.
The sister event to the Galway Classic, Irelands only 'classics' style road race, Ride The Classic gives riders a true taste of the traditional gritty old northern european professional road races, an experience and memorable challenge like none other.
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