Nat Bromhead
The 2017 Blayney to Bathurst Cycling Festival has been included as one of two Australian qualifying events for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
Thrilled with the announcement, Mayor of Bathurst Cr Gary Rush said the inclusion of the B2B was a coup and will increase both the profile and popularity of the annual sportif event.
“The B2B is one of few cycling events in Australia that offers full road closures and is one of the key attractions for entrants,” said Cr Rush.
“With the announcement that the event is now also a qualifying ride for the Gran Fondo World Championships, it is expected that entry numbers this will further broaden the appeal of the B2B.”
Mayor Rush said the news was a demonstration of what a regional centre can achieve when they set there mind to it.
“We had a determination to make Bathurst the cycling capital of NSW,” he said.
This year’s event attracted a record number of participants with 1862 cyclists taking to the Blayney startline. With the option of a 70km or 110km closed-road route back to Bathurst, riders left in waves according to average speed and ability. For the 2017 event, Gran Fondo qualifier riders will compete in the 110km events as an additional starting wave following the Elite and Gold category entrants.
The UCI World Championships will be held in Albi, France from August 24 to 27, 2017. A high-level competition for masters and amateurs, it also aims to support the idea of cycling for all. The world series is growing in popularity year on year with Australia the best represented country in terms of numbers of participants at the World Championships over the past six years.
The B2B will be held on 2 April 2017 with the region’s cycling festival running from 31 March – 2 April. Entries are now open – for details visit https://www.facebook.com/B2BCyclingFestival/
