Nat Bromhead
Updated
“The weather couldn’t have been better, the organisation was second-to-none and the overall experience was right up there.”
The words of David Keirle, a veteran of four Classics series events and proud finisher of the 2019 Noosa Classic held in Queensland’s iconic sub-tropical paradise today.
More than 1400 riders took the region by storm to enjoy the quintessential Noosa weather of summer-like conditions and some of the nation’s best cycling.
“It was such a memorable day,” Keirle continued soon after completing the 120km Challenge-Classic. “I was in Clare for the Clare Classic, I’m going to Mudgee in May, and will definitely be back here in Noosa next year.”
More than a one-day Classic, the Noosa region oozed the atmosphere of a full-on cycling festival over the weekend as riders from around Australia and overseas honed in on the region for Bicycling Australia’s sixth major cycling event.
Four Classics Events
Standing in the sunshine and scanning the scores of spent but smiling cyclists at the event village, Bicycling Australia Publisher James Yaffa – founder of the Classics series events – was a happy man.
“This is really how we wanted to represent the region, what we have here today,” he said, referring to the massive deluge that disrupted the 2018 event but didn’t dispirit riders.
“This is probably the most impressive cycling event we’ve put on,” he continued. “I think the cyclists, the community, our commercial partners, our government partners …this is what we dreamt about – the Noosa Classic showcasing the Noosa region in all its glory,” he said.
“The rider feedback has been exceptional … we are here to stay and I think this will go on to be our biggest event.”
Commenting upon the numbers of riders wearing Bowral Classic, Clare Classic and even a Mudgee Classic jersey, Mr Yaffa said he was thrilled to see the cross-pollination of events.
“That’s exactly what we set out to do,” he said. “We want it to be a Classics journey. Bicycling Australia is the home of the Classics, we have put a lot of effort into this over the past four years and I think it’s fair to say we are here to stay and will continue to put on more great events for Australian cyclists.”
With the May 2020 Mudgee Classic recently announced, Mr Yaffa said further expansion was on the agenda.
“We would love to go to Victoria,” he said. “As a brand we’ve put great investment into this. The Australian cycling community have embraced the concept and really adopted us.”
For Noosa Classic image galleries visit www.noosaclassic.com.au
To see the social media feeds from the day visit the Noosa Classic Facebook & Instagram feeds.
To register for the next Bicycling Australia event, the Bowral Classic in October, visit www.bowralclassic.com.au
