Geraint Thomas, ambassador of the Wiggle Etape Cymru sportive event, organised by Human Race, has unveiled the route for the 2013 event. Widely known in the UK cycling and multisport communities as ‘the toughest closed road sportive in the UK’, the 88 mile route starts and finishes at Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse in Wales.
The 2013 edition takes place on Sunday 8 September and once again offers participants the unparalleled experience of riding through the stunning Welsh countryside on traffic free roads.
After taking ownership in early 2012, following the merger of Human Race and Participate Sport, Human Race has worked to ensure the Wiggle Etape Cymru is now recognised as one of the ‘must do’ events on the UK sportive calendar, with 98% of participants rating the 2012 event overall as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’.
As well as the positive feedback received from participants, online multisport retailer Wiggle is the title sponsor. Other sponsors include bike brand Giant and Mavic who will be providing riders with bike checks and a Tour de France style support experience on the route.
En route
From the start, the ride heads north into Bangor-on-Dee taking in the rolling landscape of North Wales to Rhosllanerchrugog. Riders will then ascend onto Panorama walk, which boasts fantastic views of the Vale of LLangollen, heading west towards the infamous Horseshoe Pass.
Participants will go on to tackle this 6.1K timed climb with 317m ascend and a gradient that reaches 20% on the bends. Geraint advises those taking part in the Wiggle Etape Cymru, to become familiar with the route before tackling the course. “Make sure you study the route and know what is coming up,” Geraint said. “Also take your time on the tough climbs so you have enough energy to get you to the top.”
After tackling Panorama Walk, the route descends down the valley towards Carog, which is the furthest point away from the finish line. This leads to a 10 mile gradual ascent until the route descends into Craig Fechen and the furthest northerly point of the route.
“At this point it’s important not to try and match the pace of other riders,” Geraint advised. “It can be tempting to do this but be careful not to run out of gas with a few miles to go.”
Riders will then prepare to ascend onto The Shelf which is the second steepest climb of the route and one not to be underestimated. The Shelf is a 4 mile climb that incorporates another incredible view of the valley ascending approximately 700 feet.
After various undulations to Minera, the route embarks on its final last ‘big’ climb up onto Worlds End. Here participants will reach the highest point of the route at 1410ft.
Following this, a sharp descent takes riders back onto Panorama Walk where they will undertake the gradual descent back towards Bangor dropping approximately 850 feet.
On the route there will be 6 feed stations dishing up Welsh rarebit, salted potatoes, bananas and PowerBar drinks and gels; and Geraint advises that riders make the most of all available nutrition! He said: “It’s important to note where the feed zones are. A bit of Welsh rarebit always goes down nicely so make the most of that.”
Geraint added, “It’s a challenging route, but it’s a great chance to get out and enjoy the roads. It’s not every day the roads are closed off and members of the public get to ride on them. As cyclists we take it for granted”
Andrew Whillas, Sponsorship Manger at Wiggle, said “Wiggle is committed to supporting great cycling events and we really are excited to be involved with such a unique event like the Wiggle Etape Cymru. Along with the Wiggle Dragon Ride we now have two of the UK’s most popular sportives on our event calendar for 2013 and are looking forward to being a part of future of these events.”
Participants in the event will be encouraged to fundraise for the Official National Charity Partner Macmillan Cancer Support. The money raised will be used to help Macmillan support not only people affected by cancer, but everyone their cancer has an impact on, from partners, to children, to friends and carers.
Riders will also be supporting Local Charity Partner Nightingale House The charity provides specialist palliative care services, completely free-of-charge, to patients and their families across a wide area stretching from Wrexham, Flintshire and East Denbighshire to Barmouth and the border towns including Oswestry and Whitchurch.
After 88 miles of tough cycling participants will no doubt appreciate the 100% natural hydration provided by Vita Coco, who will be supplying their natural coconut water products as participants cross the finish line.
www.etape-cymru.co.uk
www.humanrace.co.uk/cycling
