Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by Le Tour de France, billed as ‘one of Europe’s biggest and most highly rated sportives’, will return on Sunday 11 June 2017. Each autumn/fall sees an annual rush to secure one of the limited places in this event, with riders signing up to ‘slay the Dragon’ over one of the four epic distances available.
The date for cyclists to mark on their calendars this year is Tuesday 27 September 2016, when entries for this sell out event will become available to the public on a first come, first served basis at 09:00 GMT.
After the 2016 event the organiser, Human Race, offered riders the chance to feedback on the route; in particular whether it should be altered for the 2017 event. The feedback was reported to be overwhelming positive, with over 70% of riders requesting the route remains completely unchanged. This sentiment has been backed up by event partners, ASO, owner of Le Tour de France and L’Etape du Tour, who will work with Human Race to ‘continue to develop more innovative Le Tour de France experiences for the participants and spectators’.
The route features some signature climbs including Devil’s Elbow, Rhigos and Devil’s Staircase, with the latter being a 5km climb with the last 1km featuring a leg busting 20% gradient up the summit at 481m. This iconic sportive isn’t just known for its tough climbs as the course runs through some of the most stunning scenery Wales has to offer, making this ‘one of the world’s most famous and iconic cycling sportives’.
With a selection of four distances to choose from including the most popular Gran Fondo over 230km, Medio Fondo over 152km, Macmillan 100 over 100km and the ‘preposterous’ 305km Dragon Devil – the event gives riders the chance to get a Le Tour de France experience in the UK and thousands of entries for the event are typically sold within hours of going on sale.
Macmillan Cancer Support will return as the official charity of the event, with riders who are prepared to raise £100 or more for this cause receiving exclusive early access to places in Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by Le Tour de France a week early. The 100km Macmillan 100 route will also return, giving riders the opportunity to taste some of the epic climbs and scenery, at a slightly more manageable distance.
Nick Rusling, CEO of Human Race Events, said “We are delighted to announce the details of the 2017 Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by Le Tour de France, which we know is an important date in the diary for riders all over the UK. This year we have been working with our world renown partners and experts at ASO to ensure we are continuing to make the Dragon Ride the ultimate sportive for people to conquer in the UK. Their input has been hugely appreciated and will be valued by the riders also.”
In addition to the main ride, the three-day Dragon Tour returns reflecting the ‘same multistage stamina test that riders undertake at le Tour de France’ and this year will see the addition of the Two Day Dragon Tour, which was trialled by 2016. The Dragon Tour takes place across the weekend and sees cyclists take on a sportive each day, culminating with the Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by le Tour de France itself on the Sunday.
