Location: Abbrook Park Sports & Social Club, Newton Abbot
Event: 23 June 2012
Organised in conjunction with the Dartmoor Classic sportive, the Only Way Is Up Road Race offers a new twist on a traditional cycle racing format.
For the last forty years cyclists have competed in the gruelling Haytor Hill Climb time trial - a three mile climb rising to 1,499 feet. This year the event will be organised as a mass start road race, with three waves of up to 80 riders battling to reach the top of the climb first with the winner truly the ‘King of the Mountains’.
Whilst Haytor has also been the setting for the National Hill Climb Championships, it has now achieved status as the ascent where Jon Tiernan-Locke launched his bid for the Tour of Britain’s climber’s jersey
Taking place on Saturday 23 June, and using the same HQ and infrastructure as the Dartmoor Classic, the road race will provide the opportunity for sportive riders and seasoned road racers to race in the wheel tracks of the pros. There will be separate events for existing British Cycling members, non members (day membership is included in the entry fee), men and women.
Inspired by the record crowds who lined Haytor for the Tour of Britain stage, organiser Andrew Parker said: “The Dartmoor Classic is again a sell-out event attracting 2,800 entries and taking place the day before The Only Way Is Up Road Race, which will offer a unique competition for experienced road racers and sportive riders alike. I am sure a few old scores between club mates will be settled on the fearsome slopes of the climb”
Online entry is open now through the British Cycling website.
