IMG Challenger World is pleased to announce that all 5,100 places on the 2012 Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Caledonia closed road sportive have sold out in record time.
Following on from the hugely successful 2011 closed road events the Etape Caledonia and Sky Ride Etape Hibernia where nearly 6,000 cyclists took to some of the most stunning roads in Scotland and Ireland, the organisers have increased capacity for both events next year.
Overwhelming demand for the 2012 Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Caledonia, taking place in Highland Perthshire on May 13th, saw the event sell out in a matter of weeks since entries opened in mid September. This underlines the growing popularity of what was the UK’s first closed road sportive in 2007 and is now the largest of its kind outside mainland Europe.
The Sky Ride Etape Hibernia is now a firm favourite on the international sportive calendar despite only being two years old with participants from 10 different countries converging on County Clare on the West Coast of Ireland to ride in the country’s only closed road event. The 2012 Sky Ride Etape Hibernia takes place on August 26th and demand is again high with places already filling fast.
To cope with increasing demand for such events, the organisers have recently announced the opening of their third closed road sportive and the first closed road event in England, the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines which takes place in Durham on October 7
th 2012. Entries for this event are now open and are sure to sell quickly as this is the only opportunity for cyclists to ride on completely closed roads through some of the most stunning countryside in the north of England.
Julia Warne, Head of Marketing, PR & Communications for IMG Challenger World sees the growth in demand as a reward for hard work in delivering quality events:
“2011 has been a great year for us with the Etape Caledonia and Hibernia growing in popularity and cementing their reputation on the national and international sportive calendars. Now that the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Caledonia has sold out in record time, it’s great to be able to offer cyclists another closed road event in the new Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines on 7th October 2012.”
IMG Challenge World now have three closed road cycling sportives, to find out more visit:
For more information on IMG mass participation events visit: www.challengerworld.com
Marie Curie Cancer Care is the official Charity Partner of the Etape Series 2012. All funds raised by cyclists taking part will enable Marie Curie Nurses to provide more free care and support to terminally ill people and their families.
