Wiggle Dragon Ride 2012 - 10th June - The Final Countdown
Wiggle and Human Race are extremely excited that the Wiggle Dragon Ride 2012 is nearly here - the event will take place in the spectacular Margam Park, near Port Talbot in South Wales on Sunday 10th June 2012. One of the the GB Sprint Squad, Team Sky rider Matthew Crampton (pictured), will be starting the ride. The event will be held in support of The Prostate Cancer Charity.
There are a couple of firsts for the Wiggle Dragon Ride this year; it is both the first time that the event will be based in Margam Park and the first year that it has held the status of being the UK’s only event in the UCI Golden Bike World Series. These changes mean that there has been a lot of anticipation in the build up to what will be the biggest Wiggle Dragon Ride ever.
This year Wiggle Dragon Ride visitors will be able to indulge the fact that there are more on-site facilities than ever before. With a stunning historic castle and some of Wales’ finest scenery, Margam is an impressive location and riders and accompanying friends and family will enjoy activities such as the “Go Ape” zip wire, adventure playground and mountain bike hire.
UCI Golden Bike status confirms the Wiggle Dragon Ride as the UK’s premier cyclosportive and identifies it alongside esteemed sportives such as Cape Argus Cycle Tour, La Pinarello and the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. With new routes and new climbs, it’s easy to see why.
There are three fabulous routes: the Gran Fondo, Medio Fondo and the Corto. Both Gran Fondo and Medio Fondo riders can expect a considerable increase in the amount of climbing but with only a slight increase in distance.
The Gran Fondo route will include Black Mountain and the return of the “hill with no name”, (Bryn Melyn or Devil’s elbow) and these ascents will be scaled in addition to the signature climbs of the Bwlch and Rhigos, plus Cimla and Cray. All of these will run in the opposite direction compared to recent years.
Medio Fondo entrants will take on Cimla, the Rhigos and the Bwlch as well as Coelbren and Glynneath Bank.
The Corto Route will essentially be a circuit of Margam Mountain at 37km and 430m of climbing.
Gran Fondo 206km/3350m (2011 -196km/2645m)
Medio Fondo 125km/1875m (2011 – 113km/1230m)
Corto 37km/430m (2011 – 47km/450m)
Martin Talbot, Director of Marketing at Wiggle is delighted with how many cyclists have the Wiggle Dragon Ride in their annual “must do” calendar:
“Riders take on the Dragon year after year for one key reason - the feeling of overwhelming euphoria upon crossing the finish line! It’s our third year of sponsoring this event and each year we never cease to be amazed by the sheer enthusiasm of every single rider. It’s fantastic to see cyclists motivating each other and enjoying their weekend. This ride is phenomenal; it really gives cyclists a chance to get out and fulfil their goals.”
All finishers receive the special UCI Gold Bike medal, to remind them of their feat for the rest of the year. Results are texted via SMS to individuals’ mobile phones, there’s on-site music, free massages and bumper goodie bags.
Nicholas Rusling of organisers Human Race is definitely looking forward to the 2012 event:
“The Wiggle Dragon Ride is a stand out event in the UK’s cycling calendar for 1,000s of keen cyclists and a great notch on anyone’s frame post to achieve. A remarkable handful are doing it now for the eighth time. We have put in a few alterations to this year’s event to maintain the world class, UCI Gold standard delivery, and are really excited about how they will go down with the riders.“
The Wiggle Dragon Ride 2012 is being held in support of The Prostate Cancer Charity. Anyone concerned about prostate cancer can call The Prostate Cancer Charity's free and confidential Helpline on 0800 074 8383. The Helpline is staffed by specialist nurses and is open from 10am to 4pm on Monday to Friday and from 7 to 9pm on Wednesdays. Alternatively please visit http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk
More information is available at http://www.wiggledragonride.com
