Velothon Wales will see up to 15,000 cyclists take on one of two spectacular routes across the country’s iconic landscape in the first closed road cycling event of this scale in Wales’ history.
Thousands of spectators are expected to line the streets of the route which starts and finishes in the heart of the Welsh capital and visits Newport, Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Caerphilly. Among the participants is Welsh rugby legend Colin Charvis. The former Wales rugby captain and British and Irish Lions player believes that this historic event is Wales’ opportunity to showcase itself to the world.
He said: “Wales is already renowned for hosting world-class rugby, football and cricket and now we are set to build a repuation for world-class cycling.
“Years ago, you wouldn’t have anticipated Yorkshire to be synonymous with cycling but today everyone remembers it for hosting the Tour de France in 2014. The county had tremendous publicity around the event and was widely praised for its beauty and its resounding support towards the cyclists.“
Wales is a brand new host destination for a Velothon event and creates a fantastic opportunity to showcase the nation, including our stunning landscape and warm Welsh welcome. With thousands of participants, thousands of spectators, dozens of international media and the event being televised globally, the spotlight really will turn on Wales this weekend – and it is our chance to shine.”
As well as the 140km and 50km routes on offer for the mass-participation sportive, which sold out in less than six weeks, Velothon Wales will also host a 194km UCI sanctioned pro road race on the same day. The race will attract professional cyclists from across the world.
Several Welsh riders including Owain Doull for Team Wiggins, Jon Mould and Yanto Barker for OnePro Cycling and Stephen Williams for Great Britain will be competing for glory in the inaugural event.
Owain Doull said: “Being able to race in your home country is a fantastic opportunity. It means a lot to have the support of friends, family, and Welsh cycling fans during the race. I’m look forward to competing this weekend, and tackling the iconic climbs of The Tumble and Caerphilly Mountain.”
The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates said: “Major events such as Velothon Wales give us an ideal opportunity to showcase great Welsh landscapes and inspire a whole new generation to embrace sporting events - whether it’s as a competitor, volunteer or spectator. This one-day event has the capacity to deliver around £2m additional benefit to the Welsh economy and, through television coverage, will work to deliver exciting images of our stunning scenery to an international
TV audience.”
Find out more at Velothon Wales
