Dragon Ride Wales
Encyclopedia
Dragon Ride Wales is a cyclosportive event based in South Wales, UK.
The event is a non competitive cycling marathon run over the hills of South Wales
and the Brecon Beacons
National Park. The ride takes in the challenging climbs of the Bwlch and Rhigos mountain roads which are long with relatively constant gradients. The event has different courses to suit riders ability, these are typically around 200KM (120 Miles), 125KM (80 miles) and more recently 40KM (25 miles). The longer "Gran Fondo" route has climbs totaling 3000 metres.
The Dragon Ride is held annually in June. Entries are available from late December via the event website. Traditionally the event sells out within weeks on the entries becoming available. Cyclosportive
s are a recent addition to the UK, although these types of events have been very popular in Italy, France and Spain. In 2004 the first Dragon Ride was held, this being at the time one of only a handful of such events in Great Britain. The format of the Dragon Ride was based on an Italian Gran Fondo although unlike Italian events it was not held on closed roads. Event Organiser Mr Lou Lusardi, whose family originated from the Parma area of Italy had taken part in several Gran Fondo and saw an opportunity to bring this type of event to South Wales, an organising team of friends and relatives was set up under the BreakAway Cycling banner. Based in Bridgend
, the first "Dragon" had 280 entrants.
In 2005 the Dragon Ride became the first UK cyclosportive to be included into the UCI calendar. The popularity of the inaugural event and the demand for this type of cycling challenge rides saw the Dragon Ride more than double in size each year between 2004 and 2006; a continual growth over the following years saw the 2010 event with 3700 entrants, the largest for any UK open road sportive. In 2007 the Dragon Ride linked up with the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycletour
in Cape Town South Africa and the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
in New Zealand to cross promote and share resources. Pencoed
, situated a few miles east of Bridgend became the venue for the start and finish of the ride from 2008, the new location provided more space and was ideally situated only a mile from junction 35 of the M4 Motorway
.
Various innovations set the Dragon Ride apart from other UK sportives, the event was the first to use online entries, unlike other cyclosportive riders do not have to register prior to the ride as their numbers and timing transponders are posted out in the weeks prior to the event. For 2010 a totally disposable timing chip was introduced eliminating the need for riders to hand back their transponder at the end of the ride. The Dragon Ride has been voted Britain’s favorite Cyclosportive by readers of Cycling Weekly
magazine for the past two years.
For 2010 the Dragon Ride signed a three year title sponsorship deal with the UK's largest online cycle retailer Wiggle via their own brand of sportive bikes named Verenti, the top of the range Verenti bike is named Rhigos after one of the Dragon Rides signature climbs.
The 2011 Verenti Dragon Ride will be held on Sunday 5 June, online entries go live at midnight on the 29th December 2009.
The event is a non competitive cycling marathon run over the hills of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and the Brecon Beacons
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
National Park. The ride takes in the challenging climbs of the Bwlch and Rhigos mountain roads which are long with relatively constant gradients. The event has different courses to suit riders ability, these are typically around 200KM (120 Miles), 125KM (80 miles) and more recently 40KM (25 miles). The longer "Gran Fondo" route has climbs totaling 3000 metres.
The Dragon Ride is held annually in June. Entries are available from late December via the event website. Traditionally the event sells out within weeks on the entries becoming available. Cyclosportive
Cyclosportive
A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually....
s are a recent addition to the UK, although these types of events have been very popular in Italy, France and Spain. In 2004 the first Dragon Ride was held, this being at the time one of only a handful of such events in Great Britain. The format of the Dragon Ride was based on an Italian Gran Fondo although unlike Italian events it was not held on closed roads. Event Organiser Mr Lou Lusardi, whose family originated from the Parma area of Italy had taken part in several Gran Fondo and saw an opportunity to bring this type of event to South Wales, an organising team of friends and relatives was set up under the BreakAway Cycling banner. Based in Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, the first "Dragon" had 280 entrants.
In 2005 the Dragon Ride became the first UK cyclosportive to be included into the UCI calendar. The popularity of the inaugural event and the demand for this type of cycling challenge rides saw the Dragon Ride more than double in size each year between 2004 and 2006; a continual growth over the following years saw the 2010 event with 3700 entrants, the largest for any UK open road sportive. In 2007 the Dragon Ride linked up with the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycletour
Cape Argus Cycle Race
The Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour is an annual cycle race hosted in Cape Town, South Africa, usually 109 km long. It is the first event outside Europe to be included in the International Cycling Union's Golden Bike Series.The race is one of South Africa's three 'largest sporting events' in...
in Cape Town South Africa and the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge is New Zealand's largest mass participation cycling event. First held in 1977, it circumnavigates Lake Taupo, a volcanic crater lake in the centre of the North Island. The ride starts and finishes in Taupo with one full circuit being approximately 160 km. Over...
in New Zealand to cross promote and share resources. Pencoed
Pencoed
Pencoed , is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom, mid-way between Wales's two largest cities of Cardiff and Swansea.Lying on the Ewenny River it has a population of around 11,000...
, situated a few miles east of Bridgend became the venue for the start and finish of the ride from 2008, the new location provided more space and was ideally situated only a mile from junction 35 of the M4 Motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.
Various innovations set the Dragon Ride apart from other UK sportives, the event was the first to use online entries, unlike other cyclosportive riders do not have to register prior to the ride as their numbers and timing transponders are posted out in the weeks prior to the event. For 2010 a totally disposable timing chip was introduced eliminating the need for riders to hand back their transponder at the end of the ride. The Dragon Ride has been voted Britain’s favorite Cyclosportive by readers of Cycling Weekly
Cycling Weekly
Cycling Weekly is a British cycling magazine. It is published by IPC Media and is devoted to the sport and past-time of cycling. It is affectionately referred to by British club cyclists as "The Comic".-History:...
magazine for the past two years.
For 2010 the Dragon Ride signed a three year title sponsorship deal with the UK's largest online cycle retailer Wiggle via their own brand of sportive bikes named Verenti, the top of the range Verenti bike is named Rhigos after one of the Dragon Rides signature climbs.
The 2011 Verenti Dragon Ride will be held on Sunday 5 June, online entries go live at midnight on the 29th December 2009.
External links
- http://www.cycletour.co.za/ Cape Argus Pick N Pay Cycletour
- http://www.cyclechallenge.com/ Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
- http://www.ucigoldenbike.com/ UCI Golden Bike Series