World’s top six combine to form the ‘World Association of Cycling Events’

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WACE comprises Cape Town Cycle Tour, TD Five Boro Bike Tour, Vatternrundan, L’Etape du Tour, RideLondon and Granfondo Campagnolo Roma. The mission of the Association is to promote and increase cycling worldwide.

Six of the world’s top mass participation cycling events have come together to form the World Association of Cycling Events (WACE). The constitution of the new association was announced in Rome today.

WACE comprises six of the most prestigious and largest mass participation events in the world:
• Cape Town Cycle Tour (South Africa), the world’s largest timed cycling event
• TD Five Boro Bike Tour (USA), the only closed road mass participation cycling event in New York City with 32,000 participants
• Vatternrundan (Sweden), one of the oldest and longest mass participation cycling event in the world with more than 6 million km ridden each year
• L’Etape du Tour, (France) one of the most beautiful and toughest sportives in the world, ridden over a stage of the Tour de France
• RideLondon (UK), the world’s largest festival of cycling with 95,000+ riders on traffic-free roads in London and Surrey
• Granfondo Campagnolo Roma (Italy), a unique cycling experience in the historic Eternal City starting in front of the Colosseum

Chartered Members

Chartered Members

WACE has been formed to promote and increase cycling worldwide. With more than 200,000 participants from 90 countries riding in WACE events each year, the new organisation is ideally placed to inspire new riders to take up the challenge of cycling and to encourage riders to travel to participate in other world class cycling events.

“It is a very exciting time for cycling with such rapid growth in interest and participation,” said Hugh Brasher, President of WACE and Event Director for RideLondon.“We expect a number of other major international cycling events to join us to promote the many health and lifestyle benefits of cycling and to work together to promote the opportunity to ride in great cities around the world. WACE events are working with city leaders to get more people cycling to help address the global issues of pollution, overcrowding on public transport and public health.”

“We want everybody to participate in our events, not just serious riders,” said Matteo Gerevini, Executive Director of WACE. “Our events cover every aspect of cycling, from a ride in a city like New York to an incredibly tough experience in the French Alps.”

More major international cycling events are set to join WACE and the association is planning the creation of the ‘WACE CHALLENGE’ with awards to riders who take part in multiple WACE events around the world.

 

To find out more about WACE, please visit the WACE website at www.wacebike.com

Drucker, Guarischi and Alldis Conquer RideLondon-Surrey Classic

classic-winner-15(300)Jean-Pierre Drucker produced the sprint of his life to win the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic today beating Britain’s Ben Swift and Dutchman Mike Teunissen on The Mall in central London to claim the first victory of his professional career.

The 28-year-old was part of an eight-strong group of cyclists that burst clear of the peloton with a quarter of the 200-kilometre race to go before four riders hared up Whitehall and under Admiralty Arch in pursuit of glory.

Swift led them up The Mall with the Finish Line in sight and Buckingham Palace visible in the distance, the Team Sky sprinter desperate to make amends for last year when he lost by a hair’s width to Adam Blythe.

But Drucker had been tailing him home and the Luxembourg rider launched his attack with 50 metres to go, surprising the Briton and Lotto NL-Jumbo’s Teunissen to take a hard-earned victory built on brilliant teamwork by his experienced BMC Racing Team.

Drucker threw his arm in the air as he crossed the line to thunderous roars, a huge grin breaking out on his bearded face.

“To get my first professional win in front of Buckingham Palace is so special,” said Drucker. “The crowd here is so crazy about cycling, it’s fantastic to get my first win here.

“I love racing in England. I did the Tour of Yorkshire this year and that was fantastic too. After getting my first pro win here, I love it even more.”

Swift broke his shoulder in the Yorkshire race but fought his way back from surgery to bid for victory in this event, still smarting from last year’s defeat. He led the three medallists in a hard chase along Millbank to reel in Teunissen’s team-mate Sep Vanmarcke, who had made a lone bid for victory 12km out.

Once they’d overpowered the Belgian, all the smart money was on the Sheffield man, a renowned finishing kicker. But Drucker had finished just behind ‘Manx missile’ Mark Cavendish in California earlier this year and was confident of his chances.

“I was feeling good all day and at the end I just kept my eye on Swift,” said Drucker. “I could see he was very motivated and really wanted victory in front of his own crowd. I knew he would go for the win, but I worked hard as well.

“I’m a fast guy too and I just tried not to make any mistakes. I love it when it’s hard and that was our plan. We tried to make it a hard race by moving guys to the front. It always feels so good when a plan works out.”

As for Swift, in the end he was happy enough to make the podium for the second year in a row after missing three months’ training, although he admitted to miscalculating his finish.

“I had to go really hard in the last few kilometres and I started to cramp up a little bit from the effort of chasing,” said Swift. “Even though I’d have loved to have won, I’m really, really happy.

“I had three months out of competition so this is a really nice way to come back to racing and get a good result straight away. It was good to be on the podium.

“I couldn’t see any metres-to-go boards so I got caught on the front, trying to get the others to come round me, but you could see the guys coming from behind so you couldn’t play too much cat-and-mouse.”

As for Cavendish, the much-fancied Briton was missing his key lead-out man Mark Renshaw and was not at his best after a week-long illness following the Tour de France. It quickly became clear that he wasn’t going to save himself for a final sprint as he spearheaded not one, but two attacks during the race, and coasted home 44th.

In fact, Cavendish was barely out of the camera lens in the early stages as he could be seen chatting with Britain’s other big-name star Sir Bradley Wiggins as the field of 143 riders rolled off the red carpet and away from the signing-on point at Horse Guards Parade, and he was among a group of four in a mini-break shortly after the peloton passed over Hampton Court Bridge.

The Briton was soon at the back of the race, however, where he stopped to receive mechanical attention to the front of his bike, leaving him briefly off the pace.

Madison Genesis rider Erick Rowsell, brother of Olympic gold medallist and RideLondon-Surrey 100 rider Joanna, was among a group of five who then escaped  as the peloton rattled through Byfleet to Ripley and on to the sun-splashed Surrey countryside.

Another Briton, Peter Williams of One Pro Cycling, was also in the breakaway, along with the young Italian Riccardo Stacchiotti of Vini Fantini, Topspot Vlaanderen’s Sander Helven, and Lander Seynaeve of Wanty-Group Gobert.

They opened a gap of five minutes with just over a quarter of the race gone and stayed away over the first four of the event’s five categorised climbs up Leith Hill and over Ranmore Common three times.

Rowsell, from Sutton, was racing in his own backyard and the Surrey man used his local knowledge to lead up the narrow lanes and over the summits, amassing points for the King of the Mountains competition, while Williams concentrated on securing the sprint title, out-battling Stacchiotti for the honour.

BMC sent their young Dutch stagiaire Floris Gerts up the road to try and bridge the gap, and by the time they’d completed the three Ranmore loops, he had replaced Seynaeve among the leaders. The peloton broke up on the third Ranmore climb, and Lotto NL-Jumbo charged out to reel them in like a pack of wolves hunting down their prey.

Seven men reached the base of Box Hill with just over 50km to go. But their time alone was numbered and Gerts’s team-mates Philippe Gilbert and Rohan Dennis emerged from the pack for the first time to lead the chase up the slopes, driving on at the top in an attempt to leave the race sprinters in their wake.

With an hour’s racing still to go, it was now a case of heads down for the city. Cavendish briefly launched himself out in front with Dennis, then eight burst clear to open a gap that grew to more than a minute as they reached Kingston for a second time.

Among them were Swift, Drucker, Vanmarcke and Tuenissen. The gap grew to two-and-a-half minutes and with just 15km to go the main field called off the hunt.

Vanmarcke attacked as they skirted Wimbledon Common and he opened a 16-second lead as he crossed the river at Putney Bridge. A well-practised one-day rider, the Belgian seemed to be pulling away. But he was he gasping for air, and the lead vanished as Swift led the chasers on the run-in to along Millbank and past the Houses of Parliament.

It was a hard slog. Too hard as it turned out for the Briton, as Drucker burst off his shoulder for the win of his life.

Swift may have missed out, but there was some good news for Britain as a delighted Rowsell bagged the King of the Mountains contest on the rolling hills he’s been riding since he was 14.

“They are all local roads to me,” said the 25-year-old. “I grew up riding around here and have been up Box Hill and Leith Hill hundreds of times. I knew no one in the race would know these hills as well as me.

“So to win King of the Mountains here made it a perfect day.”

It was a perfect day for Jean-Pierre Drucker too.

 

Defending champion Adam Blythe talks team tactics ahead of the Classic

The Orica-GreenEDGE rider expects this year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic to come down to a bunch sprint on The Mall when the riders roll into the capital after conquering the Surrey Hills.

 

 

Guarischi pays tribute to her team after Grand Prix win

Velocio Sports deliver team leader Barbara Guarischi to the line in the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix.

 

Alldis makes it third time lucky to win Handcycle Classic

A bad night’s sleep couldn’t stop Brian Alldis from fulfilling his dream of winning the 2015 Prudential RideLondon Handcycle Classic.

Austria’s Ablinger wins again in RideLondon HandCycle Classic

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Austria’s Ablinger wins again in Prudential RideLondon HandCycle Classic
Walter Ablinger continued a remarkable series of victories in the UK capital when he won the Prudential RideLondon HandCycle Classic on The Mall this morning 12 months after becoming the event’s first ever handcycle champion in last year’s criterium race.

The Austrian, who won Paralympic gold in London two years ago, today left the world’s best riders floundering in his wake as he sped over the 15-mile course from Kingston upon Thames to central London in less than 40 minutes.

 

Prudential RideLondon 2014

Walter Ablinger

“I’m so happy to win again because that was a tough race,” said the victorious Ablinger after crossing the line in 39 minutes 19 seconds. “After the Paralympics in London and the world championships, London seems to be a good place for me.”

“This is my third race here since the Paralympics and I’ve won them all. I wish I could race here every week. Perhaps I should emigrate here.”

A minute and a half behind the flying Austrian was Britain’s Brian Alldis, last year’s runner-up, who was forced to settle for second again when Ablinger opened an unbridgeable gap on a downhill stretch after eight miles.

“It was a long course and there were some tricky climbs, which I hadn’t expected,” said Ablinger, who arrived in rainy London from sunny Spain just one day before the race. “Brian and I worked together well in the first half, then I lost him going down hill and tried to do the last eight miles by myself.”

“I kept my speed high to the end and am really happy to win here again. I didn’t think I could go on my own, so it was a surprise to pull away.”

Alldis had trouble with rain on his racing glasses but held on to second after a sprint finish with Switzerland’s three-times Paralympic champion Heinz Frei.

“I’m a bit disappointed, to be honest, because I was planning to be on top of the podium this year,” said Alldis, who won this year’s Para-cycling World Cup.

“But with such a strong rider I have to happy with second. It’s no wonder he’s world champion in his class. He rode away from me so easily.”

“I will definitely do it again next year and go for top spot. Let’s hope it’s third time lucky.”

Fellow Briton Karen Darke was an emotional winner of the women’s race ahead of Switzerland’s Sandra Graf just a year after being involved in a career-threatening accident with a car.

Darke pulled away from the Paralympic and world champion around the 10-mile point and cruised under the finish gantry in The Mall in 45:52, 40 seconds ahead of her chaser.

Prudential RideLondon 2014

Karen Darke

“Two months before last year’s race I was hit by a car and I limped around the course wondering if I’d ever be able to race properly again.”

“It’s so lovely to be back and to be able to win in this way. I feel very lucky.”

“I’ve not been going that well in road races,” added Darke, who won Paralympic bronze at London 2012. “But this is a really good course with a few wicked hills. I’ve got the worlds in three weeks time so it gives me great confidence for those.”

“The rain today was no trouble at all. I live in Inverness, so this is nothing.”

Another Briton, Jennifer Browning, was third, nearly seven minutes behind Graf.

 

 

 

Bronzini beats Vos to win Prudential RideLondon GP

The Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix
Team Wiggle Honda retained the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix title this evening thanks to Giorgia Bronzini who pipped the world and Olympic road race champion Marianne Vos in a thrilling sprint finish on The Mall in central London at the end of the greatest women’s criterium ever held in the UK.
The Italian timed her effort to perfection to snatch victory by less than a quarter of a wheel over the Dutchwoman who won Olympic gold on the same street two years ago.
Vos led off the final corner from Horse Guards Parade at the end of 15 laps of the 1.3-mile circuit around St James’s Park, but Bronzini was dragged into contention by her teammates Laura Trott and Peta Mullens, and launched herself to the line alongside the world number one.
Bronzini threw her arms in the air and Vos stretched out her hand in congratulations, but it was so close that at first the announcers weren’t sure who would get the verdict.
When the result was confirmed, Bronzini beamed with delight, relieved that she had made amends for her last appearance in London when her chances of an Olympic medal were ruined by a flat tyre.
“That felt so good,” said Bronzini [a former world champion] who celebrated her 31st birthday last Sunday. “Any time you beat Marianne in a sprint you know you’re going to win.”
Twelve months ago it was Trott who snatched victory for Wiggle Honda, but this time the 22-year-old Londoner played a supporting role, aiding Bronzini’s last-lap bid for the line, an effort the Italian was swift to acknowledge after the race.
Prudential RideLondon 2014“In the middle of the race I asked my teammates to make it hard and put in attacks to take the sting from Vos,” said Bronzini. “What I did today was because of the support of my team.”
“I think we made her tired by attacking as a team. That was our tactic today, and in the end it was a great sprint into a headwind.”
 
“She was ahead until 100 metres to go when I passed her, but she came back and I had to push hard in the final 50 and lunge for the line.”
 
“The last time I was here for the Olympics it was not a good day, so this time I wanted to win badly. It is so amazing to win here in such a historic city and in front of these amazing buildings.”
 
“I really like racing in the sun, and today was a beautiful day.”
Vos had come to London in great form after winning the Women’s Tour of Britain in May and the La Course race for women at the Tour de France last month. Wearing number one on her jersey, the team Rabo Liv rider was the pre-race favourite and looked a certain winner when she kicked off the final bend at the head of a large bunch, but later admitted that she couldn’t respond to Wiggle Honda’s determined teamwork.
“It was a hard race with a lot of breaks,” agreed the much-medalled 27-year-old. “On the last lap I was in the right position but you never know in a bunch sprint and I just couldn’t hold it at the end. I launched my attack early, maybe too early, but I am happy with second.”
 
“Today Giorgia was faster on the line. I knew I couldn’t make any mistakes so it was always going to be close. At the end she was just very fast.”
 
“It was so amazing to race here again, especially in such a great race,” she added. “To be part of a criterium with all the world’s top riders was an amazing feeling.”
RideLondonWomensPodium2014Behind the two tearaway leaders, Lizzie Armitstead stole third place for Boels Dolmans from Eileen Roe of Starley Primal Pro Cycling as Trott took fifth ahead of her arch rival, Hannah Barnes of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, last year’s runner-up.
Many had predicted Armitstead would be Vos’s closest rival, but the Briton admitted she was happy with third just a week after winning the Comonwealth Games road race gold in Glasgow.
“I had not really prepared for this because I’ve been concentrating on road races,” said the 26-year-old from Yorkshire. “For me it was not about winning today but about having some fun.”
The first day of the world’s greatest festival of cycling came to a fitting end with two criterium races for youth riders, the next generation of cycling champions racing over the same iconic course as the pros.
Ethan Hayter produced an impressive home win in the boys’ race for London, winning a sprint finish ahead of the South region’s Alex Joliffe after what he described as the perfect lead-out from his teammates.
“That was the greatest win of my life,” said the 15-year-old from the VCL club. “I didn’t expect to win because I wasn’t feeling that well but I knew if we worked it out I would have a chance.”
 
“It was great to race on these streets though. It was so noisy with loads of people all the way round the course.”
Tom Pidcock from Yorkshire was third.
Sophie Capewell from the West Midlands came out on top after a dramatic end to the girls’ race, the 15-year-old edging out Eleanor Dickinson from the North West by centimetres on the line with another North West rider, Henrietta Colborne, third.
“I loved the ride,” said Capewell, a member of the Lichfield City Cycling club. “It was a massive opportunity to come down here and race on The Mall where so many great champions have raced before.”
 
“It was a tough race with a lot of good girls in it. It was very fast but I felt quite strong at the end. The roar from the crowds was amazing pushing us on and when I saw the finish I just went for it.”

Press Release – Cavendish Leads Classic Field

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• Mark Cavendish headlines Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic
• New status and tougher route in 2014
• Race to be shown live on BBC 1
Former World Champion and 25-time Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish will lead the line-up in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on Sunday 10 August, part of the Mayor of London’s multi-award winning annual festival of cycling.
The Manx cyclist will lead his Omega Pharma Quick-Step team in the event, which has been awarded 1.HC status (the second-highest international classification) by the UCI, the international cycling federation, in only its second year, and takes place on a new, tougher route this year.
Changes to the men’s pro race route will see the 200-kilometre racing start at 13:00 and focus on multiple circuits in the Surrey Hills. The changes include two climbs through Denbies Vineyard to Ranmore Common and the introduction of additional sections of the 2012 Olympic Road Race route, such as the climb of Staple Lane over the North Downs near Guildford.
The race will be covered live on BBC1 and shown internationally in more than 160 countries.
Cavendish will arrive at Prudential RideLondon from the Tour de France, where he’ll be setting his sights on winning the green points jersey, which he won in 2011.
“I’m excited to be riding in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic for the first time this year,” says Cavendish. “It’s another opportunity to race in front of the amazing crowds in Britain. Coming after the Tour de France and Commonwealth Games, more and more people are going to be at the roadside cheering us on and wanting to be a part of the weekend.”
 
“The whole event just shows the growth of cycling in Britain, so it will be great to be a part of it with my Omega Pharma Quick-Step team. We know it’s a challenging route, but we also know it’s one that can end in a sprint finish, which should suit the team and me.”
The 2013 British Champion will headline a 150-rider field comprised of 25 teams of six riders, including Cavendish’s current world number-one-ranked team Omega Pharma Quick-Step. Further details of the remaining teams and the world-class field of riders for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic will be announced in the coming weeks.
 “We are delighted to welcome Mark Cavendish and his Omega Pharma Quick-Step team to the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic,” said Race Director Mick Bennett. “The fact that he and his team have chosen to ride the event, and our elevation to Hors Categorie status for 2014, underlines Prudential RideLondon’s status as the world’s greatest festival of cycling.”
 
“This year we have looked at the route and made some significant changes to the race in the Surrey Hills, with the addition of the climb through Denbies Vineyard, an exciting and innovative change that we feel will benefit both spectators and riders.”
The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic starts at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, goes out through central London and into Surrey with the main route changes taking place in the Surrey Hills. Fans are invited to watch the race at spectator vantage points along the route including Kingston, Wimbledon, Putney and Dorking.
First riders will tackle the climb of Staple Lane, a new addition to the 2014 route, before heading into Dorking and the climb of Coldharbour and Leith Hill.
After returning to Dorking the race will tackle two circuits of the ascent through Denbies Vineyard, before racing back through Dorking and on to Box Hill. The more direct route used by the London 2012 road race, via Leatherhead, Oxshott and Esher, will see the distance from the final climb to the finish shortened, bringing in to play a greater tactical element as the sprinters’ teams battle to bring back any breakaways.
The last 25km of the race features the recently renovated Ancient Market Place in Kingston, a new sprint up Wimbledon Hill, the Chelsea Embankment, Tate Britain, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall. The final kilometre marker at Downing Street will see the race intensify as the peloton speeds to Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and the final sprint for the line on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.
The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is the fifth and final event of the Mayor of London’s Prudential RideLondon festival of cycling over the weekend of 9-10 August.
An extensive communications campaign is already underway to help businesses and the public plan and get around on the day, as well as make the most of the events over the weekend. Since May, information has been sent to more than 1 million residents and businesses along and close to the event routes to help them plan ahead – further information will follow in July. A series of public information sessions will be held next month in the affected areas to provide details of the temporary changes in place and to offer residents and businesses the opportunity to ask questions. Information on travel disruption and advice is available on www.tfl.gov.uk/prudentialridelondon. To avoid delays, wherever possible all drivers are advised to avoid areas near the event routes.

Press Release – Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix

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PRUDENTIAL RIDELONDON WOMEN’S GRAND PRIX TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON TV

This year’s Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix criterium race will be broadcast live on BBC television with a 60-minute programme on Saturday 9 August.

The event, part of the Mayor of London’s world-class festival of cycling, will be staged on a 1.3-mile route in and around St James’s Park with the start and finish on The Mall.

“We have worked closely with the BBC to make this happen,” said Hugh Brasher, Prudential RideLondon Event Director. “This is a pivotal year for women’s cycling with the recent first Women’s Tour, La Course in Paris on the last day of the Tour de France and this race in the centre of London.”

Held for the first time in 2013, the inaugural race was won by double Olympic champion Laura Trott (representing Wiggle Honda) in a spectacular sprint finish. Highlights were shown on BBC TV the next day in the coverage of Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, the mass-participation event, and the men’s road race, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic.

The field for the 2014 Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Prudential RideLondon comprises four separate events: the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle, the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic over the weekend of 9-10 August 2014. Find out more at www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk.

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