07 Oct 2015 Top 6 international events combine to form the “World Association of Cycling Events”
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 largest timed cycling event with 35 000 participants;
- TD Five Boro Bike Tour (USA), the only closed-road mass participation cycling event in New York City with 32,000 participants;
- Vatternrundan (Sweden), the longest and oldest 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 largest festival of cycling with 95,000+ riders on traffic-free roads in London and Surrey; and
- Granfondo Campagnolo Roma (Italy), a unique cycling experience in the historic Eternal City starting in front of the Colosseum.
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 organization 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.
“The Cape Town Cycle Tour is extremely excited and proud to be associated with the founding of WACE,” said David Bellairs, Director of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, ”It is indeed an honor to be associated with this grouping of the world’s most prestigious mass participation cycling events. The Cape Town Cycle Tour has at its core the promotion of cycling and the raising of money for charity as key drivers while at the same time promoting Cape Town as a destination for cyclists across the globe. Working with the amazing group of events will certainly assist us in achieving our aims. Being able to share ideas and knowledge with best in class event organisers globally can only lead to better experiences for those participating. It is wonderful that as a result of the international reach of WACE, more cyclists from all over the world will now get to learn about and discover other events in countries from afar afield as South Africa”
To find out more about WACE, please visit the WACE website at www.wacebike.com