Final Gran Fondo Isle of Man on closed public roads to take place
It was originally run under the banner of CycleFest in 2016 before evolving into the Gran Fondo Isle of Man brand.All-time Tour de France stage win record holder Mark Cavendish is among the 8,000 past participants in the event, along with many of the island's other top cyclists.Organisers previously said the event would be brought to a close in 2025 after its scale had become "enormous".
This year's event will see the main classes held over three distances on Sunday – in the Gran Fondo, Medio Fondo and Piccolo Fondo.But for younger participants, a family friendly Minisculo Fondo takes place within the race village at the Mooragh Park in Ramsey over a 0.6-mile (1km) distance on Saturday.That event begins at 15:00 BST in the northern park, with the other three classes being run with staggered starts the following day.
Gran Fondo
Start time: 09:30Distance: 85 miles (137km)Route: The course starts in Ramsey in a northerly direction along the coast through Dog Mills, Bride, Smeale, The Lhen, Sandygate and Ballaugh.It then travels through the west of the island via Druidale, Sartfield, Little London, Staarvey, Ballig, St John's and Patrick.The southern section of the route passes through Glen Maye, Dalby, the Round Table, Ronague, Corlea, South Barrule, and the Rushen Mines through to Lower Foxdale.Competitors will then head back to St John's, heading to The Hope, Archallagan, Garth, Crosby and Mount Rule before heading towards the Mountain Road via West Baldwin, Injebreck and Brandywell, before turning down Tholt-y-Will at the Bunglalow.The final part of the course runs through the Sulby Claddaghs, St Jude's and back to Ramsey.
Medio Fondo
Start time: 09:45Distance: 45 miles (72km)Route: Diverts from the main route at Ballaugh, heading straight to Brandywell Cottage and bypassing the southern section of the course.
Piccolo Fondo
Start time: 10:00Distance: 20 miles (32km)Route: Remains on the largely flat northern plain of the island, returning to Ramsey after reaching St Jude's on the main route.
Organisers said next year's new event, which would be focussed around Castletown in the south of the island and feature a range of bicycle types, would be in a similar vein to the now defunct End2End Mountain Bike Race.That competition, run on an off-road course between the Point of Ayre and Port Erin, was scrapped in 2021 due to a lack of volunteers to run it following a pause during the coronavirus pandemic.Explaining the planned transformation of the Gran Fondo event in 2026, event director Paul Phillips said gravel cycling was "experiencing rapid growth" so it had "felt like the ideal time to apply our expertise to a new project"."We're excited about the plans we have in the works and can't wait to share them with the riders who have supported us over the years – and hopefully attract new faces who prefer off-road cycling," he added.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney recalls ‘unforgettable' 2024 Tour de France Femmes win
This summer's Tour de France Femmes will be only the fourth edition since its relaunch but it feels like the race already boasts an all-time classic thanks to Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. No-one who watched her take the biggest win of her career 12 months ago will forget the drama of the final day. Niewiadoma-Phinney started the stage to Alpe d'Huez with an advantage of one minute 15 seconds over pre-race favourite Demi Vollering, but the Dutchwoman attacked on the Col du Glandon, building a lead of over a minute on her way to the stage win. Behind, Niewiadoma-Phinney wrestled her bike up the Alpe, crossing the line and collapsing to the floor exhausted, still unaware if she had done enough. When the calculations were done, Niewiadoma-Phinney had won by just four seconds – the smallest margin of victory in the history of the women's or the men's Tour de France. 'It was euphoric and unforgettable,' the Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto rider told the PA news agency. 'I think it's proof of hard work and persistence and never giving up. 'I was lucky. I didn't have to go through all the nerves and second counting. I was just doing my best. I was just on the bike fighting for my life. 'It's fun listening to people's stories, what they went through watching the race and how it affected them and how they were able to resonate with the pain I was experiencing.' Victory in the biggest race on the calendar was a major breakthrough for the 30-year-old, who was third in both 2022 and 2023, in keeping with a career in which she has always been a major contender but rarely on the top step herself. 'For many years there were many occasions where I knew I was the strongest, I was making others suffer, but I was not able to finish it because in racing…there are so many variables and different factors,' she said. 'I feel like I always had confidence…because I knew I could make them suffer, but something else had to happen for me to cross the finish line first. I was never hard on myself because I knew the reality.' Niewiadoma-Phinney was crowned Polish champion in late June, but her 2025 season has been hampered since a heavy crash at Strade Bianche in March. It was not until the Tour de Suisse that she showed real form with third place overall. The last few weeks have been spent at altitude camp in Andorra, making the final preparations for her title defence. Many riders struggle with the isolation of these remote training camps, but not Niewiadoma-Phinney. 'It's not the lifestyle I want to continue for the rest of my life, but when I have a big goal I'm more than happy to dive into this monk's lifestyle,' she said. 'When you do that, you see the progress quickly.' This year's Tour has grown to nine stages, starting in Vannes on Saturday and heading east across France to a conclusion in the Alps. Memories of last year will fuel Niewiadoma-Phinney's search for more glory. 'Celebrations like that really make you tremble,' she said. 'I feel like we are hungry for more.'
BreakingNews.ie
30 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Tributes paid to Waterford cyclist (25) who died in France
Tributes are being paid to a Waterford man who died suddenly in France. Tomás Walsh (25) was in France to watch the Tour de France when the incident occurred in a metro station in Paris on Monday morning. Advertisement Full details of how Mr Walsh died remain unclear, but it is understood that Mr Walsh may have fallen onto live wires at the station. In a statement, Comeragh Cycling Club said they learned of Mr Walsh's death 'with great sadness' and that their 'clubmate and young friend has lost his life' in France. They continued: 'We're truly shattered by this news and extend our sincerest condolences to all his family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.' Altitude Cycling Repairs added: "Everyone in Altitude is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Tomás Walsh. Tomás was one of a golden group of talented cyclists who happened to converge through their membership of Comeragh Cycling Club and through which great friendships were formed. Advertisement 'His death is deeply felt by everyone here and we extend our deepest sympathy to Bernie and Frank and to Tomás' sisters and his family and friends.' Mr Walsh is survived by his parents, Frank and Bernie and sisters. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that they are 'aware of the case' and are providing consular assistance. 'As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases,' the spokesperson noted. Mr Walsh's funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Tour de France stage 17 preview: Final chance for sprinters ahead of revamped Paris finish
The Tour de France continues with what is sure to be another frenetic, fast-paced stage as the race transitions away from Provence to the high Alps. Stage 16 more than delivered on drama as Valentin Paret-Peintre ended the drought of stage wins for the home nation with a victory in a thrilling two-up sprint atop the legendary Mont Ventoux, getting the better of Ireland's Ben Healy. Paret-Peintre's victory - just his third at WorldTour level - marked his maiden Tour de France win and ensured the yellow jersey of Tadej Pogacar and his rival Jonas Vingegaard were denied glory on one of the Tour's most legendary climbs. The pair were locked together all the way up the climb, with Vingegaard continually attacking but unable to distance the race leader, before Pogacar dropped the Dane in the closing metres to add another two seconds to his overall lead. Vingegaard's frustration was compounded by a crash with a wayward photograph in the finish area, although he did not appear injured. 24-year-old Paret-Peintre's success continued a strong Tour for Soudal-QuickStep, who have now won four stages, despite the loss of team leader and general classification hopeful Remco Evenepoel. 'How I won that stage is hard to say, I was thinking 'maybe I can win today, maybe I'm the best climber in this breakaway',' Paret-Peintre said afterwards. 'I asked my team-mates to make a good pace at the bottom and I tried so many times to drop Healy but he was very strong and at the end, I was just waiting for the sprint and then I won. 'These last few days we went through a little storm, I guess, and now the sun shines again,' he said, in reference to Evenepoel's withdrawal. 'It's really amazing for me and for the team to win another stage, a fourth stage in this Tour, then tomorrow it's a sprint we hope, so we can maybe win again [with sprinter Tim Merlier].' As for Merlier: there's precious little for the sprinters to enjoy in the final week of the Tour de France, having struggled up Mont Ventoux yesterday and with the prospect of three frankly gruesome days in the Alps still to come. But today is the penultimate chance for the fast men, and quite possibly the only clear-cut sprint left in this year's race. Stage 21 is traditionally of course a day for the sprinters, with loop after loop of Paris building to a nerve-wracking crescendo and the final launch down the Champs-Elysees. But the introduction of several laps of the category-four Montmartre climb has thrown a spanner in the works for the sprinters, meaning that stage 21 could look a lot like stage 11 in Toulouse: in theory a 'flat' stage that's really anything but. So today's 160km run from Bollene to Valence may really be last chance saloon - so it seems safe to say, it'll be a chaotic, frenzied day at the very least. There are two climbs on the menu: the category-four pairing of the Col du Pertuis (3.7km at 6.6%) and the Col de Tartaiguille (3.6km at 3.5%), spaced at the 66km and 117km mark respectively. After the Tartaiguille it flattens out for the final 40km of the stage, which should be enough time for a high-speed chase by the sprinters' teams to reel in any escapees. Route map and profile Start time Today's stage has a neutralised start time of 1.35pm local time (12.35pm BST), with an expected finish time of 5.10pm local time (4.10pm BST). Prediction Two sprinters have dominated this year's flat stages, of which there have been vanishingly few: Tim Merlier has got the beating of Jonathan Milan in their two head-to-heads, on stage three and 10, with the Italian finishing second both times. Milan won the one sprint stage Merlier couldn't contest, stage eight, after the European champion suffered a late mechanical. In the absence of stage one winner Jasper Philipsen, sent packing with a broken collarbone, it looks like it's down to this pair - unless one of the B-list sprinters of the peloton can spring a surprise. Milan is in desperate need of points after failing to make the breakaway and conceding the green points jersey on a stage to forget yesterday. But his Belgian rival has had his number so far in this Tour and for that reason we're going with Tim Merlier.
