On the 12th of May 2019, 17,000 riders will roll out of Birmingham city centre for Velo Birmingham, a 100-mile closed road sportive that takes in the very best of the West Midlands.
Registration for the event opens on the 4th of October. But, with 40,000 riders already registering interest, get in early if you want to secure a spot!
Here’s why Velo Birmingham should have a spot on your sportive calendar for 2019.
Closed-road sportive
The route has been reworked from the original 2017 loop, with the ride now heading East from the city centre towards Warwickshire, taking in Solihull, Sandwell, Dudley and over 1,500m of climbing on a number of iconic ascents. Tens of thousands of residents are also expected to line the streets, cheering you on throughout the ride.
The route will also take in a handful of cobbled secteurs in and around Coventry and its historic cathedral, testing riders and giving them a taste of Roubaix right in the heart of the Midlands.
The event is one of only a handful of closed-road sportives in the UK, the other major one being Ride London. The spectacle of 17,000 riders rolling through the heart of Birmingham unperturbed by traffic is not one you’ll want to miss!
The perfect early season goal
The early-season date (May 12th) of this edition gives you the whole autumn and winter to train for the ride, with the fitness gained certain to benefit your riding all the way through the rest of the season.
The ride is also a perfect goal for even a novice rider to work towards — riding a century is remarkably achievable and deeply gratifying and is sure to inspire you through 2019 and beyond.
The move to spring from the previous edition of the event also means there are more hours of daylight to play with, giving less experienced riders and those who just want to enjoy the ride more time to safely complete the route.
An important fundraising platform
Riders raised a staggering £2 million for a number of charities in 2017, including Cure Leukaemia, NSPCC, Alzheimers Society and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, all of whom remain as headline charity partners for the 2019 edition.
Register now to secure your place!
The event is open to 17,000 riders, but with 40,000 having already registering interest, pre-registration — which opens on the 4th of October — is critical if you want to secure a place! The inaugural event sold-out 15,000 entries in just three days, so be sure to act quick.
Business based in the Midlands are also being encouraged to signup, with those committing to send a team of four to be treated to a VIP experience at the ride as part of the event’s Business 100 corporate challenge.
For more information and to register for pre-entry, visit VeloBirmingham.com
