This weekend, Sligo in the north of the Irish Republic will host the inaugural UCI Gran Fondo Ireland, welcoming 1800 participants from 20 countries. The event features a time trial on Saturday and a Granfondo road race on Sunday.
The time trial kicks off on a flat course with only 180 meters of elevation. It starts at the Tobar Bhride Roundabout near Colloney, 10 kilometers south of Sligo, and follows the N4 towards Castlebaldwin before returning on the same route to the finish line, totaling 25.6 kilometers.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the originally planned road race routes have been updated. On Sunday, cyclists will compete on either the 135-kilometer Granfondo course with 1050 meters of elevation or the 78-kilometer Mediofondo course with 644 meters of elevation. The long course qualifies the younger men’s categories for worlds while all women and men over 60 years have to compete in the mediofondo distance to qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
The routes share the same roads for the first part, with the Granfondo completing a 54-kilometer loop twice after the initial 19 kilometers. Both distances then share the final 6 kilometers to the finish line.
