A 500 mile ultra cycling race to be held in Ireland in April will also decided the European title. There will be a 200 mile event run at the same time and over most of the same route.
Irish 500 mile race this April will be European Champs
Joe Barr and his team have been given a big boost ahead of their 200 mile and 500 mile ultra races in Ireland in April.
The World Ultra-Cycling Association (WUCA) has sanctioned both races and the longer event – at 500 miles or 800 kilometres – has become the European Championships.
It means whoever takes victory will be crowned European champion; a development that should draw plenty of international talent to the race.
Riders taking on the 500 mile race will also be participating in the WUCA 500-mile World Championships.
The championship title race measures annual cumulative times over sanctioned 500 mile events.
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But it is the fact The Joe Barr 500 has been designated the European title race that is most exciting for the organisers.
It means the European gold, silver and bronze medals will be won and presented in Ireland, bringing with it plenty of media exposure.
The 500 and the Joe Barr 200 were both run for the first time in 2018. And it is the international grading they have now achieved that should give them a major long-term boost.
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You can get full race information for both events and how to enter by following this link.
Barr is a former professional road racer who turned to ultra racing late in his career. He won last year’s Race Around Ireland and was crowned 500 mile world champion for 2017.
He and his team established their own 200 and 500 mile races in Ireland last year with the plan to grow them into major international events.
However, while both races are now sanction and a European title will be at stake, there are also geared towards amateur riders looking for a challenge.
Any cyclist can take on either event, which are run at the same time at the end of April, on their own. Or they can ride as part of a team, in what is essentially a relay format with one rider on each team always on the road.
Both routes this year take in the stunning landscape of Donegal, the Sperrin Mountains in Co Tyrone and the panoramic views of the North West coast.
The course for The Joe Barr 500 shares the first 170 miles with the Team Joe Barr 200 before turning off to take an extended route.
Riders will traverse the rugged north Antrim coast, past the Giant’s Causeway and Torr Head.
Once through this coastal section they will ascend Glengariff to enter the picturesque Glens of Antrim, skirting past the Mourne Mountains.
They riders will then touch the east coast at Carlingford Lough before turning inland again through Armagh and Fermanagh.
After going as far west as the landscape takes them, they will hit Bundoran and then turn towards home.
Last year’s 500-mile winner, Chris Hopkinson called it the ‘hardest 500 miles I’ve spent on a bike….it’s got all the making of an iconic race’.
He crossed the finish line to set the course record at 40 hours and 19 minutes. The four-person team, Donegal Oil, who later went on to ride Race Across America, set the four-Person course record at 30 hours and 10 minutes.
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