A six-part gravel series for women is set to get underway in Connacht this weekend and is being pitched at riders of all levels. The first round takes place in Castlebar on Sunday, promoted by Islandeady Cycling Ireland and the series will continue well into the New Year.
Promoted by Connacht Cycling, it is described as a series of leisure spins, on gravel. One ride will take place each month, though the dates and locations of the final two rounds, in March and April, are not yet confirmed.
You can get lots more information about Sunday's first round by following this link. Cycling Connacht women’s representative, Stefanie Carr, said each of the six rounds in the series will be "inclusive like a sportive".
"People will be put in groups at the start, and everyone does two hours regardless of which group you're in," she said. "The route will be the same, but maybe the faster groups might get through more of it or do more laps. It worked very well last year; it got a lot of women together in the province that didn't know each other before
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"It's one of the most successful things that I've ever been a part of. We've gotten lots of women together cycling socially, meeting new friends and lots of friendships have formed as a result of it. We're delighted that we'll have more events this year. It highlights how enjoyable people found it last year."
Western Lakes CC will host the third round, on January 22nd, and its off-road representative, Eimear Flannery, said when she competed in the series last year it proved to be a great opportunity to get to know other female cyclists based in the region.
“It was a really successful first day (last year), amazing scenery, great leaders and groups to suit all abilities. We'd also have a beginner group who would do 20-25 kilometers just to get a taste of off-road," she said.
"Talking to women and clubs after the series ended, they said it was the highlight of their year. It opens people's minds to what's out there and that you don't have to be going around roads. There's a lack of traffic and you don't have to worry about cars or people getting left behind because there are groups for everybody. The leaders of the groups were fantastic.
“The good thing about gravel is that it translates very well. People can move into it from both the road and Off-Road side of cycling, it's quite group friendly as well in that if you have different abilities - you're only as good as the most leisurely person in your group.”
Connacht Women’s Gravel Series
- Round One – Islandeady Cycling Club, Castlebar – November 20th
- Round Two – Corrib Mountain Bike Club, Galway – December 11th
- Round Three – Western Lakes Cycling Club, Ballinrobe – January 22nd
- Round Four – North West Mountain Bike Club – February 5th
- Round Five - TBC
- Round Six - TBC
