The 2018 Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic on May 12 will be the opening round of this year’s Cycling Australia National Road Series. The race will continue with the popular autumn date with numbers continuing to grow across all grades since the event was moved from its traditional spring timeslot two years ago. This year the event is pleased to announce David Reid Homes as the new naming rights sponsor.
The David Reid Homes Grafton to Inverell Cycling Classic will again feature three divisions of races and the two additional categories introduced in 2017 to increase the participation opportunities for riders. The Regional Australia Bank Grafton to Inverell des Femmes provides an opportunity for the women to have their own category within a race division. The ‘Challenge’ category will enable ‘non-racing’ riders to also be part of the action as they aim to complete the course in under the 9hr 30 min cut off time.
Event Director, Chris Thompson, said “The David Reid Homes Grafton to Inverell is such an iconic event that is extremely challenging but also very rewarding just to finish. After the success of the new women’s and Challenge categories introduced in 2017, we are again extending the opportunity to experience this event to more of the cycling community.”
“The introduction of women a couple of years ago has been a resounding success and it is great that they now have their own category. It is a rare opportunity for the girls to be able to take part in a race of this distance anywhere in the world.”
The Men’s Division 1 race remains one of the most prestigious titles on the Cycling Australia National Road Series (NRS) calendar. The race which is now in its 58th edition has featured many past winners and placegetters who have gone on to become a force in international cycling. Last year, saw Neil Van der Ploeg destroy the race record by 12 minutes to finish in 5 hours 46 minutes with the 228km epic ending in a sprint finish.
Mr Thompson said “We are hopeful of another very strong field in the NRS Division 1 race with teams and riders looking to take advantage of the opportunity to accumulate early points in the series. The riders will need to come well-prepared as such a challenging, one day classic is sure to test the field”
Entries are now open via the event website