RECORD ENTRY FOR 8TH EDITION OF GRAN FONDO ISLE OF MAN

A record entry for the 8th running of Gran Fondo Isle of Man powered by Santander International will assemble across the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of July.

The UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualification event has attracted entries from 14 nations including Canada, New Zealand, Dubai the USA as well as a number of European territories. The riders taking on the Gran Fondo and Time Trial will be looking to use these events to qualify in their age category to represent their country at the World Series final in Glasgow, Scotland next month.

The entry is diverse, with riders from a range of backgrounds taking part, making it is almost impossible make predictions. However on paper at least, the favorites for both the men’s and women’s categories both herald from the Isle of Man.

19-year-old local rider Tyler Hannay has finished on the podium each time he has contested the event, finishing runner up in 2020, going on to win in 2021 before narrowly missing out last year to eventual winner and former Tour de Yorkshire champion, Chris Lawless.

Former Junior Tour of Wales winner Hannay (who recently signed to ride for Saint Piran Pro Cycling) has to be the man to beat in the men’s race, with fellow local, Team DSM-Fimenich rider Becky Storrie leading the way for the women. Storrie is another previous Fondo winner, taking the honours in 2018 as an amateur. Now competing as a World Tour proffessional, it will likely require some bad luck to stop her this time around.

One of the biggest challengers to Tyler Hannay’s quest for a second victory could come from winner of the 2022 Rás Tailteann, Irishman Daire Feeley, who has a string of strong results on his palmarés. Others to look out for include Gran Fondo World Series regulars Alexander Steffens from Germany and Sean Lancaric from Canada, Challenge Mallorca runner-up Colin Ward, Belgian elite rider Owen Jacobs and ex pro and former Gran Fondo Isle of Man podium finisher, Martin Ford.

As usual there is a strong entry of local riders who will be expecting to fight it out at the front of the peloton, headed up by CC Isle of Man’s Mark Horsthuis and Corrin Leeming, Utmost Isle of Man Junior Cycling trio Tyler Annis, Niall Colquitt and Ivan Sorby, 16-year-old Team RL360 rider Oscar Gaylor, Manx Viking Wheelers CC veteran Rob Sorby and Junior Tour of Wales stage winner Ralph Holden.

The women’s race is more difficult to predict, however the entry is much stronger than previous years, with over 60 riders taking on the challenging parcours, up from just 20 last year. Local rider Jesse Carridge is a previous podium finisher who competes at UK national level, and will want to give a good account of herself on home soil, as will veteran, and previous winner Sally Walker, along with debutant Sophie Smith from Utmost Isle of Man Junior Cycling.

Gran Fondo Isle of Man is much more than elite level racing however, with over 1,100 riders of all ages and abilities set to take part in a range of closed roads events across the weekend.

The event gets underway with an Individual Time Trial on a closed section of the TT motorcycle racing circuit on the morning of Saturday July 22nd. This is followed by the Minisculo Fondo, taking place around a ½ mile closed roads circuit at the Mooragh Park in Ramsey in the North of the Island, featuring children and less experienced riders, with participants rewarded with a complimentary ice cream after an hours’ worth of riding.

On Sunday 23rd of July, as well as the main Gran Fondo Event held over a 85 mile course featuring an array of the Island’s toughest climbs, there are also Medio (40 mile) and Piccolo (20 mile) Fondo’s, both held on closed roads, and aimed at recreational riders looking to enjoy the experience of riding on roads closed for their enjoyment and safety.

Based at the picturesque Mooragh Park for the weekend, Gran Fondo Isle of Man has established itself as one of the foremost cycling events in the British Isles, and as well as the cycling events, there is also a Riders Village featuring a range of high quality food and beverage outlets and entertainment including big screen coverage of the final two stages of Le Tour de France.

Entries for the Gran Fondo and Time Trial events have now sold out. Limited places remain for the other events however, and entries can still be made via www.granfondoisleofman.com.