EVENTS
Bryan Singleton (left) and Neil Atkinson
Grinduro takes in the picturesque landscapes of west Wales
Cycling events in the UK have been evolving rapidly in recent years. Alex Ballinger spoke to event organiser Focal Events about how consumer tastes are changing
THE NEW SCHOOL I
still remember my first proper cycling event - a 100km sportive across Exmoor, hours spent in heavy downpours on open roads, finishing at
Butlins resort in Minehead. For many years, this was the blueprint for most mass participation cycling events in the UK - traditional sportives offering a selection of three distances, on some of the country’s more picturesque roads. Following the success of the London Olympics, we saw the sudden rise of closed road events like RideLondon and the Velothon in Wales, but in recent years, cycling events have begun to evolve rapidly, as riders pursue more testing terrain, more picturesque (and traffic free) locales, and more adventurous experiences. Enter Focal Events, a two-man event organisation company that specialises in gravel and adventure.
Start line Focal was founded as a merger between two events companies that combined to bring a long-distance gravel event to the UK - the result was Dirty Reiver. Bryan Singleton, and Neil Atkinson, the pair behind Focal Events, told BikeBiz: “Focal Events came about through a collaboration with a single aim of providing riders with the
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best possible event experience. Our tag line ‘Focused on the Detail’ sums up our ethos perfectly. “There have been a number of changes [in cycling events] over the past few years. With so many event options, riders are faced with more choice, leaving organisers to think more creatively in order to fill places. The iconic events will always be popular and still attract good numbers. With people living busier lives they often want to ‘get away’ at weekends and return refreshed having had an adventure with memorable experiences - a goal to keep them going through the week! Rides such as the Dirty Reiver, Battle on the Beach, Grinduro and the road classic the Fred Whitton, to name a few examples, tick that box.” The current Focal Portfolio consists of a number of famous events, including the 200km Dirty Reiver event in Northumberland, the UK edition of multi-day party and riding event Grinduro, and returning for 2023 after a number of years off the calendar bike-packing inspired The Distance (which was recently rescheduled for September, due to low entry numbers). I had my first experience of a Focal event at Grinduro in Wales last year - a phenomenal experience, akin to a festival atmosphere but with some of the most glorious gravel riding the UK has to offer (and some challenging technical riding thrown in for good measure).
May 2023 | 31
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