Olympic champion and Team Sky star Geraint Thomas will join riders on the Dunkerque to Roubaix single day Spring Classic sportive, organisers HotChillee announced today.
The sportive, which takes in some of the most notable cobbled sections of Paris-Roubaix, will take place on Sunday April 27 with participants joined by elite company including Thomas, Triple Crown winner, Stephen Roche, and Magnus Backstedt, winner of the 2014 Paris-Roubaix.
Starting in Dunkerque, the 165km route winds through the fields of Flanders, before joining the final 40 kilometres of the Paris-Roubaix route where it takes in nine pave sections before finishing in the Roubaix Velodrome.
The Welshman, who will host a dinner for all riders the night before the event, said: “With this year being the 100th anniversary of WW1, it will be very poignant riding through the fields of Flanders where thousands of men of my age lost their lives.
“It’s something we should never forget and it will be very symbolic to pass nearby the new Welsh Memorial that has been erected near Loker in memory of those who died.”
The riders will tackle the last nine final pave sections of the Paris-Roubaix parcours, including the secteur from Pont Thibaut to Ennevelin and the 2.1km stretch at Carrefour de l’Arbre.
Entry opens on Tuesday March 18 at noon and will cost £500, which includes accommodation, full entry with rolling road closures and support, the dinner hosted by Thomas and bike and bus transportation back to Dunkerque.
Riders can register a team prior before March 18, with guaranteed places, by emailing [email protected].
For more information, or to enter, visit www.dunkerque-roubaix.com.
