Organisers of the Etape Pennines are giving sportive riders the chance to line-up alongside Tom Boonen, Andrew Fenn, Iljo Keisse and Nikolas Maes on Sunday October 6.
Tornado Tom and co will ride the 78-mile closed road sportive as part of an exclusive wave of just 150 members of the OPQS Rider Club.
Boonen, a three-time winner of the Tour of Flanders and four-time champion of Paris-Roubaix, will travel to the UK with 23-year-old Brit Fenn, who is in his second year with the Belgian team, five-time Six Days of Ghent winner Keisse, and Maes, who won the best young rider classification at the 2011 Tour of Qatar.
The four riders will officially start the sportive, dubbed one of the UK’s toughest by its organisers, before joining members of the OPQS Rider Club.
The VIP riding experience costs £350 will give those who sign up access to Boonen, Fenn, Keisse and Maes before and during the sportive.
The experience will see participants start the sportive within the OPQS Rider Club wave. Riders will be given an OPQS jersey, and will have access to the team’s support vehicle, masseuse and mechanic on the day of the sportive.
Prior to the event, VIP riders will also get their name and photo on the OPQS website and will enjoy a three course meal with two to three members of the team at the OPQS Rider Club Dinner on the October 5.
“We are delighted to offer OPQS supporters the chance to take on this epic sportive on one of the most inspiring routes we have come across,” said OPQS directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters.
“Riding on closed roads creates a Tour de France type experience for cycling enthusiasts and we want to go one step further by giving a select number of riders the chance to ride shoulder-to-shoulder with professional athletes, in team jerseys and with the teams official support vehicles.
“We hope that the pre-event dinner the night before will be a chance for those in the supporters’ club to get an insight into the life of a pro rider, as well as give everyone the opportunity to relax and eat well before the sportive the next day.”
General entry to the sportive is still open, priced at £63, while riders who have already entered can upgrade to the OPQS Rider Club by contacting the sportive’s organisers.
Visit the Etape Pennines website for more information.
