WITH AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA CANCELLATION, THE BELGIAN WAFFLE RIDE BATTER JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT THICKER
SAN DIEGO—Nov. 12, 2019—Registration opens Friday, November 15 at high noon! The most unique cycling event in the country, the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR), returns dirtier than ever for its ninth consecutive edition of pedaling perversity with an unexpected boost by way of the absence of the Amgen Tour of California. Created as an extremely challenging race in the spirit of the great European one-day Spring Classics, the BWR returns to North County San Diego on May 3, 2019 with a Belgique theme unlike anything the cycling world has ever tasted is sure to test World Tour and Continental Pros in untold ways. This year the event will offer a larger prize purse than ever before for the deepest PRO field ever assembled for an event of its kind. As expected with the explosive growth of the BWR, there will be an expanded Canyon Pure Cycling Expo at the Lost Abbey Brewery in San Marcos, California, where the race is held each year.
The Canyon BWR will be offering a prize purse to the top ten riders, both female and male, in support of what will be the most exciting and competitive professional field ever assembled for the ‘Hell of the North (County).’ Once again, the women will receive a larger prize purse than the men. Racers and event patrons will again be treated to Belgian waffles, moules-frites, cheese, bread, Lost Abbey Belgian ale, more waffles and more Lost Abbey ale on race day. The Waffle race itself promises masochistic punishment of entrants along a 221-kilometer course, which features more than 12,000 feet of undulating climbs and over 50-miles of off-road terrain that harken to the teeth-rattling cobblestones of Europe’s most grueling race routes.
For non-PROs and masochists, on offer once again is the shorter Belgian Wafer Ride at 74-miles, but new this year is the Belgian Wanna Ride (36-miles), which was created to be an onramp for riders to join the most exciting and unique cycling event in the country. Riders opting for this event will be subjected to the most difficult climb of the entire full Waffle course, the Muur van Dubbelberg, and will also get to enjoy just the right amount of dirt for a proper BWR sampling.
Last year the BWR grew nearly 100%, but the female participation exploded way beyond that and all the event stakeholders want to keep that growth going. The BWR is looking to build female participation through the Belgian Wanna Ride and is offering a special registration promotion where each female participant who registers will receive a FREE code for a female friend to join in the feeding frenzy. It’s called “Two Wannas are Better Than One.”
The first race of its kind in the US, BWR competitors of all persuasions attempt to complete the race each year on a huge variety of bikes, though 40% who sign up don’t finish typically. Many use modified 10-speed style road bikes or endurance road bikes, but cyclocross bikes, mountain bikes and even stock road bicycles are not uncommon, making the event a perfect showcase for Canyon’s wide range of two-wheeled crafts.
“We are really excited to continue our warm partnership with Canyon on our manic event,” said Michael Marckx, Monuments of Cycling CEO and BWR creator. The incredible excitement around Canyon’s brand, their commitment to gravel bikes, their incredible athletes and their tenure at the forefront of engineering, design and quality assurance in cycling, make them the perfect partner to take riders and the BWR to new extremes.”
Blair Clark, Canyon U.S. President said the following: “The Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride was an ideal event for Canyon to launch our ground-breaking Grail gravel bike last year. In the years to come, we look forward to showcasing how Canyon bikes are perfect for the back roads of San Diego, or whatever twisted courses your heart may take you. The BWR, or ‘Hell of the North County,’ is not just an extraordinary race. It’s a celebration of life and how much can be accomplished on a bike through the magical connections that develop between people who suffer together (s)mile after (s)mile.”
As mentioned earlier, this year’s BWR will have the deepest field of professional riders in the event’s history and an expansive list of hungry amateur riders drawn to the unique opportunity to race alongside their heroes, like World Tour rider, Peter Stetina, who won the 2019 edition. Prior to the event, there will be a special Canyon Pure Cycling VIP event at Canyon on Friday, May 1 at 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. At the VIP event, the course will be revealed in detail, there will special race-related presentations riders won’t want to miss, the pros will be interviewed, and cyclists of all stripes will be able to rub shoulders with all the celebrities on hand for the epic weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, the Canyon Pure Cycling Expo will take place at the Lost Abbey Brewery, which is a big draw on its own, promising to be the largest cycling party of the year in San Diego. Festivities kick-off Saturday at 10:00 a.m., May 2, and are open to the public. The Belgian theme will be in full force with a host of unique entertainment features. A variety of craft beers reflecting the monastic brewing traditions of Belgium will be featured for this unique occasion. Attendees can peruse a wide range of offerings from event sponsors and over 70 vendors, test ride Canyon bicycles and people watch in Belgian bliss.
“We are so lucky to partner once again with our friends at the Lost Abbey, who will be hosting the ride start, its finish and the Canyon Pure Cycling Expo,” said Marckx. “This year we’re again partnering with San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA), a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining and improving sustainable trail access for biking in San Diego County, and they’ve committed to helping us devour massive piles of Belgian waffles from our friends at Gear Grinder Grill, coupled with frosty glasses of special-edition Lost Abbey Belgian Waffle Ride Bad Ass Ale. I am excited to see our community of cyclists come together in such a flavorful way. As an American with Belgian heritage, the promise of waffles, frites, hard work, pain and somewhat responsibly consumed Belgian ales is just about the most perfect weekend I can imagine.”
For those not familiar with the uniqueness of the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride, a feature film of the 2019 event, The Hell of the North (County), has its trailer launching today with our event media partner, PELOTON, and can be viewed HERE. The film will also be shown on Peloton.tv and on all of media sponsor PELOTON Magazine's channels or, here: Trailer: The Hell of the North (County)
Once again, the San Diego Mountain Biking Association is the charity partner of the BWR. The San Diego Mountain Biking Association invites you to help Keep Trails Alive! SDMBA works every day to improve trail access for mountain biking in San Diego but we need your help to keep the momentum up in the meeting rooms and in the dirt. For every $5 you donate to your local trails, you will be entered for a chance to win a 2019 Canyon Strive CF 6.0: Donate here
OFFICIAL DETAILS ABOUT THE CANYON BWR WEEKEND EVENTS AND RACE START:
On May 1, Canyon will host the Pure Cycling VIP party from 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on May 2, the Lost Abbey hosted BWR Expo runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, 5 a.m. until the end of the event’s ceremonies after dark. Riders must pick-up their entry packets during either the VIP event at Canyon or expo hours Saturday, where they are invited to enjoy the massive fête hosted by the Lost Abbey. Race day events kick-off at the Lost Abbey at 5 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, with catered breakfast for participants, replete with HTFU portions of authentically prepared Belgian waffles. Pain and suffering will commence at 7 a.m. featuring four waves predicated on riders’ USAC categories. The expo will remain open on Sunday throughout the duration of the event until the beers, jeers and awards are distributed for all the day’s heroic efforts.
Returning sponsors include Canyon, 100% Eyewear, Castelli, Monster Hydro, IRC Tires, Lost Abbey, Wend Wax Works, Wahoo Fitness, ENVE, Blast Radius Coffee, Science in Sport, VeloFix, the Law Office of Seth Davidson, Source Endurance and GoPro.
This year we will have the King of the Canyon competition again part to the event with the other categories—General Classification, King/Queen of the Mountain, King/Queen of the Dirt, King/Queen of the Sprints, Hardman/Hardwoman and the most spirited kUDOs award in honor of Udo Heinz. There will also be a regular team competition for the Waffle, where there will be three categories: male, female and co-ed. Teams of four or more will compete with the top-four riders of each team combining their times for one finishing time.
Registration will open 12:00 p.m. November 15, 2019 and is expected to reach its limit quickly. Initial entry fee is $175 for the full Waffle Ride, $150 for the 74-mile Wafer and $125 for the 36-mile Wanna Ride, but prices go up December 1 if spots are still available! Proceeds from registration fees will help support the San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA), a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining and improving sustainable trail access for biking in San Diego County. For information about SDMBA, go to https://www.sdmba.com. Contact Michael Marckx at mmx@monumentsofcycling.com.
For more information about the Canyon Belgian Waffle, Wafer and Wanna Rides, go to BelgianWaffleRide.Bike or Monumentsofcycling.com. You can register here: Sign Me Up Before BWR Sells Out!
ABOUT CANYON BICYCLES:
Canyon started life as Radsport Arnold back in 1985. What began as a business run out of founder Roman Arnold’s garage has evolved into one of the bike industry’s leading innovators. Following the success of the first ever Canyon bikes developed in the late 90s, the company changed its name to Canyon Bicycles GmbH in 2002. For years, talented engineers and designers have been drawn to Koblenz, Germany, for the development of an ever-expanding range of road, mountain, triathlon, fitness and urban bikes. Canyon’s technology-first approach focuses on applying the most cutting-edge materials, working together with the world’s best riders and ensuring everything produced delivers the finest quality and performance.
Canyon products are available exclusively via direct sales. For more information, go to https://www.canyon.com/en-us/