SAN DIEGO—Nov. 15, 2018—It’s back! The most unique cycling event in the country, the Belgian Waffle Ride (BWR), returns dirtier than ever for an eighth consecutive edition of pedaling perversity with Canyon Bicycles extending its title sponsorship another three years. 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 Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2019) for a combined Mexi-Belgique theme unlike anything the cycling world has ever tasted. A shorter, yet dirtier Belgian Wafer Ride is also on tap, along with an expanded Canyon Pure Cycling Expo at the Lost Abbey Brewery in San Marcos, California, where the race is held each year.
For the first time ever, the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride will be offering a prize purse to the top three riders, both female and male, in support of what will be the deepest professional field ever assembled for the ‘Hell of the North (County).’ Racers and event patrons will again be treated to Belgian waffles, moules-frites, cheese, bread, Lost Abbey Mexi-Belgique & Belgian ale, more waffles and more Lost Abbey ale on race day. The race itself promises masochistic punishment of entrants along a 220-kilometer course, which features more than 12,000 feet of undulating climbs and over 46-miles of off-road terrain that harken to the teeth-rattling cobblestones of Europe’s most grueling race routes.
Also new this year is the Brewery Team Competition, or Le KoK (the King of the Keg), which will pit the Lost Abbey Brewery team and all their malty shenanigans against two dozen other breweries for the Le KoK Crown; awarded the best biking brewery in the country as determined by the lowest cumulative time of the top three (out of four) riders in the Wafer Ride.
The BWR is also looking to build female participation in the Waffle 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 Wafflers Are Better Than One.”
Regardless of brewery affiliation, BWR competitors of all persuasions attempt the race each year on a huge variety of bikes, though 40% who sign up don’t finish. 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 presence in the U.S. 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. Prior to the event, there will be a special Canyon Pure Cycling VIP event at Canyon on Friday, May 3 at 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. At the VIP event, the course will be revealed for the first time, 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 4, and are open to the public. The Mexi-Belgique 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 a featured attraction, but so too will the Mexi-Belgique beer being brewed 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’ve added a new charity partner to the mix, 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 short feature film of the 2018 event, Belgian Battered Legs Between Waffles and Kegs, is 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.
OFFICIAL DETAILS ABOUT THE CANYON BWR WEEKEND EVENTS AND RACE START:
On May 3, Canyon will host the Pure Cycling VIP party from 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. May 4, one-day prior the event, 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. 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, SRAM, Science in Sport, IRC Tires, Lost Abbey, Wend Wax Works, Shimano, Source Endurance and GoPro. There are several new sponsors coming on board, including Quantum Energy Squares, 454 Tattoo and the Law Office of Seth Davidson.
Race day events kick-off at the Lost Abbey at 5 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, with catered breakfast for participants, replete with full-sized portions of authentically prepared Belgian waffles. Pain and suffering will commence at 7 a.m. and will feature four waves. The Wafer Ride will begin shortly after the BWR waves.
This year Le KoK is the new team competition addition for the Wafer Ride, and the King of the Canyon competition is 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 a.m. December 1, 2018, and is expected to reach its limit quickly. Initial entry fee is $160 for the full Waffle Ride and $125 for the 68-mile Wafer Ride, but prices go up January 1! 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.
For more information about the Canyon Belgian Waffle and Wafer Rides, go toBelgianWaffleRide.Bike orfacebook.com/Belgianwaffleride
You can register here:bikereg.com/canyonbwr
Please contact Michael Marckx atmmx@creativedisruption.info with any additional questions.
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 www.canyon.com.