Vélo Birmingham announces full details of 100-mile closed road route

Full details of the Vélo Birmingham route have been revealed. On September 24, around 15,000 cyclists will pass through Herefordshire and Worcestershire via Sandwell, Dudley and Staffordshire before finishing their ride on Broad Street. An interactive map of the whole route can now be found on the official website.

Riders will encounter the official King and Queen of the Mountain climb, Stanford Bank, after about 30 miles. It’s just under a mile long with an average gradient of 8%.

Later, in the final quarter of the route, they will tackle St Kenelm’s pass, which is 1.5 miles at 5.2% - although it hits 10% in places.

Upon crossing the finish line, riders will be directed to the Barclaycard Arena (NIA), which is Vélo Birmingham’s official finish venue.

General entries for the event sold out within just four days of going on sale. However, it is still possible to enter via one of Vélo Birmingham’s official charity partners. These are the Alzheimer’s Society, Cure Leukaemia, the NSPCC and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

There are also places on the Business 100 ‘VIP participation experience’ which includes a training ride with David Millar and former England rugby captain, Martin Johnson – plus an evening drinks reception with Millar and Johnson which will include a Q&A hosted by the cycling journalist and author, David Walsh.

Those not riding can also register their interest in being a volunteer on the day.

Jon Ridgeon, Executive Chairman of organisers CSM Active said: “This route has been a long time in planning and we are delighted to be able to finally unveil it. We believe it shows off the very best of Birmingham and the West Midlands and we are confident participants are going to be blown away with how spectacular the route is.”