Thinking about a European cycling trip? Golazo's 2017 events have something for everyone

Ranging from single day Classics sportives to multi-day events, Golazo's 2017 'We Are Cycling' offering has an event to suit almost every cyclist

Photo: Golazo/We Are Cycling

We Are Cycling, Belgian media company Golazo's cycling events brand, offers a huge range of sportives, Gran Fondos and multi-stage events with the aim of bringing something for every cyclist.

The list of rides on offer includes the Paris-Roubaix Challenge, the We Ride Flanders sportive and La Marmotte series.

Beyond just offering cycling events in five Continental countries - Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Austria, Golazo has set out on a mission to get more people participating in sports.

We Are Cycling is the two-wheeled branch of this, as the events are rebranded under this inclusive umbrella.

golazo-we-are-cycling-european-map

"Golazo is our dream: a dream where everybody participates in sports and where sports are part of daily life," says the company's mission statement.

It continues, "in a world where respect, friendship and teamwork rule and where our dream leads to new limits of human capabilities."

A lofty aim, and one to keep in mind when you're taking on the cobbles of Roubaix or the mountains in La Marmotte.

>>> Can you blag your way around La Marmotte?

At home in Belgium, We Are Cycling runs 19 events and counts more that 120,000 participants across the series. Chief among these are Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Paris-Roubaix.

"I know Roubaix is in France" commented Christophe Impens, Golazo CEO and managing director of We Are Cycling, during a presentation of the series.

"But that's a historical mistake," he joked.

Of the 12,000 riders who take on La Marmotte, the gender split is presently 95% male and just 5% female. This is something Golazo is determined to redress over the coming years as it pushes the inclusive theme of its offering.

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British riders are the third biggest contingent - after the Dutch and Belgians - at the We Ride Flanders sportive, making up 15% of participants.

Furthermore, cyclists from the UK make-up a huge 25% of those taking on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix, far more than those from any other country.

To capitalise on the cycling market here in the UK, We Are Cycling runs two events which both form part of the Gran Fondo World Series.

The first is the Tour of Ayreshire Gran Fondo in April, followed in June by the Tour of Cambridgeshire closed road Gran Fondo.

The Cambridge event can be ridden as a qualifier for those wishing to ride in the Gran Fondo World Championships.

>>> The full list of We Are Cycling events can be found here

From the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche in Italy on March 5 through to the Gerrie Knetemann Classic in the Netherlands on September 10, the events span almost the entire cycling season.

With so many events to choose from, it's not just on the roads of the Spring Classics where you can ride in the tyre marks of the pros.

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Jack Elton-Walters hails from the Isle of Wight, and would be quick to tell anyone that it's his favourite place to ride. He has covered a varied range of topics for Cycling Weekly, producing articles focusing on tech, professional racing and cycling culture. He moved on to work for Cyclist Magazine in 2017 where he stayed for four years until going freelance. He now returns to Cycling Weekly from time-to-time to cover racing, review cycling gear and write longer features for print and online.