New fun-ride circling the base of the iconic Mt Yotei will precede this year’s headline Niseko cycling race, the UCI Niseko Classic on July 8.
Designed for casual cyclists, the 64km Niseko Yotei Circuit Fun Ride course starts and finishes in Hirafu and features a mix of uphill, downhill and flat terrain.
Organiser Ikeuchi Group, major Niseko and Sapporo outdoor and sporting retailer, says the event is suitable for beginners to advanced riders.
“It’s focused on fun, not competition,” said Ikeuchi spokesperson Masayoshi Iemoto. “It’s a good starting point for riders keen to one day join longer and more arduous race competitions.”
Riders and spectators will venture through Niseko’s picturesque farm fields and forests, enjoying the subtle differences of Mt Yotei’s symmetry from different corners of Niseko.
The first rest stop on the tour is Ikeuchi Group’s soon-to-be-completed Niseko Nature Center in Higashiyama, alongside Hirafu.
Housed in a refurbished building on the intersection between Higashiyama and Route 343, the centre will include accommodation, gear rental, retail and tour facilities focused on Niseko’s myriad summer activities, with cycling and mountain biking strongly represented.
Highlights from the UCI Niseko Classic in 2016. View full picture gallery here.
The highlight of Niseko’s ever-expanding cycling event calendar, the UCI Niseko Classic is an official event of the world UCI Gran Fondo World Series – the annual world championship cycling competition held by cycling’s world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale.
The Niseko Classic takes competitors on a gorgeous but gruelling 140km round trip looping from Niseko out to the Sea of Japan and back.
Riders that place in the Niseko Classic can qualify for the 2017 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship race in Albi, France.
The Niseko Yotei Circuit fun-ride starts at 8.30am on July 8, 2017, with registration opening from 7am and race expected to finish at around 1.30pm.
Entries close 20 June 2017 and can be made online via the Niseko Yotei Circuit Fun Ride website.