The Tour of Pembrokeshire is centred at Crug Glas Country House Hotel near St Davids (SA62 6XX) and will take place just after the Spring Classics on Saturday the 18th May 2019.  It is established as a must-do event for sportive riders in the UK and from Ireland and Europe and it is linked with the Tour of Brittany Sportive; Tro Bro Leon.

This will be the 12th Tour of Pembrokeshire and due to the popularity of the routes created for 2018 we’ve agreed to keep them the same for 2019.  We’ve also decided to drop the rounded-off distances and simply allocate each route with a name with the precise distance and ascent displayed in brackets.  The Paul Sartori was especially successful with families in 2018 and it also encouraged riders to take part who were recovering from illness or who wanted to experience the event but had felt it might be too advanced for them.  The Lloyd Motors Volvo route provides riders with the chance to climb the highest point in Pembrokeshire, making it a true classic.  Bullfinch Cycles hand-build their frames and bikes in Coventry and their route really suits the superb comfort and performance their craftsmanship achieves.  The Paul Ties route is regarded as one of the toughest and most enjoyable sportive rides in the UK, it is always the best attended.

To help everyone feel included in the weekend and throughout the season, riders and their family and friends can also enjoy Pembrokeshire from the water, with our adventure partners;  Preseli Venture provide wonderful coasteering, sea-kayaking or surfing experiences and Falcon Boats will take you on a wildlife trip that will be a memorable highlight of your visit.  You can obtain vouchers offering special pricing throughout the season when you sign up.

The Tour of Pembrokeshire Weekend really encapsulates all that’s great about being in the UK’s only coastal national park.  Whether you’re cycling quiet country roads with challenging climbs and swooping descents or at sea enjoying the scenery, flora and wildlife, it is all breath-taking.

Why not join us for Friday Night at the Tour, meet some interesting guests and enjoy a tasty supper.  Simon Warren, author of 100 Climbs will be giving a talk and riders will be able to accompany him on The Paul Ties’ the next day.  Adrian Passmore from Bullfinch Cycles will be demonstrating custom frame building techniques (riders will have the opportunity to test ride these fabulous bikes during the day).  Maria Leijerstam, the first person to ride to the South Pole will give an motivational talk and Lead Physio to Team Ineos (Team Sky) Nathan Thomas will be chatting through some of his experiences as well as providing treatment and bike fits.

It’s no surprise that the Tour has some big name sponsors and was described by Chris Boardman MBE, who rode it in 2015 as a superb, really enjoyable event.

Enter today and start planning your trip and look out for the dates of our ride-outs, which will give you chance to familiarise yourself with the routes and enjoy some good company.

N.B. If, when you’ve read through this information you’re unclear on any aspect of the event, please either refer to the Tour of Pembrokeshire website or email: info@tourofpembrokeshire.co.uk. 

CONTINENTAL TYRES HILL CLIMB

The three longer routes, which pass through Fishguard continue to Goodwick where riders will be challenged by a half-mile timed hill climb with a gradient that reaches 20%.  There are great prizes for the fastest male and female riders.

ENTRY OPTIONS

In addition to the pricing shown below please note the following opportunities.

Free Entry – You can enter the event for free if you commit to raise a minimum of £150 for any of our nominated charities.  Please see website for details.

Club Entry – Clubs can benefit from one free place for every ten members who enter. To qualify, simply ensure that every member of your club signs up using exactly the same club name and we will refund the price of the lowest entry fee directly to your club.

FRIDAY 17TH MAY

The camping field, the Expo and Registration will be open from 15:00hrs on Friday the 17th of May.

The Tour of Pembrokeshire team will be on hand at Crug Glas from 15:00hrs on Friday the 17th of May to answer any questions about the route or the event.  Bike safety checks and maintenance will be available on site from 15:00hrs so don’t worry if you need help and you’ll also be able to test ride a few bikes if you fancy a quick spin.

To reduce journey times and delays through having to eat on the way, Crug Glas will be making a traditional ‘hand reared’ fish and chips for £7.50 along with a homemade vegetarian burger from 18:00hrs to 20:30hrs.

JUNIOR RIDERS

We welcome junior riders, indeed Josh Tarling was only eight when he first rode the Tour accompanied by Cyril Morris who was 80!  Any rider under the age of 17 must be entered and accompanied by an adult – that means the adult creates the profile, adds the child as a rider and then enters both into the event.  Adults who are accompanying young riders need to download and fill in this form and bring it to the event registration to collect their number and timing chip.

DISTANCES AND PRICING

We do not make refunds but riders can transfer their entry to another rider by following the process on this page: https://resultsbase.net/page/transfers

Saturday May 18th	Earlybird (to 30-09-2018 inc.)	Pre New Year (to 01-01-2019 inc.)	Post New Year (to 30-04-2019 inc.)	Late (to 15-05-2019)
Route name, distance & ascent
Paul Ties (106 miles, 10,221ft)	£35	£40	£45	£55
Bullfinch Cycles (81 miles, 8011ft)	£35	£40	£45	£55
Lloyd Motors Volvo (56.9 miles, 4375ft)	£35	£40	£45	£55
Paul Sartori (23.7 miles 1426ft)	£20	£25	£30	£35
PLEASE NOTE: an 8.5% booking fee will be added to the final total.

MAILING OUT RIDER PACKS

Rider packs which comprise of a timing chip, a bike number, a route-card and other information will be posted, via Royal Mail, approximately two weeks prior to the event to all UK mainland addresses.  Please ensure you enter your address accurately and ensure that it is correct on or before the 19thApril 2019.  NOTE: it is the ATHLETE address that the information will be posted to, this is separate to the PROFILE address…

Overseas riders and late entrants can collect their packs from the Registration Desk at the event.

REGISTRATION OPENING TIMES

Late entries, overseas entries and riders requiring parental consent will need to collect their rider packs from the Registration Desk at the event’s HQ which will be open on Friday 17th May between 15:00hrs – 20:00hrs. and on Saturday 18th May from 06:30hrs.

Friday 17th May 2019	15:00hrs – 20:00hrs
Saturday 18th May 2019	From 06:30hrs or in sufficient time before your start time.

START TIMES

You will only be allowed to start within the times allocated to your route. Whilst you may not see the relevance, if you try to start outside of the times allocated to your chosen route, there may be no signage or marshals in place and feed-stations may not be open.

Paul Ties	07:00hrs – 07:30hrs
Bullfinch Cycles	08:30hrs – 09:00hrs
Lloyd Motors Volvo	09:00hrs – 10:00hrs
Paul Sartori	10:30hrs – 11:00hrs

FACILITIES AND CAR PARKING

Car parking is free as is the use of the hot tubs and showers. You can book your space here for a tent, caravan or motorhome (£15/night) and your post-ride massage (£10) via the on-line entry system.

Take a look at our map of the event site at Crug Glas

2019 Tour Event Map – Crug Glas 

FOOD AND DRINK

Pre-ride bacon rolls served with coffee and tea. Riders will be served a delicious post-ride meal (free). Feed-stations are stocked with locally sourced food which will include; Pembrokeshire beef faggot sausages, vegetarian pasties, spelt bread with home-made summer berry jam, Welsh cakes, bara-brith, Pembrokeshire potatoes, flap-jacks, bananas and energy drink from Secret-Training.

LIVE MUSIC

SambaDoc will be playing at the start of the Continental Tyres Hill Climb. Honey Fungus will play at the post-ride party at Crug Glas and other local bands will play around the course, there will be live music at the finish which always enhances the party atmosphere.

MERCHANDISE

Tour of Pembrokeshire branded items such as merino jerseys, Castelli cycling kit, cow-bells and other items are available to purchase at sign-up and on The Tour of Pembrokeshire website.

ADVENTURE

You, your friends and family can enjoy Pembrokeshire from the water with our adventure partners; Falcon Boats and Preseli Venture.  You may request a special discount voucher for these activities at sign-up.

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

After the event you’ll be able to see all the official images by Huw Fairclough Photography on this website.

FAIR PLAY AND YOUR SAFETY

Farmers are very much part of our community and they are crucial to the county’s economy.  You will almost certainly encounter farmers during your ride and we expect you to give them priority so that they can carry out their work with the minimum of hindrance.  You have all day to enjoy the event, farmers have a business to run.

It is also possible that you will pass horses and farm animals.  If you approach a horse and rider from behind, they will be unaware of your presence therefore you must stop riding, announce your presence and wait for the rider to call you past.  If you ride towards a horse and rider, reduce your speed to 5mph, avoid any sudden movement, call to the rider which reassures the horse and stop if requested.

Marshals and photographers will be located around the routes to police and ensure fair play and safety.  It is very important to the majority of cyclists that events are not spoilt by riders who feel they can drop litter, hold up traffic or ride dangerously.  To protect the event, the National Park and our riders, we will exclude any rider who breaches our code of conduct and we will charge any rider accessing our feed-stations who has not entered the event the late entry fee.

Every year someone spoils their day by injuring themselves and damaging their bike because they’ve ridden too quickly for the conditions; make sure it isn’t you.