02/08/2018

Velkommen Til Norge - The Maserati Haute Route Norway gets underway in Stavanger

Travelling to Norway from all across the globe, hundreds of amateur cyclists gathered in Stavanger this afternoon on registration day for the first edition of the Maserati Haute Route Norway. Running from Friday August 3rd to Sunday August 5th, this brand new 3-day event will allow cyclists to discover the beautiful roads and demanding climbs of the Stavanger region.

Located at the Red Sea House, right on the seafront in Stavanger, the Haute Route village opened its doors at 2pm this afternoon to welcome the international peloton of riders. Come to collect their bib and rider’s pack, participants were able to drink in the atmosphere and get in the mood for the weekend ahead as they met their fellow riders and visited the partner stands onsite to collect their various goodies after picking up their bib.

Many riders took the opportunity to admire the Maserati cars on show in the village, with several taking them for a test-drive through the streets of Stavanger as well. Embedded in the heart of the peloton, the Maserati cars will be used by the race director and race team to provide protection and direct the race throughout the weekend.

Taking part in his first ever Haute Route, James Thackrah from the UK was impatient to get in the saddle and start riding tomorrow: “I was convinced to do this by the Black Widows, they said it would be the perfect event for me,” he said, “I’ve never been to Norway before and the scenery looks fabulous so I’m really looking forward to riding and to being treated like someone who rides their bike for a living”.

In contrast, François Bonfils from France has taken part in multiple Haute Route events before, but couldn’t resist the draw of the event when he heard there was to be a Norwegian edition this year: “I’ve always enjoyed my Haute Route experiences and I really wanted to come back again this year,” he explained, “with Norway being a new destination this year it made sense to come here, I’ve done some ski mountaineering here before but never brought my bike so it will be nice to discover the country in another way as well”.

Enchanted by the 3-day format, David Rath, an American living in Stavanager was also looking forward to his first Haute Route experience in his own backyard: “my friend John has done a number of these events before and I’m excited to ride this event with him in my backyard,” he said, “I know some of the roads from riding around here, particularly stage 3, but I’ll also get to discover some roads I’ve never done before, like the climb right out the end of the fjord on stage 2, that will be spectacular”.

After attending tonight’s safety briefing, riders were able to enjoy the traditional Pasta Party before getting ready for tomorrow’s first stage. They will ride a ferry to the start line in Jørpeland before taking on the 151km stage with 2,700M of climbing including ascents up Heia and up Krågåsen before finishing in Tau.