Niseko Classic Awarded UCI Status, Entries Now Open

28 December, 2015 Rupert Orchard

Entries are now open for the Boardman Niseko Classic 2016, Asia's first UCI Gran Fondo event.

Niseko cycling has been given a huge boost with the announcement that the Boardman Niseko Classic 2016 will become Asia's first ever UCI Grand Fondo World Series event, offering riders the chance to qualify for the 2016 UCI Grand Fondo World Championships in Perth, Australia.

The event will be one of 15 stages on the global calendar, which includes races in Durban (South Africa), Rhodes (Greece), Marlborough (New Zealand) and Botucatu (Brazil).

As in previous years, the race will be held over distances of 70 km and 140 km – both courses boasting the clean air, beautiful vistas and breathtaking climbs that have become synonymous with Hokkaido cycling.

The longer of the two courses sends riders out to the Sea of Japan and back to the start/finish point at Niseko Hirafu Resort, and is known for its particularly challenging climb up the awe-inspiring Panorama Line.

Entries to the event are now open. Register online or visit the Boardman Niseko Classic website for further details.

Event: Boardman Niseko Classic
Date: 10 July, 2016
Distances: 140 km, 70 km

Boardman Niseko Classic 2015
Niseko Classic
Boardman Niseko Classic 2015
Boardman Niseko Classic 2015
Boardman Niseko Classic 2015
Boardman Niseko Classic 2015
Niseko Classic, sunny image from the 2015 event
Rupert Orchard
Rupert Orchard

Rupert works for HT Holidays and returned to Niseko full-time in 2014, seven years after first discovering the resort's famous powder as a ski instructor. In between, he has worked in the ski industry in China and Canada, but in the end, couldn't resist a return to the resort that made him fall in love with the sport and the industry.