���˿���

Gran Fondo Isle of Man is set to be the only closed-roads mass participation cycling event of its kind set in the British Isles next year.

It follows the final staging of a similar event in Cambridge in June.

The race, being held on Manx roads on 27 and 28 July, will be part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series.

The race is a qualifier for amateur riders in their own age group to represent their country at the World Series Championships in Denmark.

Those championships are set to take place in Aalborg in August next year.

The 2024 Isle of Man event will see the return of the 137km closed roads Gran Fondo and individual time trial events.

In a change from previous years, while the 72km Medio Fondo is set to remain open to all riders, it will also become the UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualification race for all men's over-60 categories and women's categories over-50.

A well as those races, the 1km family-friendly ride and the 32km Piccolo Fondo are also set to feature in the schedule for the two-day event.

The 2023 races, which were the ninth to be staged on the island and attracted a record entry of more than 1,100 participants, were disrupted by poor weather, leading to the cancellation of the family event.

Manx professional cyclists Tyler Hannay and Becky Storrie took the top honours in this year's Gran Fondo Isle of Man.

Previous events have attracted entries from other professional cyclists including Chris Lawless and Manxman Mark Cavendish.