Over 70 cyclists to ‘Race The Pearl’ today

From right: Race Director and Race The Pearl Organiser Yasas Hewage hands over official Race The Pearl jersey to Tourism Minister Harin Fernando at an event held in Colombo this week 
Pic by Kithsiri de Mel

• Cyclists from US and UK are also part of Race The Pearl challenge
• Race will cover 600 km within 24 hours

The fifth edition of Race The Pearl, a 24-hour race that covers the entire length of 600 kilometres of Sri Lanka from top to bottom, kicks off today.

Setting off from Point Pedro to Dondra Head, Race The Pearl will see 10 cyclists – one from the United States of America, three from Great Britain, one from France and five Sri Lankans, lead the challenge. Over 40 more cyclists are expected to join in teams, relay-style.

Beginning from Point Pedro, which is the northernmost point of Sri Lanka, the route will consist of five stages before it reaches the finishing point in Dondra Head, the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka.

Race The Pearl has been included as a qualifier for the upcoming RAAM (Race Across America), a globally renowned ultra-distance road cycling race that covers over 4,800 kilometres of the USA from the west coast to east coast.

Race The Pearl is one of the many high-octane mini ultra-distance road cycling races RAAM organisers have selected as a fitting event to name as a qualifier.

According to Race Director and Race The Pearl Organiser Yasas Hewage, the 10 riders will cycle from start to finish without a break, as they are in pursuit of earning qualification points for the RAAM.

“The Ironman 70.3 franchise brought a US $ 3 million economic impact within a week, setting the benchmark for sports tourism and through Race the Pearl, expectations are afoot to build the segment of ‘race vacations’, as part of promoting ‘cycling tourism’ in Sri Lanka,” said Hewage.

During the course, the riders are set to endure the challenges of the headwinds of Elephant Pass, the elevation of Laggala, exciting downhills, sun and rain as well as possible elephant encounters while pushing through the final part of the race in the night.

Race The Pearl is endorsed and supported by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, which expects to further the #VisitSri Lanka and #SaveTheSriLankanSmile campaigns to the world through the cycling experience. 

These efforts are strengthened with an international promotional drive by hospitality partner Antiquity.
Over the years, Race The Pearl has had cyclists participating from the United Kingdom, USA, Australia, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, France and a growing participation from Sri Lanka.