The Brompton World Championships Returns to the US

Photo courtesy of Brompton Bicycles.

Brompton Bicycles, the UK’s largest bicycle manufacturer, hosts an annual World Championship bike race unlike any other. Participants are invited (nay, requested), to don their finest threads for a race of both speed and style. The wheels for the race are, of course, Brompton folding bicycles, so unfolding  the bike as quickly as possible before shooting off down the course is as fundamental to success as the way you ride.

Brompton has recently announced that the US Leg of the Brompton World Championship (BWC) will be taking place on April 16th, 2015, in Monterey, California. It follows the success of last year’s race in Richmond, Virginia, which elevated the event to new heights on this side of the pond. Brompton has partnered with the Subaru Sea Otter Classic as the official folding bike sponsor to bring their popular race to Monterey’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Brompton World Championship USA to the West Coast in 2016,” said Katharine Horsman, General Manager, Brompton, Inc., in a press release about the event. “Sea Otter is the perfect venue to showcase the versatility of our bikes – they’re smartly suited for cities, of course, but they feel just as at home on the open road. What better place to show off the performance element of the Brompton than the world-famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?”

BWC participants will be judged on their speed, but just as much emphasis is put on the sartorial elegance of the ride. Sportswear is strictly prohibited, and participants are instead requested to wear blazers, collared shirts, blouses, neck ties, and the like to impress the judges. There will be several categories of winners, including Fastest Male, Fastest Female, Fastest Veteran, Fastest Team, and of course, Best Dressed. The fastest male and fastest female will be flown to London to race in the 2016 Brompton World Championship Final, where one can only assume that the style category will be off the track, so to speak.

Registration is now open for the Brompton World Championship USA 2016. Time to dust off those cufflinks and brooches.