A host of WorldTour riders have signed up for a new charity criterium set to take place in Monaco on November 28. The Monaco BeKing event, run in conjunction with AWE Sport, supports the Michele Scarponi Onlus Foundation and the Princesse Charlene of Monaco Foundation with proceeds going to both organisations.
Along with a criterium race, the event will have a closed road circuit with a Pro/Am race, and opportunities for the public to ride the route. There will also be educational road safety events for children and families.
Monaco and the French Cote d'Azur are hotspots for professional riders from the men’s and women’s WorldTour and Matteo Trentin and his wife are spearheading the event.
They will be joined by a host of high-profile riders, including Peter Sagan – Ambassador of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation – Sonny Colbrelli, Elia Viviani, Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič, Philippe Gilbert, Tim Wellens, Michael Valgren, Matej Mohorič, and Lizzie Deignan.
The event will also have a Pro/Am charity race in the morning in which a pro rider will combine with an ambassador from the Princesse Charlene of Monaco Foundation and two paying members of the public, with places costing €3,000 each. The event will see 15 teams of four riders take part.
The criterium will be followed by a conference dedicated to road safety education. The event will also be an opportunity to remember Michele Scarponi who was killed in 2017 in a training accident near his home in Italy.
“There are a lot of good riders living in Monaco and during the pandemic, my wife and I came up with this idea. We wanted to do a race that related to the fans and gave something back,” Trentin told Cyclingnews.
“Whoever you are, we want you to come to the event, bring your bike, and have a good time. The roads for the circuit will be closed from 9 am to 5 pm. There will be no traffic and riding on the circuit is for everyone.
"We want to then teach the kids about safety and biking in the real world. A lot of kids aren’t prepared so we want to help them and their families.”
The event will also host an auction made up of donations from riders and the organisation. For more information, click here.
