|
The event is expected to attract up to 10,000 people into the centre
of Peterborough to witness the thrills and spills of top level
cycling as competitors more used to the Olympics, World
Championships and Tour de France compete for the coveted winner’s
jersey.
Called Tour Series Peterborough, the
race is being staged by SweetSpot, organisers of the Tour of Britain
and UK stages of the Tour de France, with support from Opportunity
Peterborough and Peterborough City Council, and will offer an
opportunity to showcase the city’s attractions to the nation with
coverage on ITV4.
Trevor Gibson, Environment Capital
director at Opportunity Peterborough, said: “The Tour Series
presents a unique opportunity for Peterborough to play to its
strengths and raise its profile nationally and internationally.
“The race will be one of the
highlights of this year’s Green Festival with a whole range of
cycling focussed community activities building up to the main event.
This is a major strand of our approach to creating the UK’s
Environment Capital. “
Ten teams of five cyclists will do
about 30 laps of a circuit which starts outside the Town Hall passes
through Cathedral Square, up Church Street and Cowgate and left at
the roundabout down Bourges Boulevard and left into Bridge Street
again. Lasting about an hour, the race starts at 7pm on Thursday
June 4.
The event falls in the middle of
Green Festival week and city organisers are planning a series of
associated events that may include local cycle club races, team
mascots and children’s races to create a carnival atmosphere.
Peterborough City Council leader
Councillor John Peach said: “This event provides an excellent
opportunity to showcase Peterborough to a national audience. It will
promote the city’s reputation as a location that is taking positive
action to encourage economic growth despite the impact of the
recession.”
Some roads will be closed including
Cowgate and one side of Bourges Boulevard while the race is underway
and vehicles will not be able to access the area inside the race
route. Some street furniture and signs will need to be removed for
the day and a temporary road surface installed at the corner of
Bourges Boulevard and Bridge Street.
The Tour Series is a new addition to
the international cycling calendar, with races on Tuesdays and
Thursdays starting in Milton Keynes and ending in Southend five
weeks later.
Just days later on June 6 and 7
Peterborough will host the fifth and sixth rounds of the British
Cycling National BMX series. More than 500 riders from across the
country will compete for points towards the National Series Title.
This follows the success of the 2008 British BMX Championships in
the city.
April 2009 -
Peterborough UK Community Website |
