Blackpool Cycling
Festival
July 13th - 15th 2007
Cyclists
wanting a breath of famous sea air as well as the beauty of the countryside have
the perfect combination in Blackpool’s first
ever cycling festival this July.
The
world famous Promenade meets the tranquillity of the Fylde rural roads, in a
weekend of activities in the ’s premier tourist
resort.
One
of the highlights is a high speed international closed road race on the morning
of Sunday July 15. The
Blackpool Grand
Prix Premier Calendar Road Race will attract 100 of the quickest elite riders
around a 100mile course through the borough of Fylde, before a high speed finish
on the world famous Promenade.
Entries are
expected from a number of foreign teams coming over to the UK to
do battle with this country’s finest teams.
Blackpool
is busy gearing up for the weekend-long festival, between July
13 and 15.
Organised by
Blackpool Council, in conjunction with Cycling Development North West and
Blackpool Primary Care Trust,
the festival is guaranteed to be three action-packed days of cycling activity
for adults and children of all ages and abilities, elite and novice.
One
of Great
Britain’s top professional racing teams, the
recycling.co.uk
cycling team, will be taking part in the whole weekend of events. Team member
Chris Newton, an
Olympic Silver Medallist, said: “I’m really looking forward to competing in
Blackpool’s first ever cyclist festival, which
is an action-packed weekend. The road race, in particular, promises to be a fast
and exciting course that takes in the buzz of the coastline as well as the
twists of the countryside.”
Cllr
Tony Williams, Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities at Blackpool Council,
said: ”This is the UK’s first cycling festival of its
kind, and it’s another great reason to visit the resort this summer. We are
looking forward to welcoming residents and visitors from near and afar over the
course of the weekend, and also to invite people to join in the fun and soak up
the atmosphere.
“Blackpool is committed to inspiring
people of all experience and abilities to catch the cycling bug, and our
long-term involvement in the
Tour of Britain is testament to this.
This
latest Cycling Fest will be another opportunity to raise the profile of cycling
and hopefully encourage top-class cyclists of the future.”
Ivor
Armstrong
is
a cycling
coach
for Cycling Development North West, which is a key organiser of the cycling
festival. He said: “The Cycle Fest has been in the pipeline for some time, and
it’s a fantastic opportunity to promote cycling locally, regionally and
nationally. There has been nothing but positive feedback from cycling clubs
across the UK, even overseas, so we’re looking forward to getting the show on
the road.”
From
elite women’s and men’s races, to a youth Grand Prix and schools skills contest,
the weekend is being billed as a festival for all ages and abilities, from
novice to professional. Friday’s closed circuit race, for example, provides a
fast and exciting spectacle, where the racers need all of their bike handling
skills to avoid dramatic crashes in this highly competitive
event.
Sunday’s
Blackpool Grand
Prix Premier Calendar Road Race is a chance to see some famous cyclists in
action. Taking
place over closed roads, the race starts on the Promenade, moving south to
neighbouring St Annes and Lytham, before moving through Warton and Freckleton
into the village
of Treales where the main
circuit of eight laps occurs.
The
speeding cyclists then head back home finishing back on New South Promenade
alongside the world’s largest Mirrorball.
Equally
appealing, once the elite cyclists have set off, the pace eases
and the intensity slackens for a lovely sedate Sunday morning traffic-free
pleasure ride. The “Promenade du Bicyclette” is a unique occasion for families,
beginners, leisure riders and couples alike to ride along the sea-front on
closed roads.
Blackpool Council has
launched a number of initiatives to urge people to get involved in
cycling.
From special exercise on prescription programmes, to ‘have a go’ trial sessions,
there are plenty of opportunity to get the wheels moving in Blackpool
BlackpoolCycle
Fest
Friday 13th July - Blackpool Grand Prix Elite Men's
Circuit Race (plus support race). Starts
at 7pm opposite the Imperial Hotel on the Promenade. Watch the country’s best
racers compete over multiple laps of a 1.5mile course along the NorthShore, Middle and Lower Walks. Part of
British Cycling’s National Elite Series. There is also a support
race.
Saturday 14th July - Blackpool Youth Grand Prix, from 10am. It’s the turn of
the up and coming youth riders to race over the same course. Part of the
National Youth Circuit Race Series
Saturday 14th July - Blackpool G.P. Des Dames. The final race over this closed
road course features the top women in the country taking part in the National
Women's Circuit Race Series. It starts at 7pm.
Sunday 15th July - Blackpool Grand Prix Premier
Calendar Road Race – setting off at 9:15am, nearly 100 of the quickest and most
colourful riders around will tackle a 100mile course around the Fylde before a
high speed finish on the Promenade. Entries are expected from a number of
foreign teams coming over to do battle with this country’s finest
teams.
Sunday 15th July - Promenade du Bicyclette. After
the professionals and elites set off, the pace eases and the intensity slackens
for a lovely sedate Sunday morning traffic-free pleasure ride at 9:30am. A
unique occasion for families, beginners, leisure riders and couples alike to
ride along the sea-front on closed roads.
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