THE countdown has started for the brand new Tour Series bike race which kicks off in Redditch in just eight weeks time.
The series, fought over ten rounds for men and eight for women will feature top British and overseas talent as they battle it on the streets of Redditch and towns across the UK.
Previous participants in Redditch include Olympic gold medallists Ed Clancy, Dani King, Sara Storey and Laura Kenny (who won in 2015) and there’s sure to be a host of elite cyclists competing in 2017 as well as the best in up and coming stars.
The event will also be televised across the world giving the town a global audience in which to showcase what it offers.
Redditch kicks off the series on Tuesday, May 9 with both a mens and a womens race as well as a whole host of other attractions and races throughout the day.
Previous events have seen members of the public do a ‘flying lap’ along the race circuit, schools races, a business race up Unicorn Hill and much more.
Councillor Bill Hartnett, the leader of Redditch borough council, said: “It’s a prestigious event for Redditch, it promotes the town and the county of Worcestershire and it gives businesses an opportunity to advertise what they do.
“It’s also great for local hotels, shops, restaurants and traders and add in the fact that Redditch has a long history connected to cycling. The race also supports the county council’s Choose How You Move strategy and hopefully encourages people to get more fit and active.”
Redditch has hosted the race for a number of years but this is the first time it has started the entire event.
Support for the race has come from across the town, including the borough council, individual county councillors, the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, local businesses and local MP Karen Lumley.
The other towns taking part in the event, which runs throughout May, are Stoke-on-Trent, Northwich, Wembley, Croydon, Bath, Motherwell, Aberdeen, Durham and Stevenage\
