IT’S all systems go for the Redditch round of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series town centre cycle race.
Scheduled for Thursday, May 26, the race will feature some of the best cyclists in the world in this, the year of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
And Redditch residents can grab a ringseat of the action in this free spectacle as the likes of last year’s winner, multiple Olympic gold medallist and current track world champion Laura Trott battle it out for glory.
In the men’s event look out for London 2012 stars like Ed Clancy who’s likely to be on the starting line ready to hone his skills ready for Rio.
Plus Bradley Wiggins’s outfit, Team Wiggins, will also be competing and there are rumours that a junior development GB team could be on track too.
The race, now a fixture on the Redditch calendar, will following its traditional route, starting on Church Green West before heading down Prospect Hill, round the perilous corner into Clive Road before swinging into Hewell Road and climbing the lung busting Unicorn Hill.
What’s more the event promises to be bigger and better than ever with a packed supporting programme starting at 11am and featuring a 200 metre static bike challenge in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre, schools racing, a business race and a possible team race plus music, entertainment, and all the attractions of the tour village which will be centred around Church Green.
It is also hoped that other sports clubs will take the opportunity to showcase what they have to offer too.
Paul Berry of Redditch Road and Path Cycle club said: “It’s great to see professional cyclists racing on the streets of Redditch. This has always been a cycling town – we’ve got Halfords and we were one of the first in the country to have a BMX track and to have the very best back on our streets is phenomenal.”
Anyone wishing to get involved in the tour through sponsorship should contact Lyndsey Hadley on 01527 587002.
To see highlights of last year’s event in Redditch, tap: https://youtu.be/wFk_Z6ZiWkw
