IT’S the biggest event on the Redditch calendar and the Tour Series will once again be racing into town on Thursday, May 10.
Featuring the very best of British cycling – a past winner of the Redditch race is multiple Olympic gold medallist Laura Kenny – it promises all the thrills and spills of road racing, right here in the town centre.
It’s not all about the athletes and crowds either – last year’s event brought a quarter of a million pounds worth of business to Redditch in just one day and showcased the town via ITV4 around the world.
Lining up in the women’s race once again will be Redditch’s own Beth Crumpton, the current national cyclo cross series winner and winner of a bronze medal in the national championships, not to mention being selected for her first ever world championships.
“It’s fantastic to race here,” said Beth, a student at the University of Worcester who will be riding for Dame Sarah Storey’s team.
“The Redditch event is incredibly important and hopefully it will also encourage people to ride their bikes, benefiting their health and the environment.”
Although a national winner at cyclo cross Beth will be riding as a ‘super domestique’ for Storey Racing, working to get talents like Becks Durrell, EJ Harris, Emily Nelson and Neah Evans into winning breaks.
“We’ve got a lot of strong girls in the team and we’ll be going out to reclaim the Tour Series overall and to claim a few stage victories too,” said Beth.
Directly after the ladies event will be the men’s featuring elbow to elbow racing involving the likes of Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy in what promises to be a thrilling event.
Fiona Fazey, deputy manager at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre said: “We are delighted to once again be a gold sponsor for this year’s Tour Series in Redditch.
“We’re hoping it will bring lots of families to town to enjoy a great day out.”
Lorna Jeynes of Worcestershire County Council said: “We are delighted to bring this race back to Redditch.
“It’s a great opportunity to put Redditch on the map, not just for sport, but as a great place to visit and do business.”
Diamond Buses will once again be offering free transport home on the 51 / 57 / 58 bus service on race night.
