Excitement is building as Guisborough prepares for the return of Britain's fastest professional cyclists in the ITV televised Tour Series 2022.
The elite riders will make a comeback on the historic market town's roads on Bank Holiday Monday, 2 May, after wowing crowds last August in the first major cycling event to take place since the pandemic.
As part of the preparation for the event, Redcar and Cleveland Council will hold a Tour Series roadshow at 6pm on Friday 1 April at Sunnyfield House, designed to allow residents and local businesses to come and find out more about race and the logistics of the day, for example, how to get involved in supporting the cyclists and representing the town, how road closures will work, the day's timings and the activities that will be on offer to visitors and the community.
Having passed the '50 days to go' milestone just this Sunday, one of the professional cyclists, Hannah Bayes of the Saint Piran ladies' team, visited Guisborough yesterday (Monday 14 March). She said: “I'm looking forward to coming back for the Tour Series in Guisborough. I didn't get round last August as I crashed on the second lap, so I'm excited to return and hopefully be more successful. There was an amazing atmosphere last year – the crowds were really good, so it's going to be great getting everyone back out again this year."
Leader of the Council, Mary Lanigan, said: “It was wonderful to meet this inspiring young athlete today and we are very proud to be welcoming them all back to our borough. Last year's event was incredibly well attended and there were lots of activities going on for all the family, not just the cycling enthusiasts. We were still in the midst of a number of Covid restrictions; this year, even more fantastic things are planned for spectators and visitors to the town, and our local businesses should benefit greatly from such a renowned sporting event taking place here once again."
Councillor Louise Westbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Culture, said: “We are planning a whole summer of sport and activities across the borough and more information will be released about this in the coming weeks – but what better way to kick it all off than a national, professional sporting event taking place on our doorsteps.
“We hope the Tour Series will inspire people to get outside and get active, whether it's on a bike of their own, on foot or through taking part in some other activity. The summer will be rounded off with another huge cycling event – Britain's leading cycle race, the Tour of Britain, will complete a stage in Redcar and Cleveland on Wednesday 7 September. There is so much to look forward to, and we want to see as many people as possible getting involved."
You can follow the Tour Series on Twitter (#TourSeries), Facebook, Instagram or via the event's official website at tourseries.co.uk