Halfords Tour Series returns to Aberystwyth
Top cyclists return to Aberystwyth with a festival spirit this May
The 2012 Halfords Tour Series will be the biggest yet, with eleven rounds taking the Series to England, Scotland and now Wales, as Aberystwyth today confirmed it would return to the unique, team based Series
Aberystwyth will once again welcome Britain’s top professional cyclists as The Halfords Tour Series rides into town on Friday 25th May, the first time a Tour Series round has been held on a Friday. With the Olympic torch also visiting Aberystwyth on Sunday 27th May, an exciting Aberystwyth Cycle Festival has been announced for the May weekend.
The Halfords Tour Series is featured on ITV4 and Aberystwyth has again been chosen as one of the host UK wide venues and the sole Welsh venue, which also includes Kirkcaldy, Colchester and Torquay. The Series pits ten professional cycling teams against each other in a one hour action packed race on closed city centre circuits.
The Halfords Tour Series begins in Kirkcaldy, Fife on Tuesday 15th May. The remaining venues for this year's Series will be unveiled shortly.
The race is supported by the Welsh Government through the Aberystwyth Regeneration Fund and Heritage, Regeneration and Housing Minister Huw Lewis is looking forward to seeing the race return to the town.
“It was a real feather in the cap of Aberystwyth to attract this race last year and it is extremely important that Wales is represented in this important showcase. The Welsh Government is delighted to support the event as it not only contributes to the regeneration of Aberystwyth but promotes the town and the locality to a much wider audience.”
At last year’s inaugural event, over 2,500 spectators came out to see Olympic Gold Medallist Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor Sharp) sprint to victory. Among those riders due to compete in the Series year are defending Aberystwyth champion Clancy, fellow Olympian Steven Burke (Team IG Sigma Sport) Russell Downing (Endura Racing) and his brother Dean (Rapha Condor Sharp), with the siblings having won seven Tour Series races between them in the past three seasons.
Aberystwyth professional cyclist and Welsh Road Race Champion Gruff Lewis (Team UK Youth) is also due to ride and is excited at the prospect of racing on home turf once again.
“With The Halfords Tour Series coming to Aberystwyth, it is massive for the town and inspires the younger generation as it did last year when over 150 children took part in the support races. It also brings the riders to a beautiful part of the world and I’m honoured to be part of it all”.
The challenging one-kilometre circuit covers Aberystwyth’s attractive promenade, circumnavigating the Royal Pier, the historic Old College and 12th Century Castle before heading into the town centre via a tough climb up through Sea View Place, followed by St James square and onto Pier Street, ensuring that the town is portrayed to its beautiful best to a national audience.
Last year’s event also brought other bonuses according to the leader of Ceredigion Council, Cllr Keith Evans: “We have estimated that the race injected around £200,000 to the local economy through hotel accommodation mainly with 68% of spectators coming from outside Aberystwyth and about half of these from outside Wales. The following night’s television programme attracted a further 300,000 viewers. This can only mean good news for the town and the return of the race gives us an opportunity to build on that success.”
The Halfords Tour Series will be the main Aberystwyth Cycle Festival event on Friday 25th May. The promenade will feature a host of stalls and exhibition stands from midday and support races start at 2pm featuring races for local schoolchildren, traders versus students, beginner adults and top amateur racers in the run up to the main event at 7pm.
Aberystwyth Cycle Festival will be held over two days – Friday 25th to Saturday 26th May - and will shortly announce a series of events to be held on Saturday 26th May. Designed for the whole family, these events will appeal to cyclists and non-cyclists alike and are likely to draw in significantly more crowds than last year, both locally and from further afield.
Aberystwyth University is also backing the Aberystwyth Cycle Festival weekend and The Halfords Tour Series. Vice Chancellor Professor April McMahon believes this could be a catalyst for further major events in the town; “Having recently started in this post and moved to Aberystwyth I believe there is significant potential in developing the area as a popular destination but we need to ensure it is promoted as widely as possible. The return of The Halfords Tour Series and the launch of the Aberystwyth Cycle Festival gives us the stage to do just that and I am pleased that the University is heavily involved with the organisation. I am confident it will once again be a hugely successful event. There is something for everyone”
Organisers Aberystwyth University and Ystwyth Cycling Club have a number of affordable sponsorship opportunities available for local businesses wishing to benefit from the national exposure The Halfords Tour Series and festival will provide, including VIP hospitality in the Old College next to the finish line. Any interested parties should email tourseries@ystwythcc.org to sponsor one of the races or email abercyclefest@gmail.com for festival sponsorship opportunities over the whole weekend.
2012 Halfords Tour Series Calendar
Round One Tuesday 15th May Kirkcaldy, Fife
Round Two Thursday 17th May TBA
Round Three Tuesday 22nd May TBA
Round Four Thursday 24th May TBA
Round Five Friday 25th May Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
Round Six Tuesday 29th May TBA
Round Seven Thursday 31st May TBA
Round Eight Tuesday 5th June Torquay, Devon
Round Nine Thursday 7th June Colchester, Essex
Round Ten Tuesday 12th June Woking, Surrey
Grand Final/Round Eleven Thursday 14th June TBA