People living in Royston and surrounding villages are invited to cheer on the best of female British and International cyclists when the Women’s Tour arrives on Saturday.
North East Herts MP Sir Oliver Heald said the town is hotly anticipating the event.
He said: “There is great excitement that the Women’s Cycling Tour is coming to Royston.
“Roystonians will be roaring them on. Our area has a good number of cycling supporters and I know they will be delighted to see the cyclists speeding by. This is great news for Royston and it is good to see cycling so popular.”
Keen cyclist and town mayor Ben Lewis echoed Sir Oliver Heald’s excitement. He said: “How lucky can our town get? I love cycling – you might often see me with my daughter on the back of my bike – and I will be watching the ladies fly past on their way to the rather torturous Therfield Road. It’s not easy to do at a competitive pace, I’ve cycled it many times. It’s a fantastic event to inspire the community.”
The road race will arrive at Barkway High Street at about 11.40am. Riders will then snake through Barley towards Royston town centre and along Baldock Road.
The cyclists will then pass Therfield Heath, Therfield and Hay Green.
Racing in the tour will be Olympic champion and three times world champion in the women’s team pursuit Dani King MBE.
For those looking to get into the spirit before the race, The Boars Head in Market Hill will be serving brunch from 10am. To get people in the mood, the pub will show cycling classics on the big screen, then highlights of the previous day’s racing. Takeaway coffee and cake will also be served.
A rolling road closure will be in operation for the majority of the race, meaning that roads will only be closed for the short period it takes for the race to pass by – usually for about ten to 15 minutes.
This delay will probably be extended as the race moves through town centres.
For more information about the race, including estimated timings and an interactive route map, visit www.womenstour.co.uk or follow updates on Twitter @thewomenstour.
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