The Olympics brought sport to the UK and up and down the country people have been re-energised in their desire to both compete and watch live sport. Of course football is already at saturation point, so something new on the screens will always be welcome.
And Colchester town centre is set to host one such event. Cycling has always been a popular televised sport, with Le Tour in particular drawing an audience. So it is great news that once again, professional cycling will be on show in Colchester with the return of The Tour Series.
Colchester is gaining a reputation as a location for major cycling events as the event is returning to the area for the fourth time, making it the fifth year in a row that the town has played host to a major event.
Taking place on Thursday May 30th, ten top professional cycling teams will race through the streets, with the women’s race starting at 5.30 and the men following at 7.00pm.
In the past these have been fantastic occasions, with TV cameras in attendance and around 10,000 spectators lining the streets to enjoy the cycling and other activities on the day.
This will be the first time that the event has taken place during the school holidays, giving an excellent opportunity for all the family to enjoy the action-packed evening where Round Six of the tour will see teams battling to pick up squad points.
Recent years have seen some big names in cycling involved in the event, with Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy, World Champion Andy Tennant and Tour De France stage winner Magnus Backstedt joining a collection of former British champions, including Kristian House, Russ Downing and Dean Downing.
“We are delighted to be hosting The Tour Series for the fourth time," said Councillor Lyn Barton. “With both the women's and men's races returning to Colchester this year. This event and surrounding activity will attract thousands of people to Colchester again for a world class racing event.
"It is a great opportunity for us all to get involved and celebrate Colchester as a place where people want to live, work and visit.”
“Colchester provides us with a testing circuit,” added Race Director Mick Bennett. “It’s popular with both the riders and the fans. We’ve had some great races in our past visits to Colchester, and look forward to putting on another top class event this May.”
