Rochdale to host UK ’s biggest bike race

The 2010 Tour of Britain bike race, which promises to attract the world’s top cyclists, is to start in Rochdale.

The announcement was made at a special launch event at The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden yesterday. (Tuesday 20 April).

The Tour of Britain is the UK 's biggest professional bike race and the UK ’s largest free to attend sporting event. It forms a centrepiece of the British sporting calendar, attracting over a million spectators in previous years as well as extensive television coverage.

Hosting the first stage of the prestigious event will send crowds flocking to Rochdale town centre where the eight-day race will get underway on Saturday September 11.

96 of the world’s best cyclists from 16 professional international teams will take on the Tour, described by organisers as ‘the hardest route in seven years’. Following a circuit of the town centre, the riders will head off into the Pennine hills, making their way to Rossendale. The rest of the North West stage will take them into the Forest of Bowland , ending 126km later on the seafront in Blackpool . The riders will then move on to Stoke on Trent , Wales , the South West, East Anglia and Essex before finishing the gruelling 1,223 kilometres challenge with a circuit race in London on September 18th.

Rochdale Borough Council approached the Tour of Britain and on seeing the fantastic backdrop of the Victorian town hall, where the race will start, and the stunning moorland scenery, they were delighted to award Rochdale host status for the start of the international sporting spectacular.

Andy Zuntz, Executive Director at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the 2010 Tour of Britain will start from Rochdale and give people the chance to see our wonderful borough. The Tour has been an overwhelming success in previous years and I’m sure that 2010 will be no exception. It promises to be a fantastic event that everyone will come together for and enjoy. I am sure residents will come out to line the route and cheer the riders along.”

The Prostate Cancer Charity is the 2010 Tour’s charity partner and organisers say this year’s route has been designed to deliver a worthy overall winner to join the ranks of previous yellow jerseys such as Edvald Boasson Hagen, Geoffroy Lequatre, Romain Feillu and Nick Nuyens.

* If you are a cycling enthusiast you may want to get involved with the Trans- Pennine Cycling Club’s twelfth annual Over the Edge Bike Ride. The race gets underway at Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre at 9am. For information on registration fess and more details of the race, contact John Brown on 0161 427 6608 or the Community Fundraising Team on 01623 624558.