Britain’s Tour de France cycles into Swansea

Aug. 31, 2010 - PRLog -- FRANCE’S Champs Elysees may be famous for hosting the final stage of the Tour de France but now Swansea’s Kingsway will be transformed into an equally prominent landmark when Britain’s biggest cycling race comes to the city.

The Kingsway will host the Tour of Britain’s sprint finish at the end of the event’s third leg on Monday September 13.

Over 100 cyclists from 17 teams will be taking part in the race. They could include the likes of Olympic gold medal superstars Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas.

The third leg of the tour and the only Welsh stage this year starts in Newtown and will see cyclists arriving in Swansea at about 1.30pm.

The racers will travel through the north of Swansea before making their way to the city centre via Hafod and Dyfatty. The route will then take in areas such as Orchard Street, St Helen’s Road ,Brynymor Road and Walter Road before the cyclists tackle a gruelling climb up Constitution Hill. The sprint finish takes place on Kingsway where crowds will gather to cheer on the cyclists.

The Kingsway, Dyfatty Street, New Orchard Street and Orchard Street will be closed from 5am to 6pm on the day. High Street will also be restricted to buses and access only and rolling closures will be put in place elsewhere along the route later in the day. Diversions and signage will be introduced to minimise disruption. Bus marshals will also be on duty in the city centre to help travellers find their bus stops and stewards will be on hand along the route to offer information.

Most individual stages of last year’s Tour of Britain attracted over 100,000 spectators and the likes of Mark Cavendish and Andy Schleck have competed in the race in the past. As well as the sprint finish, there will be entertainment on the Kingsway  and Princess Way including a BMX display area.  Local schoolchildren will also be participating in some event-related activities,  

Cllr Chris Holley, Swansea Council Leader, said: “This event presents a great opportunity for residents, sports fans and traders. The Tour of Britain’s arrival in Swansea will give people the chance to watch world class sport right here in the city, and will provide an economic boost with the thousands of visitors hopefully spending their money in local shops, restaurants and other businesses. The event will be broadcast on TV which will further raise Swansea’s profile as a destination and strengthen our reputation as a city capable of hosting major international events.

"A programme of entertainment is also being organised to ensure the event is fun for all the family and every effort will be made to minimise disruption. We have a comprehensive plan in place to reach as many residents, visitors and traders as we can in advance of the event so that they can make necessary arrangements and accordingly advise their customers, staff and delivery drivers."

Mick Bennett, Technical Director of The Tour of Britain, said: "I'm delighted to be bringing The Tour of Britain back to Wales and in particular to Swansea- a city with a rich cycling history.  

“We've probably got the most exciting stage finish in The Tour of Britain's seven-year history planned in Swansea with riders tackling the fearsome Constitution Hill just two kilometres from the finish on The Kingsway.”

Russell Greenslade, Manager of the Swansea Business Improvement District (BID) that represents over 700 businesses in the city centre, said: "This is an exciting event for our members to benefit from with the figures advising an average spend of £79 per person when these type of one-day Tour of Britain events happen in a city. We'll be working with the necessary organisations to ensure our members are fully informed and prepared the best they can be for this event. It certainly supports one of our core criteria of bringing more people into the city centre and into our members' businesses.”

Visit http://www.tourofbritainswansea.com for more information about the race, road closures and alternative bus stops.

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