Bath Prepares for Tour Series to Roll in to City

Thousands of spectators are expected in Bath on Saturday 20 May, as the city plays host to the first ever Saturday night stage of The Tour Series, with a brand new city centre route, starting and finishing on the majestic Great Pulteney Street.

Bristol Airport and KLM are joint sponsors of The Tour Series Bath circuit and Olympic gold medallist Dani King is the Ambassador.

Activities begin in the morning when the first #love2cyclesportive starts at Royal Avenue at 7.30am.

It is a non-competitive, organised bike ride, ideal for amateurs, as they can choose to take part in a 33 mile or 71 mile route.

Participants will travel along cycle paths and lanes through the Somer and Chew valleys. They are expected to start coming back in over the finish line from 11.30am.

You can still enter the sportive at www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/158931/Love-2-Cycle-The-Tour-of-Bath-and-North-East-Somerset

Two Family Ride Sessions will also take place on the traffic-free race circuit at 12.45pm and 1.45pm, taking in Terrace Walk, Orange Grove, High Street, Pulteney Bridge and Great Pulteney Street.

There will be no competitive races – it’s simply a chance to cycle around the city centre when the streets are closed. Any interested families will need to register in advance with EventBrite – visit www.eventbrite.co.uk and search Tour Series, Bath, to take part in the sessions.

Check-in is at Henrietta Park, Henrietta Road, from 11am on the day. All cyclists will need to wear helmets.

The highlight of the day will be The Tour Series and Women’s Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series.

The Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series kicks off at 4pm and will feature World and Olympic Champion Katie Archibald.

Top billing, and promising a thrilling and exciting race through Bath’s streets, will be the Tour Series and includes Team JLT Condor, with triple Olympic Gold Medallist, Ed Clancy.

Councillor Tim Warren, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “It promises to be a very exciting day of sport here in Bath and North East Somerset, and we’re delighted to have Dani King on board as our Ambassador. The new city centre route will provide a spectacular backdrop to The Tour Series, with women and men’s professional cycling teams taking part in multiple fast-paced circuits.”

The Tour Series arrives in Bath on an exciting weekend for the city, with the Party in the City on Friday 19 May, signifying the start of The Bath Festival, a celebration of words, music and literature. In addition the iconic Royal Crescent, the backdrop to the Tour Series in 2015, celebrates its 250th anniversary on Sunday 21 May.

Race spectators are encouraged to make a weekend of it in Bath, walk around the city, take in the heritage, browse the independent and well known high street shops or visit some of the many cafes, restaurants and bars.

More information can be found at www.bathnes.gov.uk/tourseries - this will be kept updated with details of start times, estimated finish times and information about all the riding teams, as well as local road closures.

The Tour Series started in Worcestershire on Tuesday 9 May and finishes on Monday 29 May in Stevenage.

Highlights of every round will be shown on ITV4, with programmes also available on demand via the ITV Hub.

You can follow details of the Bath Stage of the Tour Series and the Sportive on Facebook Love 2 Cycle or Twitter @Love2cyclebath #TourBath #love2cyclesportive