Plans are taking shape to celebrate the coming of the greatest bike race on earth
Cambridge has cycling in its DNA so when you take the biggest sporting event in the world and bring it to a city that’s already embracing cycling, it can only do further good.
Neil Jones, Cambridge City Council
The Tour de France will be amazing – so it’s important to be prepared to get the best views and to know how best to avoid disruption.
“A day like no other,” is how Neil Jones of Cambridge City Council describes 7 July 2014, the day the 101st edition of the Tour de France comes to Cambridge.
More than 1,200 volunteers have signed up to be Tour Makers for stage 3 of the race, which starts on Parker’s Piece.
Coming after two wins by British riders – Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and Chris Froome in 2013 – plus the success of British Cycling at the London 2012 Olympics, the route from Cambridge to London is expected to attract 100,000 spectators.
In January the City Council announced that a three-month Velo Festival will run from May to September.
“There are three strands to the TdF in Cambridge: people coming to see it and having a great time, making sure businesses can function, and the legacy. Some of what comes out of the Velo Festival is related to legacy,” Jones explained. “Cambridge has cycling in its DNA so when you take the biggest sporting event in the world and bring it to a city that’s already embracing cycling, it can only do further good.”
The 2011 Census supports Cambridge’s claim to be the UK’s capital of cycling. Figures show that 32 per cent of those in employment cycle to work in Cambridge, by far the highest percentage in the UK and almost double that of Oxford.
“It will be great in terms of tourism, great in terms of profile and great for residents. It’s going to be a day like no other. That has many meanings – it’ll be a day of celebration but it’s also going to be disruptive. You don’t put the TdF in Cambridge without disruption, particularly not on a Monday morning,” said Jones.
According to Edmund Bradbury, president of Cambridge University Cycling Club: “Cycling not only makes sense in light of environmental awareness, health and cost; it is also a fantastic sport – accessible to all ages and abilities.
“We hope that the success of Le Tour this year in Cambridge, as well as the cycling events and festivals linked to it, will help encourage the interest and investment to turn Cambridge into a centre for cycling in the East of England.”
Image credit: A.S.O. / B. Bade.