OLYMPIC Gold medal winning cyclist and respected commentator Chris Boardman will be saddling up for this year’s Evesham Cycle Fest.
Boardman, who won gold at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, will be riding during the event on Sunday as part of the partnership between the festival and Boardman Bikes.
Boardman Bikes will be working closely with the event organisers to ensure the weekend is packed with cycling fun for all the family and all abilities.
The Boardman team will be on hand all weekend with the latest test bikes and innovation and hope local residents will put the latest bikes through their paces on lanes all around the Vale.”
“It’s a part of the country I really enjoy riding in, exploring the lanes and villages by bike let’s you see everything from a new perspective,” Boardman said.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenges that hills like Saintbury and Salters Lane will have in store but I hear the views from the tops will be worth it.”
The event will be celebrating its third year and in 2016 will be run by the dedicated members of Cycle Evesham Vale.
Money raised during the event next Saturday and Sunday (September 10 and 11) will be donated to the Wallace House fund-raising appeal.
Saturday kicks off with the popular Mountain Bike Challenge at The Valley which boasts a specially extended track and new features following last year’s inaugural event.
Children’s events take place in the morning, starting with the under 8s, with boys and girls again competing in the same events.
Adults will be invited to put pedal to the metal in the afternoon with competitors riding individually and timed over one lap of the course.
Depending on the number of entries received by midnight on Monday (September 5), entry on the day may be possible.
Visit www.britishcycling.org.uk/events or e-mail organiser John Webster on [email protected] or call 01386 41205 for more information.
While the competition takes place on the track, visitors can make their own pedal-powered smoothie courtesy of Green Ape or learn new skills from Savage Skills, the number one professional MTB display team, who will be teaching some of their award winning mountain bike tricks.
Visitors can even test their skills on the savage skills adventure zone with humps, bumps, rumble strips and much more.
On Sunday, the action moves to Evesham Rowing Club for an array of events for everyone from the most experienced cyclists to those just taking off their stabilisers
For the more experienced, and new for this year, Evesham Escapades Sportives offer a choice of two rides; one of 40 miles with 673 metres of climbing or another of 88 miles with 1,545 metres of climbing.
The non-competitive events are fully supported with chip timing, medals, feedstops and on-course mechanical support
Visit www.britishcycling.org.uk/events or e-mail Sophie Wetherall on [email protected] for more information.
Families can also enjoy a 16 mile leisure ride to Broadway and back from 10.30am on Sunday with entries open from 9.30am while a ride along the riverside footpath for youngsters aged four to eight-years-old will take place from midday.
Visitors are also invited to visit Cyclefest HQ which will offer a host of stalls and activities including the Bonk Skate team who will be in action with demos and lessons while Steve Kaos will be teaching circus skills.
The Rowing Club will be open all day, offering a hot breakfast and coffee first thing, following by a BBQ and access to the club bar later in the day.
Visit www.cycleeveshamvale.org for more information, including costs of entry to the various events.
