Top cyclists head for Colne (From Craven Herald)

Top cyclists head for Colne

3:24pm Monday 16th July 2012 in Sport

The country’s top professional cyclists will return to Colne on Wednesday for another evening of exciting bike racing in the town.

Britain’s best cyclists and teams will converge on Colne once again to contest the annual cottages4you Colne Grand Prix, the 5th round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Race Series, which is being organised by Cycling Development North West in partnership with Pendle Borough Council.

The cottages4you Colne Grand Prix is held on a very fast and tight circuit around the town centre and always attracts big crowds from across Lancashire as people come to experience an evening of non-stop action with riders hitting speeds of up to 40 mph.

Last year’s winner, Olympic Champion Ed Clancy, is busy preparing to represent Team GB at London 2012 so the Colne crowd will see a new winner this year. Amongst the riders to look out for on the night will be current series leader Graham Briggs (Team Raleigh-GAC), who has won three of the four rounds so far. He’ll have to fight off competition from the likes of Dean Downing (Rapha Condor Sharp) who was second in last year’s Colne Grand Prix and winner of the overall Elite Circuit Race Series in 2011.

Racing will be contested over laps of a clockwise 850m circuit that will start and finish in Market Street. Riders will turn right into Craddock Road and continue into Post Office Yard before turning right into Walton Street and right again into Church Street before completing the lap in Market Street.

It’s not just the professionals who’ll be in action though as earlier on in the evening a support race will feature up and coming riders and there will also be an Olympic torch bearers’ parade and the popular Le Mans style Chopper Dash that made its debut last year will return in aid of North West Air Ambulance.

All the latest information on the whole British Cycling Elite Circuit Race Series can be found at   www.britishcycling.org.uk/elitecircuitseries. Further information about the Colne Grand Prix can be found on the official event website www.cdnw.org. 

Race Itinerary

 Support Race 7:00pm

Chopper Dash – Raleigh choppers like you’ve never seen them before 7:45pm

Olympic Torch Parade 8:00pm

cottages4you Colne Grand Prix 8:15pm

Prize Presentation 9:15pm