Final preparations underway for Shrewsbury Grand Prix
A flood of late entrants have come in ahead of this weekend’s Shrewsbury Grand Prix after it attracted Olympic gold medalist Joanna Rowsell MBE.
Excitement is building ahead of the race which is set to take place on Sunday and is expected to attract thousands of enthusiasts and professionals from across the UK to the county town. It is the first professional cycling race to be held in the town centre for decades.
Hayley Edwards, a cyclist riding for British Cycling Elite team - Starley Primal Pro Cycling Team and is also a Team Ionic sponsored athlete, is the latest cyclist to enter the race. She has recently returned from Trinidad and Tobago with an international win after she won the in the Elimination Race of the Njisane Phillip 3 Day Cycling Festival.
Race organisers said preparations were all in place, with everything ready for a great day of racing for participants and spectators alike.
Launched by the Shropshire-based Paramount Cycling Racing Team, the event has the full backing of British Cycling and is a nationally ranked race.
Race organiser Ben Lawrence, managing director of Beaumont Lawrence, which is sponsoring the event, along with Shrewsbury’s Stan’s Cycles, Cooper Green Pooks and Pure Telecom, said the spectacle would be a great day for everyone in Shrewsbury and they were encouraged by the late entrants.
He said: “We’re so excited that Olympic medalist Joanna Rowsell is taking part in our women’s race and that young talent of the future like Hayley Edwards are also involved.
“It is a true honour and will really create some excitement in the town.
“Crit racing is all about tight circuits and is high speed and action packed.
“The top cyclists are expected to reach speeds of 40 miles per hour. When you add in Shrewsbury’s cobbles and the changes in gradient on the circuit, riders will have to be on top of their game to emerge victorious,” Mr Lawrence said.
The Shrewsbury Grand Prix will also include a host of family events, including the chance for the public to sample the race course from 3pm.
“There will be a festival atmosphere with family-centered events and stall holders selling food and drink,” added Mr Lawrence. “We’ve teamed up with Cycle Shrewsbury to deliver the entertainment, which includes organised rides from various point around Shrewsbury to the Quarry.”
Other activities include Danny Butler’s Extreme Mountain Bike Show, with three displays at Bellstone at 3.15pm, 4.15pm and 5.15pm.
There will also be balloon modelling and face painting in the Square from 2.30pm to 5pm as well as bicycle powered art work.
Sustrans Bike It Officer Jess Holohan will be running a slalom skills competition with pupils from local primary schools at 2.30pm to 3.30pm at Bellstone.
The race action will kick off at 4pm from The Square with a 45-minute women’s only race.
A 50-minute amateur race will take place at 5pm with competitors drawn from local racing clubs while the 60 minute National B race with cyclists from across the country, will start at 6.30pm.
The route will take riders from The Square along High Street, Shoplatch, St Johns Hill, Cross Hill, Swan Hill, College Hill, Princess Street, Milk Street and then back on to the High Street.
Four cameramen from Shrewsbury-based MicroVideo will be filming the racing and will feed live to the Shrewsbury Cycle Grand Prix website at www.shrewsburygrandprix.co.uk.
