Tour of Britain meetings scheduled (From Somerset County Gazette)
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Tour of Britain meetings scheduled
12:48pm Wednesday 25th July 2007 in Cycling News By Laura Thorpe
TAUNTON town centre is preparing for one of the biggest cycling events of the year.
Stage two of the Tour of Britain, hosted by Somerset County Council and backed by the County Gazette, sees 96 international cyclists take on the challenge of Somerset for the first time with a route from Yeovilton to Taunton.
On Tuesday September 11 the riders will take on the gruelling 105.2 mile South West route through Somerset, taking around four hours to complete, travelling at an average speed of over 25mph.
Starting in Yeovilton, the riders will travel west through Somerton and Langport to the first Hot Spot Sprint of the day at Othery.
The route continues west, through Taunton, before heading to the second Hot Spot Sprint of the day at Dunster. The race then gets really exciting as the riders make their way up Porlock Toll Road for the first King of the Mountains climb.
At 350 metres this is a category one climb, the toughest grade, and one of the most anticipated climbs of the whole seven day event.
Cllr Justin Robinson, Deputy Leader of Somerset County Council, said: "There are now just 47 days before this exciting event. The combination of the backbreaking King of the Mountains and Hot Spot Sprint challenges with Somerset's breathtaking landscape as a backdrop means that the county is sure to be the centre of attention in this year's event, which is not to be missed."
Somerset County Council and the partners involved in bringing the Tour of Britain to Somerset will be holding public meetings for Taunton residents and business people wanting to find out more about the cycle race and related activities. The meetings will take place in the Wyndham Room at County Hall, Taunton, from 5-6.30pm on Monday July 30, August 6 and 13. Although the focus of the meetings will be on logistical arrangements for the event, the meetings will be informal and all residents and business people in Taunton are welcome to attend.
