Cycling race rerouted due to Wales’ 20mph limit
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A cycling race has been shortened and rerouted due to Wales’ 20mph default speed limit, organisers have said.
Three of the five stages of the Junior Tour of Wales, which starts on Friday, have been changed as support vehicles would not be able to keep up with the riders without speeding.
The race’s finish has also been moved from Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire, the home of three-time Olympic cycling medallist Emma Finucane.
The Welsh government said it had worked with organisers to make sure the race could go ahead safely.
Richard Hopkins, the race organiser, said: “A Welsh government scheme designed to enable cycle races to manage race and public safety through 20mph zones has failed, leaving us with a major problem.
“Even though there was only seven miles of 20mph across the whole 237-mile, four-day race, and even then split into a number of very short sections, we couldn’t guarantee to manage all of them safely.”
Speed limits do not apply to cyclists, meaning safety and support vehicles would not be able to keep up, Mr Hopkins said.
The Junior Tour of Wales is an annual race which started in 1981 and previous participants include former Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas and double mountain bike gold medallist Tom Pidcock.
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A hundred riders will start the race in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, on Friday and head through Powys and Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire over the weekend.
The race concludes with a final stage through Monmouthshire on Monday.
Mr Hopkins said he was hoping the race would go ahead as planned after the changes had been made and said some of the riders may be disappointed with the changes.
He said: “In the process we’ve lost a large part of the character and challenge the event is famous for – including our stage finish in Nantgaredig, the home village of Welsh Olympic Champion Emma Finucane, as well as the climb of the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire.
“It’s massively demoralising, after putting so much effort into trying to make the race as a whole viable, and it also leaves me wondering what’s going to happen next, because every time I think we might be in a good place, something else rolls along to knock it back.”
Melanie Phillips-Rees
Melanie Phillips-Rees, the landlady of the Railway Hotel in Nantgaredig said the race not ending in the town would have an impact on business.
“It’s disappointing that the race will not be able to follow its usual route as it has always been an attraction that has drawn attention and support from the local community.
“We have a number of aspiring young cyclists in the area and the completion of the race here allows them to witness an amazing event first hand, an opportunity that will now be missed.”
The Welsh government: “The priority for any race is always to ensure that it is safe for all participants and other road users in accordance with police/highway authority requirements.
“The introduction of 20mph does not change this position.
“We have worked with the race organisers to develop various options to ensure the race can go ahead.”
Welsh Cycling said it supported the default speed limit being lowered because of the improvement to road safety for cyclists, but said it had “presented some challenges for delivering road racing”.
