The UK’s largest mass participation sports events company Human Race and the Dare 2b Yorkshire Festival of Cycling have announced the participation events that will be taking place throughout the festival this year. Those at the festival, home to the Official Ceremonial Start of the 2014 Tour de France, will be able to take part in a host of running and cycling events, both on private roads around the Harewood House site and via off-road trails, over a range of distances to suit those at the novice and more experienced levels.
2012 Olympic medallists and Yorkshire residents Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, ambassadors for the festival, are encouraging visitors to take part in the events as part of a big drive to get the UK nation active this summer, and are even offering up the chance to beat them.
The brothers said “As well as seeing the Tour roll though, there will be lots to do for all the family in the grounds of Harewood House. The led rides are the best way to catch all the tour action from two different locations. Jonny and I are off to Harewood soon to set times in the trail runs and individual time trials on the bike.”
The festival itself, a celebration of the Tour de France setting off from Yorkshire, runs from Friday 4 July to Sunday 6 July, with the Tour passing through the Harewood House festival site, giving a chance for visitors to see the most famous bike race in the world up close as riders arrive from Leeds and pause to meet visiting dignitaries before the Official Ceremonial Start outside the front of the house.
Human Race is giving those at the festival a unique chance to follow in The Tour’s tracks. Watching The Tour will be exhilarating enough but with led rides on offer participants have the opportunity to see The Tour at various points as it winds its way through Yorkshire, which will not be available to the public.
Human Race and the festival organisers have been liaising closely with Yorkshire Police and Traffic Management teams to avoid the hefty necessary road closures to give unmatched views of the Tour. These are at gentle (12mph), medium (15mph) and quick (18mph) paces, as well as a special ambassador led ride on the Friday afternoon.
There are also off-road trail runs (5K and 10K), and duathlons (10K run, 18K bike, 5K run), as well as access to the 5K bike course on each day. For those keen to stick to the roads, there will be a 3.9K bike circuit for team, individual and enduro time trials – as well as family fun rides for those who enjoy a non-competitive, gentler pace.
The chance to beat the times set by elite Olympic medallists in their specialist disciplines is sure to inspire competitive entrants, as the Brownlees will be going all out to set challenging times on the off-road trail runs and cycling time trials. What’s more, the roads being used are the same that The Tour will use – so cyclists can imagine they are taking part in the most famous bike race in the world as they make their way through the Harewood Estate.
The kids aren’t left out either. As is the case at many Human Race events scootathlons will be making an appearance at the Dare 2b Yorkshire Festival of Cycling. These are for children aged 4-8 years old with the swim element of a triathlon replaced with a scoot.
www.festivalofcycling.org
www.humanrace.co.uk/events/cycling/festival-of-cycling
