Saturday 17th September will see the penultimate and 7th stage of the 2011 Tour of Britain swing through Ipswich on its way from Bury St Edmunds to Sandringham in Norfolk. The Tour of Britain has become one of the cornerstone events of the UK’s sporting calendar and the country’s biggest professional cycling event. Ipswich Borough Council will be coordinating an opportunity for the community to enjoy the event between 9am –12noon and critical to this is the involvement of local clubs and organisations.
As a result IBC have asked Ipswich CSC to lead a community Speedway opportunity at Christchurch Park in much the same way as we did at the Ipswich Sky Ride event earlier this year? Any help offered would be gratefully received to help promote both the sport and the club and as such we need club riders and volunteers to help set up and run the event.

Other Activities currently planned to take part between 9am and 12noon are listed below.
• Timed Hill Climb time trial for the community
• Go ride course for younger riders
• Stalls and refreshments
• Bike safety/security
• Small rides, entertainment and inflatable’s for children.
• Vintage vehicles and bikes from Ipswich Transport museum.
• Local Bicycle Club rides and displays.

Attracting elite cyclists from across the world, the race consists of around 100 riders, including Olympic medallists and Tour de France stage winners, all competing for the coveted gold jersey and Tour of Britain Title. Sky, HTC Highroad and Leopard Trek will be top domestic British teams Rapha Condor Sharp, Team Raleigh, Endura Racing, Sigma Sport – Specialized and Motorpoint Pro Cycling. The stages 200km of racing will run through some of Suffolk’s most iconic towns and villages taking in the iconic Christchurch Park for a Category 3 King of the mountains stage at roughly 11.20am through the park.

Last year the stage was watched live by an estimated 120,000 spectators with a further 460,000 watching it on ITV4 later in the evening. The highlights programme was also shown around the world by four broadcasting stations with a 90 minute highlights programme on British Eurosport.

For more information about being involved on the 17th September please contact either Jamie Goldsmith or Dave Hill.