Cyclists prepare for big race

Paul Whatmough, from the Heywood Shepherd's Cycle club, on his bike outside the town hall

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Rochdale's best cyclists are almost ready for the Rochdale Grand Prix, which takes place next Wednesday, 4 July. The event, sponsored by Kingsway Business Park, will take over the town centre next Wednesday and local bikers have been talking about their preparation for the event. Cyclists from the West Pennine Road club in Littleborough, Shepherds Cycles of Heywood and ABC Centreville Cycling Club in Middleton gathered at Rochdale Town Hall to look forward to the big race.

Over one hundred of the nation's top riders will speed around the 1.5 km town centre course, at speeds of 40 mph on bikes weighing less than 20lbs.

Neil Swithenbank of the ABC Centreville club in Middleton will be competing in the elite race. He said: "To prepare for the Rochdale event I have been taking part in other national-standard races. I didn't do too well here last year - I thought the weather perhaps spoilt it for the cyclists - so this year I'm hoping for better weather and a better performance."

Peter Hey from the Littleborough based West Pennine team will also be performing alongside former Olympic competitors in the Elite race. He commented on his preparation, the course and his hopes for the race: "It is a good, tight course. It was very slippery last year; the weather did make things very difficult so hopefully it will be drier this time. I've been going through my usual training, with races every weekend and I'm on the bike almost every day. I hope I can finish the race! It is full of top riders, with a similar national field to last year."

Event organiser Dan Griffiths is hoping that this year's race proves to be just as successful as the event last summer, when over one thousand people lined the streets to watch the cyclists fly past. Mr Griffiths said: "The race went down really well with the people of Rochdale last year. We got a good response from both local businesses and from the public.

"We have designed a course that is one of the hardest but also one of the fastest in the country. There is a significant climb up Penn Street but then the riders can get up to 40 miles per hour when they come back to the town centre on Newgate.

"We will have attractions on the Butts from 4pm in the build up to the big races, from dancers to football tests; the whole evening is centred around health and fitness before people turn their attentions to watching the top cyclists in Rochdale town centre.