European road cycling holiday company, Marmot Tours, based in Woolverton, has been announced as the Gold sponsor for the Tour of Britain’s Bath stage.
Bath & North East Somerset Council will be hosting a stage finish of the Tour, Britain’s premier cycling race, for the very first time on Thursday 8 September.
Stage five, which will begin in Aberdare, will finish in Bath having crossed South Wales and Gloucestershire.
Marmot Tours, www.marmot-tours.co.uk, is run by husband-and-wife team, James and Cathy Thompson, and offers cycling holidays and challenges catering for those new to cycling in the mountains through to experts.
“It is wonderful to be able to get involved in a local event and to give something back,” said Cathy. “It means so much to James and I to share in the excitement of the UK’s most famous professional cycling race against a backdrop of the World Heritage City of Bath, all on our doorstep. We can’t wait to get involved.”
Councillor Martin Veal (Conservative, Bathavon North), Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “We’re very pleased to have a local cycling business on board as our Gold sponsors.
“We’re looking forward to working with Marmot Tours, and to welcoming the thousands of spectators who will arrive to see the professional cyclists race through Bath, riding high on the back of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
“Their support, along with that of the premier sponsors – KLM and Bristol Airport – announced earlier this year, will support our Summer of Cycling community activities, which aims to encourage residents, young and old, to try cycling for the first time.”
On the day of the Tour, Marmot Tours will be in the Cycling Village on Royal Parade, running a competition to win, amongst other things, a £500 Marmot Tours gift voucher.
They will be available to talk about all things bike, from getting and keeping bike-fit when touring/travelling, gearing for the mountains, tips on multi-day riding, the hardest col in Europe, nutrition and the ultimate snack bar (with plenty of delicious bars to taste from Primal Pantry and 9bar).
The Tour of Britain’s route through Bath has now been announced, you can find out more about that and the Summer of Cycling events at www.bathnes.gov.uk/tourofbritain.
You can also follow @Love2cyclebath or look out for #BathToB #ToB2016 on Twitter.