Tour Series a success both on and off the track

The Tour Series has been hailed as a resounding success by organisers, venues and racing teams after attendances were in excess of 100,000 and, thanks to 10 one hour TV shows on ITV4, the event reached an estimated 40 million people in the UK.

The Tour Series selected 10 towns and cities in the UK to host the event, which started in May in Milton Keynes and finished in Southend in June, and the line up contained the UK’s best elite cycling teams and some of the top road and track racing talent in the UK, and the Series was won by Team Halfords BikeHut.

And the race venues have reported increased participation in cycling as a whole as well as an impact on their economies. Following round nine in Chester, which attracted an estimated 12,000 people as spectators, officials believe the crowds boosted the city's economy by around £500,000.

Exeter’s Cycling Demonstration Town Project Team has seen an unprecedented interest in all elements of cycling in the two months since The Tour Series. Zsolt Schuller, Cycle Exeter Project Manager said: “This summer we have really ramped up activity and so many people – children and adults – have been inspired.

In addition, bike shops in the city have seen a surge in interest, with James Fishwick, manager of bike shop Sidwells Cycles saying that it had recorded the busiest ever day in its 12 year history. “The next three or four days after the Tour were absolutely mental and business since the race has noticeably increased.”

All partner venues ran school cycling activities on the day of their Tour Series round, engaging thousands of children with the positive benefits of cycling on both their health and the environment.

Team Manager for Rapha-Condor John Herety said: “City Centre racing has made a spectacular return to the UK. The new team format had both cyclists and non cyclists hooked to the very last round. This series can only get bigger in 2010 and any riders signing for the Rapha Condor team in the coming months for next season will be told The Tour Series will be an extremely high priority for them.”