Young cyclists saddle up to be the first to ride on Doncaster’s new cycle track

Doncaster’s new community cycle track will be showcased next month (August 5), a date that marks 50 days until elite riders from all over the globe descend on the county for the UCI Road World Championships.

Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust, who will manage the circuit, want to give a group of young people from the town the chance to be amongst the first people to cycle on the new track.

Michael Hart, chief executive of Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust said: “We cannot wait to showvcase this new fantastic facility for the people of Doncaster. It is important to us that young people from the borough are amongst the first to try out the track and can put their peddle power into action.

“We are inviting people to put their names forward to be there on the opening day and to be amongst the first 50 people to take to the track.

“This cycle track will be used by elite racers on September 27th when the UCI Road World Championships come to town, before that our own home-grown cyclists can give it a go.

“The Cycle Hub, has been developed thanks to a significant cash injection from the government’s Places to Ride capital grants programme, and the circuit will benefit people of all ages, groups, clubs and schools from across the region.”

The programme is designed to provide a lasting legacy after the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire in September.

The Cycle Hub encompasses a 1km long, 6m wide circuit, which is closed from traffic to create a safe environment for cyclists of all abilities, with recreational and competitive roots, including a regional specification race circuit. The site also includes a learn to ride area for children and young people, as well as a cobbled climb.

The project has been made possible through a partnership between British Cycling, Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to deliver its Places to Ride programme over the next three years. With a contribution from Doncaster Council, the partnership will fund the development of multi-use facilities to engage with a broad spectrum of cyclists, as well as smaller scale requests to transform communities across the rest of the country.

The Doncaster Dome facility is the first of several trailblazer projects set to leave a lasting imprint from the UCI event in September, in line with British Cycling’s announcement that more than £2 million, out of a total £15 million available, will be dedicated to small grant requests in order to transform facilities in communities across England.

The competition is open to anyone under that age of 16, who can cycle, has their own bike to bring along and is free on the morning of August 5.

The track has been built ahead of the UCI Road World Championships when two separate races will take place in Doncaster on Friday 27 September. The women’s junior race and the men’s under 23 race will start from the Cycle Track at The Dome and pass through the following villages:

· The A18 passing Intake and Wheatley Hills

· On towards Edenthorpe and Dunsville

· Through Hatfield before heading out to Thorne and passing through Thorne Town Centre to join the A614

To put your name forward to be amongst the first 50 to cycle the track on August 5 email your name and age to win@dclt.co.uk by July 30 2019.