Following the success of last year's Tour Rides The Prostate
Cancer Charity has revealed today (Tuesday 19 April) that it will
be extending the number of rides it organises to offer more
amateur cyclists the opportunity to ride part of the official Tour
of Britain route.
Now in their third year, The Prostate Cancer Charity's Tour
Rides are an established part of the sportive calendar for amateur
cyclists with over 4,500 amateur riders taking part in the event
last year. For the first time, participants will have the
opportunity to take on Tour Rides in East Anglia, Wales and
Scotland alongside the Charity's existing rides in London and
Stoke-on-Trent, from July to September to reflect growing interest
in the events.
The Charity's unique partnership with the Tour of Britain, aims
to bring people together through cycling to help raise awareness of
prostate cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in men in
the UK.
Speaking of at the launch of the new Tour Rides, Owen Sharp,
Chief Executive at The Prostate Cancer Charity, explains: "Over the
past three years, The Prostate Cancer Charity has developed strong
links with professional and amateur cyclists through our
partnership with the Tour of Britain which have been invaluable in
helping us to get many more people thinking about the disease.
"The rides offer cyclists the opportunity to ride the same route
as professional cyclists and last year's events raised over
£520,000. This year, we want to build upon our achievement with two
additional rides, which we hope will offer riders a new challenge.
The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides are aiming to involve as
many people as possible in our fight against prostate cancer.
Professional cyclist, Ed Clancy MBE, added: "I did the
Stoke-on-Trent ride last year. I enjoyed it. It was a good day -
and nice to see my teammates on a day when we are not competing, in
a stress free environment.
"The number of cycling fans has really grown in the past few
years, largely following the success we have had at The Olympics
and in the Tour de France. You could see on the Tour of Britain
stages there were a lot of spectators out on the route especially
to watch the bike ride.
"The Tour Ride is a great opportunity for people to be able to
actually ride the same route themselves and challenge themselves
against the pros. It was really well organised with food stops
along the way, race cars and good signage. Prostate cancer is the
most prevalent cancer in men in the UK, so it was also good to do
this for a good cause and get the message out there."
For further information, please visit www.tourride.co.uk