Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK has today (Tuesday 1 April) announced that the Isle of Man is launching a bid to host the 2016 British Cycling National Road Championship.
The event is the highlight of the elite road racing calendar in the UK and is fiercely contested by the country’s leading professional riders and teams.
Mr Bell made the announcement during a visit to Glasgow where Isle of Man superstar Mark Cavendish MBE claimed the 2013 British title in a thrilling race watched by 30,000 spectators.
Cavendish and his Manx team-mates will be gunning for more glory on Scottish soil this summer when Glasgow hosts the 20th Commonwealth Games.
The Chief Minister, senior Government officials and media representatives took an opportunity to inspect some of the Commonwealth Games venues during the trip to Glasgow to mark the restoration of flights between the Isle of Man and Scotland.
The Island will be sending a strong team to the Games in July, with the cyclists once again expected to spearhead the Manx medal challenge.
The outstanding success of our top track riders and road racers over recent years has heightened international awareness of the Isle of Man and generated positive media coverage across the world.
Mark Cavendish has won the Road World Championship and 25 stages of the Tour de France in a glittering career, as well as clinching gold for the Isle of Man at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Peter Kennaugh MBE is an Olympic champion after his gold medal on the track at London 2012, while Mark Christian claimed a bronze medal in Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
That level of performance has helped to inspire future generations of Island cyclists and it is hoped that staging Britain’s showpiece road races will provide a further lasting legacy.
The Chief Minister said:
‘The Isle of Man has vast experience of hosting international sporting events and it would be great to add the 2016 British Cycling Championship to a list that includes the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games. This would be a wonderful opportunity to welcome some of the world’s best cyclists to our shores and to showcase the Island to a wider audience. Glasgow did an excellent job of hosting last year’s championship and I’m confident we can learn from our friends in Scotland to ensure the 2016 event is a success if our bid is supported.’
In addition to producing modern-day elite riders, the Isle of Man has a rich cycling history having staged Britain’s biggest cycling festival for almost 70 years.
Isle of Man International Cycling Week ran from 1936 to 2003 and attracted world-renowned competitors of the calibre of Eddy Merckx, Sean Kelly, Steve Joughin, Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree. The event is still remembered fondly by many in British cycling.
The Department of Economic Development is spearheading the bid for the 2016 British Cycling National Road Championship on behalf of the Isle of Man. An application for funding from the Marketing Initiatives Fund has been approved to drive forward the plans.
The support and involvement of the local sporting community will be essential to a successful bid and the Department remains in consultation with a number of organisations.
Richard Fletcher, Chairman of the Isle of Man Cycling Association, said:
‘The announcement of this bid will be greeted with great excitement by the whole cycling community in the Island. The Manx public’s interest in our sport and local participation has increased exponentially over the last five years. This has been for a variety of reasons, including the global standing of our top riders, the annual Sleepwell Hotels Isle of Man Youth and Junior Tour and the highly successful youth initiative run by Dot Tilbury MBE and her team at the NSC.’
He added:
‘As the sport’s governing body in the Island, the Isle of Man Cycling Association is wholly committed to working with the Department in the coming months to ensure that every chance to optimise the bid is acted upon. If successful, we look forward to supporting the event in whatever way we can.’
