Thousands Enjoy Tour Of Britain
Thousands of people turned out to welcome the 2016 Tour of Britain to Rhondda Cynon Taf and cheer on the field of 100-plus, which included eight Olympic medallists.
Aberdare Park was the venue for the Stage 5 start of the prestigious event, which is also being shown live on television daily.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Mayor, Cllr Rhys Lewis, greeted all of the riders onto the stage before waving the flag to get the riders underway as they set off on their 205-kilometre Stage 5 race, which ended in Bath the same day.
Among the field of cyclists were a trio of Rio Olympic Gold medallists Sir Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull and Elia Viviani, along with Silver medallists Mark Cavendish, Tom Dumoulin and Australian team pursuit trio Jack Bobridge, Alex Edmondson and Michael Hepburn.
Also riding was NFTO’s Rob Partridge, who was all too familiar with the roads around Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The Wales Commonwealth Games cyclist, speaking at the start of Stage 5, said: “Aberdare is a great venue for the start of the Tour of Britain – and I only live a few miles away in Church Village, so I know these roads very well.”
Mark Cavendish said: “There is a brilliant atmosphere here in Aberdare. We could not have wished for any better.”
Aberdare Park was filled with a carnival atmosphere from early morning, with cycling fans coming along to get up close to the riders before the start of the race at 10.45am.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Mayor, Cllr Rhys Lewis, said: “We were delighted to host the Stage 5 start of the 2016 Tour of Britain and I had the huge honour of setting the riders off on their way to Bath, through the streets of Rhondda Cynon Taf.
“We are blessed in Rhondda Cynon Taf with amazing natural scenery and wonderful people and it is great that we got to show all this off to the competitors and the thousands of fans who came along to Aberdare Park and watched events unfold on television.
“This is a hugely prestigious event, featuring eight Olympic medallists from this summer.
“It was great to see so many spectators also lining the route, cheering the riders on as they made their way of Aberdare and through to Mountain Ash and Abercynon.
“On behalf of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and its residents, I would like to thank the Tour of Britain for bringing the race to us.”
Cllr Maureen Webber, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Council Business, said: “The Tour of Britain coming to our County Borough created an amazing atmosphere. It is such an iconic event and we are so proud to be a part of it.
“Not only was Aberdare Park packed out with spectators of all ages, but many more also lined the route through Aberdare and Mountain Ash town centres, as well as Aberaman, Abercwmboi and Glenboi.
“I would like to thank the organisers of the Tour of Britain, the Police and our Council staff who, representing a number of different services, have all worked together to ensure the event ran smoothly.”
The Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep.
The Council operated a FREE Park and Ride service at the Ynys Car Park in Aberdare.
Stage 5 of the 2016 Tour of Britain started at Aberdare Park, with all riders travelling through Aberdare town centre, Aberaman, Abercwmboi and Glenboi before heading across Mountain Ash town bridge and travelling along the A4059 to the Abercynon Roundabout.
This was the first time for cycling fans to see many of these riders in action since their Olympic successes in Rio a few weeks earlier.
Household waste/recycling collections (along the race route only), which usually take place on Thursdays, will be collected on Saturday, September 10. Householders affected by this received a letter in advance.
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