Cheshire East honours Olympians

Road in Cheshire East renamed to honour Olympians

Knutsford Road in Chelford has temporarily been renamed 'Kenny Trott Road' in honour of two of the Borough's gold-winning Olympians.

The busy A537 is the main road running through the Cheshire East village and has been given the new name as part of the Stage Three Tour of Britain celebrations.

The renaming is in recognition of the achievements of cycling couple Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, who won a total of five gold medals between them at the Olympic Games in Rio and who live in Chelford.

Laura won gold in both the women's team pursuit and in the multi-discipline omnium event. She is now Britain's most successful female Olympian, having won a total of four Olympic gold medals during her career.

Jason achieved three gold medals in Rio, winning the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin events. These successes mean that he has now equalled Sir Chris Hoy's British record of six Olympic golds.  

Cheshire East Council Leader Councillor Rachel Bailey said: "I am sure that everyone in Cheshire East will join me in congratulating Laura and Jason on their record-breaking success.

"Their amazing achievements are an inspiration to us all and I'm glad that we can honour them by temporarily renaming a road as part of the Tour of Britain celebrations. We hope Laura and Jason will also have the chance to watch the race as it passes through Chelford – it certainly will be a spectacular occasion."

The Tour of Britain arrived in Cheshire East for Stage Three September 6 and saw cyclists racing 111 miles from Congleton to Tatton Park, in Knutsford.

Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: " A lot of excitement has built around the Tour of Britain in Cheshire and the renaming of Knutsford Road further adds to this.

"We hope Laura and Jason were watching the race as it made its way around our beautiful towns and villages as spectators lined the route and cheered on the cyclists as they passed through."

The Tour of Britain, billed as the biggest free-to-attend sporting event in Britain, began in Glasgow on September 4 and concludes in London on September 11.

This year, 10 of the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI) top-level world tour teams were among the 21 teams competing.

While the renaming of Knutsford Road is a temporary measure, as part of the Cheshire Tour of Britain celebrations, Cheshire East Council will be considering – in conjunction with the Olympians – permanently renaming the road if the move proves popular with residents.

For more details about Stage Three of the Tour of Britain – including an interactive map detailing the route, information about events going on in your local area and road closures – visit cheshiretourofbritain.co.uk

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