Bikes donated for Cheshire leg of Tour of Britain

Cheshire East Council are partnering with waste and recycling management company HW Martin Waste to promote the Cheshire leg of the upcoming Tour of Britain.

This year's tour – which starts in Glasgow on Sunday September 4 and finishes in London on September 11th – is the thirteenth outing of the annual road race. A total of 8 stages will be held, with cyclists facing the rigours of the British weather and varied landscapes.

Stage 3 – which is to be held on Tuesday September 6 – follows a course from Congleton to Tatton Park in Knutsford over a distance of 111 miles. It is the only stage that is being held completely within one county.

HW Martin Waste Ltd runs the Council's nine Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and has pledged its support for this fantastic event by donating 160 bicycles.

The bicycles have been collected at the HWRCs and would otherwise have been scrapped. However, they have now been given a new lease of life by being painted orange – as this is the colour the Council has adopted for stage 3 of the tour – and used as promotional sculptures at strategic locations along the route.

The idea of having brightly painted bicycles on display has caught on in recent years, with regions in Scotland and England painting bicycles in shades of blue, red and yellow.

Cheshire East has teamed up with several town and parish councils for this initiative to make sure that the Cheshire leg of the 2016 Tour gets the publicity that it deserves.

Cheshire East Council Deputy Leader David Brown said, "After Chris Froome's magnificent win at the Tour de France, interest in cycling has really taken off and the forthcoming Olympics are certain to add to this.

"Bringing the Tour of Britain here gives us a fantastic opportunity to show off Cheshire East to the wider world. It is also a unique opportunity for local businesses to not only take part in the excitement around this historic event, but also to promote themselves to a huge and diverse audience."

Wayne Harrold, Cheshire East Contract Manager for HW Martin Waste Ltd, said: "There is a real buzz about this event, it's the kind of positive thing that gets everyone in the community together. The Tour of Britain is more popular than ever before and it is exciting to think it is coming our way very soon. We are proud to be able to give our support to Cheshire East in their promotion of the Tour."

The race will be seen by a crowd of more than 180,000 spectators on the day in addition to an international television audience measured in millions. The economic value to Cheshire East's economy is expected to be well in excess of £4 million.

For more information about Stage 3 of the Tour or to sign up for the newsletter, Cheshire East Council has set up a dedicated website at: www.cheshiretourofbritain.co.uk.

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