Cycling solicitor James Pritchard has appealed to the organisers of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships not to overlook Teesside when they sit down to plan the race’s route.
The UCI management committee announced this week that Yorkshire had seen off competitors from Canada, Colombia, Germany and Italy for the chance to host the prestigious event in three years’ time.
James, who specialises in helping cyclists recover compensation when they are injured in accidents, says the area will benefit more than most if it is chosen to be involved.
“The Tour de France grand Départ and the subsequent Tour de Yorkshire have shown just how much major competitions like these can do to boost local economies,” said James, a keen biker.
“Even though they have been and gone, if you go to towns such as Knaresborough and Ripon you can still see the legacy of the events that have been held there.
“In many ways Teesside is a deprived area and all too often we get painted with a bad brush in the press. It would be fantastic to have something so positive to shout about.”
An estimated five million people turned out to line the route as a global TV audience watched the Tour de France take in stages from Leeds to Harrogate and York to Sheffield over two memorable days in 2014.
The three-day Tour de Yorkshire has taken place for the last two years, partly as a legacy of the Tour de France. The 2016 Tour de Yorkshire included a Middlesbrough to Scarborough stage and huge crowds took to the streets to cheer the riders on. Yellow and blue bikes marked the route the race took through the town.
James, who attended the National Road Racing Championships in Stockton earlier this year, believes such events bring more than just economic advantages.
“When the Tour de France and the Tour de Yorkshire came we had new bike shops opening up and more people getting fit by taking up cycling,” he said.
“But the increase in the popularity of cycling is by far the only spin-off. It benefits the wider community too. It brings tourists to the area and the whole community gets behind it. And you can’t put a price on the feelgood factor that comes with it as well.”
The UCI event features a number of races over eight days including team and individual time-trials for both men and women and U23 races, culminating on the last two days with the men’s and women’s road races. The winners of those two races get to wear the famous rainbow jersey.
As part of the bid, the UK government has promised to inject £24m into the championships, £15m of the cash going in to setting up 27 specialist cycling facilities all over the country. UK Sport has also committed £3m of lottery money.