Thousands to Visit Wrexham For Tour of Britain Celebrations

Wrexham will be buzzing with with cycling fans and visitors this weekend, with thousands expected to descend on the town to celebrate the arrival of the Tour of Britain.

The race arrives for a sprint finish on Chester Street on Sunday 6 September and up to up to 10,000 visitors are expected to watch the race as it passes through the county borough.

Previously cyclists in the Tour of Britain have passed through Wrexham as part of the route, however this year is the first time the town has played host to a final stage.

This year visitors can expect a glimpse of cycling icons Mark Cavendish and Olympic gold medal winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Cllr Neil Rogers said: “This is a huge event for Wrexham and the town centre should be extremely busy with visitors who want to see the exciting sprint finish and also those attending the event on Llwyn Isaf.  I hope everyone has a fantastic time and town centre traders take advantage of the opportunities this major event brings them.”

The benefits the race could bring are evidenced from last year’s first day figures which ran from Knowsley to a finish in Llandudno.  It was estimated that the stage attracted over 62,000 people.  Many of whom travelled and stayed overnight.

Up to 10,000 visitors are expected to watch as more than 100 of the world’s top cyclists will leave Anglesey at 10.15 in the morning, travel across North Wales via Bangor, Betws-y-Coed, Denbigh, Ruthin and Mold, before culminating in a sprint finish on Chester Street in Wrexham town centre.

Speaking about the event, Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Council, said: “Everyone is looking forward to this race which will bring a huge number of visitors to the town centre.  I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this race to Wrexham and for their hard work and commitment to ensure its success”.

Now in its 12 year, the event is broadcast live from ITV and reaches a global audience of 120 countries with a reach of over 288 million homes.

Many people in Wrexham have already met and admired Wrexham’s sheep which have been installed just for the occasion.  They’ve proved so popular there’s calls for them to stay after the event.  The sheep also have their own twitter account @wrexhamsheep.

Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths added: “Securing the finishing stage of the Tour is fantastic news for the town and I am hopeful the minor inconveniences for certain residents will be kept to a minimum.”

“The event will help put Wrexham on the map and hopefully provide a significant boost to the region’s economy.”

To celebrate the arrival of the Tour of Britain a number of activities to commemorate the occasion are due to take place across the town centre all day. Free car parking in all council owned car parks in the town centre will also be available.