The Original Bicycle Festival, Scotland’s homecoming cycling festival, comes to a dramatic close this weekend (23/24 May) as town centre road racing hits the streets of Castle Douglas and Dumfries.

The first two events of Scottish Cycling’s ScottishPower Renewables Criterium Series build upon the massive UK wide interest that is generated for cycling in Dumfries and Galloway as a result of the annual visit of the Tour of Britain, with large crowds expected to turn out to watch the action unfold.

Scotland’s premier circuit races have attracted a top class field from across Scotland and the North of England with the challenging routes in Castle Douglas and Dumfries expected to test riders to the limit whilst providing a thrilling spectacle for both festival visitors and residents alike.

Jackie Davidson, Chief Executive of Scottish Cycling, says: “The Criterium Series is a great day out for riders and spectators. With up to 100 riders battling it out around a town centre circuit, these events will be fantastic to watch. This is an exciting time for cycling in Scotland and it will be interesting to see who out of the experienced riders and emerging talent take away victory from these fast-paced races.”

The Castle Douglas Criterium programme starts at 5.30pm on Saturday evening (23 May) with a series of junior, youth and women’s races building up to the Men’s elite race at 8.10pm. The Dumfries circuit on Sunday (24 May) is longer, more dramatic and a lot more energy sapping. The first race starts at 2.30pm with the elite men’s race starting at 5.30pm.

Registration is still open. Visit www.scottishcycling.org.uk for more info.

Full programme available at www.originalbicyclefestival.co.uk