The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride series has been expanded to allow amateur cyclists to tackle five stages of the Tour of Britain.
Following the announcment of the 2011 Tour of Britain route, Tour Rides will take place in East Anglia on July 24, Wales on August 21, Scotland on September 4, London on September 11 and Stoke-on-Trent on September 18.
Full details are yet to be announced, but you can register your interest here.
“I did the Stoke-on-Trent ride last year,” said Olympic team pursuit gold medallist and Rapha Condor Sharp rider Ed Clancy. “I enjoyed it. It was a good day – and nice to see my teammates on a day when we are not competing, in a stress-free environment.
“The number of cycling fans has really grown in the past few years, largely following the success we have had at the Olympics and in the Tour de France.
“You could see on the Tour of Britain stages there were a lot of spectators out on the route especially to watch the bike ride.
“The Tour Ride is a great opportunity for people to be able to actually ride the same route themselves and challenge themselves against the pros. It was really well organised with food stops along the way, race cars and good signage.
“Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer in men in the UK, so it was also good to do this for a good cause and get the message out there.”
The Prostate Cancer Charity’s partnership with the Tour of Britain aims to bring people together through cycling in order to help raise awareness of the disease, which is the most common form of cancer in men in the UK, affecting one in nine during their lifetime.
Prostate Cancer Charity chief executive Owen Sharpe added: “Over the past three years, the Prostate Cancer Charity has developed strong links with professional and amateur cyclists, through our partnership with the Tour of Britain, which have been invaluable in helping us to get many more people thinking about the disease.
“The rides offer cyclists the opportunity to ride the same route as professional cyclists and last year’s events, which raised over £520,000, exceeded our expectations.
“This year, we want to build upon our achievement with two additional rides, which we hope will offer riders a new challenge. The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides are aiming to involve as many people aspossible, from across Great Britain, in our fight against prostate cancer.”
