THE COST of bringing two cycle races to Harlow is set to cost over £200,00 reveals a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request.

The Tour of Britain will be coming to Harlow on Friday September 8th. The equivalent women’s tour came last year.

The FOI asked Harlow Council

Please could I know what the cost of holding the woman’s cycling race in Harlow last year was and also what the cost of holding the men’s cycling race this year. Please include fees for hosting, road closures hospitality and any other costs involved?

Response

Last year the cost of hosting the women’s cycling race in Harlow was £103,732.60.

This year the cost of hosting the men’s Tour of Britain race will be £126,000. 

We duly asked the leader of Harlow Council, if he would care to defend spend close to half a million pounds on two cycle races.

Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of the Council, said:

“I am proud that the council has secured one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world in the form of the Men’s Tour of Britain. This is truly historic for Harlow and there are huge benefits to Harlow for hosting such a prestigious world leading event, following the town hosting the successful women’s tour cycle race last year.

“The Women’s Tour was a fantastic day, which created many great memories for schoolchildren, spectators, local cycling fans, organisations and the riders, and it showed to the world that Harlow can successfully host sporting events.

“We are one of several areas across the country fortunate enough to secure the Tour of Britain event. We have utilised existing resources to secure this event for our town and £126,000 is an investment in the promotion of the town to a UK and worldwide audience. We are working with local businesses and organisations to secure sponsorship to reduce some of this cost.

“The Harlow stage of last year’s Women’s Tour was a £800,000 boost to the local economy and the TV viewing figures were 251,000 views on ITV4 with a further 215,000 views on Eurosport. In 2022 Tour of Britain race venues (start or finish) received an average £1.575m boost to the local economy. Each stage of the race averaged 324,000 viewers of the live coverage on ITV4 in the UK and 247,000 for the highlights on the same channel and the race was shown globally with a worldwide audience of around 2m outside of the UK.

“Hosting such an event should be something this town can be proud of. With the town’s rich cycling history from its extensive cycle track network to the John Collins cycle collection at the museum it makes Harlow the ideal location to host the Tour of Britain. It will be free to watch and will feature the world’s best riders from Olympic, world and Tour de France champions helping to inspire local people to get on a bike and cycle more. The event will bring people into the town, promote Harlow as a place to visit and positively expose the town to a UK and worldwide audience on TV and online, and there is a huge economical value for both Harlow and the local economy as well.

“It is more than just hosting the end of a race it is also a community celebration. We are working to ensure that this year’s event is once again enjoyed by local children who are invited to both line the route and ride the route before the race enters the town. As well as a school zone there will be a community zone open from 12noon to 4pm where local organisations will be invited to take part and raise awareness of their work. The event will also be good for businesses with many local businesses and organisations engaged and employed to support the event.

“This will be a day for every young person in Harlow to remember and will boost our local economy. That is why the council has invested in this.

“Just like last year’s Women’s Tour there will be some local road closures in place for the safety of all. Diversions will be in place on the day and access to residential areas maintained. We are writing directly to all residents affected and we hope as many people and organisations as possible can get involved and enjoy seeing this event coming to the town.”