It’s an exciting week of high profile sports event in the region.
Last weekend Nottingham hosted the British Triathlon Mixed Relay Cup , to a live audience of more than 15,000 spectators with millions more seeing a sunny embankment provide the perfect location.
It saw some of the world’s best triathletes battling it out on the banks of the River Trent. 68 athletes competed to take the prestigious crown in a battle of endurance and incredible skill, showcased by Nottingham’s Sophie Coldwell as her Loughborough team claimed the silver medal, behind Team Leeds and ahead of the Canadians.
Jack Buckner, the Chief Executive of British Triathlon had previously spoken at a Nottingham Means Business (now re-branded to Nottingham Partners) lunch where he shared his excitement for holding a world class event in Nottingham. After the huge success of this weekend, he has further praised the city for putting on the event and has said it was “fantastic” and that he hopes to work with Nottingham City Council to make it even bigger and better next year.
The excitement of the weekend will be followed by the OVO Energy Tour of Britain on Wednesday when millions of people across the UK and an anticipated 200,000 live spectators see the world’s top cyclists race through the beautiful Nottinghamshire countryside.
It is the first time an entire stage of the event has been held in the county. The cyclists will race 175km stage from Mansfield to Newark-on-Trent, with the route passing through Eastwood, Hucknall, Gedling and the grounds of Newstead Abbey and the centre of Southwell.
Councillor Kay Cutts, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, unveiled the yellow bike outside County Hall with Councillor John Cottee to show support for the race. She said: “It’s now only days to go until The Tour of Britain comes to Nottinghamshire for the first time – and will be broadcast live on TV.
“Communities are busy getting the route ready with yellow bikes, flags and bunting to help cheer on the riders – including big names such as Mark Cavendish.
“As well as making sure the route looks good from the roadside, we know that there’s been lots of activity creating land art displays to make sure the county also looks great from the air for the TV helicopter.
Marketing NG is working closely with local authority partners and Nottingham BID to bring more exciting events to the region in the next 12 months.