The University of Lincoln continues its support for the ever popular Lincoln Grand Prix Cycle Race by extending its previous year supporting sponsorship to become the event’s main sponsor in 2012, for the 57th edition of the event on Sunday the 13th of May.
The University now has a student population of around 10,000 and plays an ever-increasing role in the life of the City. Its ongoing development has seen massive investment in the City Centre and the Brayford Pool areas.
Race Organiser, Ian Emmerson, welcomed the University’s continued support for the event, saying;
“I hope that this partnership will see the race continue to develop as it heads toward its own Diamond Jubilee.
“The Grand Prix attracts a huge crowd to the City’s tourist areas each year.
“It’s the City’s most important international sporting event and was again voted the Cycling Weekly favourite Premier Calendar event in 2011.”
Elly Sample, Director of Communications, Development and Marketing at the University of Lincoln, said:
“We’re very proud to be able to support such a prestigious sporting event which has been bringing world-class athletes to our City for many years.
“The Lincoln Grand Prix is a much-loved annual fixture in the cycling calendar and, in such an exciting year for British sport with the London 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, we hope people across the City will be out in force to cheer on the competitors.”
The event will be a main feature in the City’s run up to the London Olympic Games in advance of the arrival of the Olympic Torch Relay in Lincoln on June 27th.
The Games themselves start two months later and cycling will be a high-profile sport with the first medal event being the men’s road race where British medal prospects are high.
Over the years the Grand Prix has played an important role in the development of the British riders and most will have ridden the race in recent years.
The Lincoln Grand Prix gets its laps back
The 2012 Lincoln Grand Prix will be back to its traditional 13 laps of the eight mile circuit based on the uphill tourist areas of Lincoln to bring the distance up to 102 miles with the start at 10 am from the Yarborough Sports Centre and a predicted finish time just before 2 pm in Castle Square.
The race distance was shortened five years ago in order to lessen the effect of traffic diversions but with a revised traffic management system proving itself in 2011 the police and highways authority have agreed that the missing two laps can be restored.
Additional attractions
The finish area will again have the British Cycling Watt Bike Challenge, the Go-ride events for schools, the Lincolnshire Farmers’ Market, the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership Bike4Life campaign plus refreshments and bike and clothing stalls.
The Go-ride events for schools were hugely popular in 2011 and they will again be back with several laps of a short circuit in the finish area in between early laps of the Grand Prix.
The Lincoln Grand Prix also has the City of Lincoln Council as its main supporting sponsor plus additional finance from British Cycling, Jackson Building Centres, Pygott and Crone Estate Agents, Impsport, Lindum Construction Group, Lincolnshire Co-operative, NatWest and cars from Audi and Marshall Land Rover.
The event website is currently being upgraded by Dan Ellmore where lots of further information can be found. There will also be Facebook and Twitter feeds shortly.
The Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive
Following on from its first year success when over 400 riders took part the 2nd Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive will be developed further with an additional 75 mile route added to the existing 55 miles and 92 miles circuits.
There will also be a family event over a shorter 25 mile route. The events taking place on the day before the Grand Prix will all start from the Yarborough Leisure Centre and finish in Castle Square after the climb of one in six cobbled Michaelgate, also a main feature of the following day’s epic race.
The entry list is now open and can be found on the ITP Events website.
