Huge cycle ride set to be even bigger

ORGANISERS of the huge Velo Birmingham & Midlands ride that sees thousands of cyclists take to the streets of Coventry have moved the date forward - in a bid to make the event even bigger.

The huge date in the cycling calendar will already see 18,000 riders taking part, but now a “high profile professional road race” could form part of the plans.

The organisers have moved the ride forward by a week - to Sunday, June 21, 2020 - in order to fit in with the Union Cycliste Internationale calendar.

And they say they are “deep in discussions” to host a “high profile professional road race” as part of next year’s event.

Due to the timing, our best guess is that it could be the national road championships.

A Twitter thread from the ride’s organisers said: “We are in deep discussions to host a high profile, professional road race during the event weekend, but to make this vision a reality we need to move the event so it aligns with the UCI calendar.”

There are two rides as part of Velo Birmingham & Midlands 2020.

The first is a 100-mile closed-road trip around the region, starting and ending in Birmingham and passing through Coventry city centre.

There will once again also be a shorter ride of 42 miles for participants, with those riders crossing the finishing line in Coventry city centre.

Registration is due to open in a couple of weeks.

Entries will open on October 1 to previous participants only, and on October 3 to everyone who has pre-registered.

Velo 2019 raised over £1million for charity and next year’s event will once again work closely with its four Charity Partners - Cure Leukaemia, Alzheimer’s Society, NSPCC and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity - along with dozens of other charities.