Worcester to host the 2015 Friends Life Tour Ride sportive on Sunday 4th October
![]() |
News – Tour Ride for Worcester
Building on the success of hosting a stage of last September’s Friends Life Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional cycle race, Worcester will host the 2015 Friends Life Tour Ride, a mass participation cycle event for amateur cyclists.
Taking place on Sunday 4th October, three route options for the Ride will be available, headlined by a 100-mile route, which will showcase some of the most attractive, and hardest, roads in Worcestershire. Entrants can also choose 75 and 35-mile options to suit their ability.
Starting from outside the University of Worcester Arena, all three routes will finish on Worcester Racecourse allowing for a closed-road finale to the Friends Life Tour Ride, just a short hop by bridge across the River Severn, giving participants separate Start and Finish locations accessed from the same car parking.
The Friends Life Tour Ride, which was launched in 2009, is the official sportive of the Friends Life Tour of Britain and Friends Life Women’s Tour races, giving amateur cyclists the chance to have the professional experience and enjoy a full supported ride with all route options incorporating elements of the 2014 Friends Life Tour of Britain.
The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership is hosting the Friends Life Tour Ride, working alongside partner organisations, and recognises the role that sport has in boosting the local economy as the county celebrates a number of high profile sporting events during 2015.
Peter Pawsey, Executive Chair of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “I am pleased to announce that this prestigious cycle ride will take place in the county in October this year and would encourage people to start training. Businesses may wish to enter teams and this is a great opportunity for both individuals and teams to raise funds for their chosen charities.
“We recognise the huge importance that high profile sporting events provide to local companies. For example, the Tour of Britain boosted the local economy by almost £1m last year and I would urge businesses to consider the many commercial opportunities that this event will provide.â€
“This is an exciting addition to Worcestershire’s high profile sporting programme of events taking place this year, which will help to put Worcestershire firmly on the sporting map of Britain. Another highlight will be the prestigious European Wheelchair Basketball Championships which the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership is supporting alongside Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council.â€
Taking place annually since 2009, last year saw the Friends Life Tour Ride take place in Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District, with approaching 1,000 riders entering and riding alongside Mark Cavendish, for whom it was his official sportive in 2014.
In addition to having hosted the Friends Life Tour of Britain on three occasions since 2007, most notably in 2014 when World Champion elect Michal Kwiatkowski won Stage Four from Worcester to Bristol, Worcestershire is also a regular host of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series in Redditch, which has taken place annually since 2012 with both elite men and women’s races.
Entries for the 2015 Friends Life Tour Ride will open in the final week of February, followed by a revamped event website, together with details of all three routes
Send your results as well as club, team & event news here
Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)
- Features, Reports, Results
- Giro: Simon Yates Fights for Pink
- Giro 2021: Mollema, Ciccone and Nibali Reactions
- CAMS-Tifosi for Healthy Ageing Tour 2021
- UAE Tour: Stage 4
- News: New Head of Creative at Ribble Cycles
- UAE Tour: Stage 3
- News: Cavendish for Le Samyn
- Interview: John Archibald
- This weekend: Deceuninck – Quick-Step
- 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné Route
- UAE Tour – Stage 2 Time Trial
- Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var: Stage 3
- UAE Tour: First win to Mathieu van der Poel
- Central Region Junior RR Team Manager
- Tour Du Var – Stage 2
- Team News: Win for Mollema at Haut Var
- News: Tour Du Var – Stage 1
- News: Elite Status Changes
- News: Deceuninck – Quick-Step to UAE Tour
- Feature Interview: Alexandar Richardson (Alpecin-Fenix)
- News: Quintana Back Racing
- News: UAE Tour: Provisional Riders List
- News: Wout van Aert Training in Tenerife
- News: Quickstep off to Spain to train
- News: Alaphilippe’s On form for 2021 Targets
- News: 2021 Women’s Tour Postponed
- Q&A: Martha Lebentz (Team Tofauti Everyone Active)
- Tour de Provence – Second for World Champ Alaphilippe
- Former winners Perfs Pedal Road Race
- News: Drops 2021 Calendar
- INFO: 2021 Vuelta Stages
- News: Two from Two for Davide Ballerini
- News: Ballerini strikes on Provence opening day
- News: Giro Wildcard for Eolo Kometa
- News: Cavendish Opens Season at Almeria
- Interview: Sean Yates (Eolo Kometa)
- More National Series Events Cancelled
- Year of Exploration for Tom Pidcock says coach Kurt Bogaerts
- News: Archibald Set to Race
- World Champion Racing This Week
Other News on VeloUK
- Giro: Simon Yates Fights for Pink
- Giro 2021: Mollema, Ciccone and Nibali Reactions
- CAMS-Tifosi for Healthy Ageing Tour 2021
- UAE Tour: Stage 4
- News: New Head of Creative at Ribble Cycles
- UAE Tour: Stage 3
- News: Cavendish for Le Samyn
- Interview: John Archibald
- This weekend: Deceuninck – Quick-Step
- 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné Route
- UAE Tour – Stage 2 Time Trial
- Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var: Stage 3
- UAE Tour: First win to Mathieu van der Poel
- Central Region Junior RR Team Manager
- Tour Du Var – Stage 2
- Team News: Win for Mollema at Haut Var
- News: Tour Du Var – Stage 1
- News: Elite Status Changes
- News: Deceuninck – Quick-Step to UAE Tour
- News: Quintana Back Racing
- News: UAE Tour: Provisional Riders List
- News: Wout van Aert Training in Tenerife
- News: Quickstep off to Spain to train
- News: Alaphilippe’s On form for 2021 Targets
- News: 2021 Women’s Tour Postponed
- Tour de Provence – Second for World Champ Alaphilippe
- Former winners Perfs Pedal Road Race
- News: Drops 2021 Calendar
- INFO: 2021 Vuelta Stages
- News: Two from Two for Davide Ballerini
- News: Ballerini strikes on Provence opening day
- News: Giro Wildcard for Eolo Kometa
- News: Cavendish Opens Season at Almeria
- Interview: Sean Yates (Eolo Kometa)
- More National Series Events Cancelled
- Year of Exploration for Tom Pidcock says coach Kurt Bogaerts
- News: Archibald Set to Race
- World Champion Racing This Week
- News: Steve Cummings Joins Ineos
- News: Ganna to support Adam Yates in UAE Tour