Preparation for next year’s visit of the Tour De France to Ripon began last week. Around 25 people attended a meeting to share their ideas about making the best of the opportunities the event presents for the people and businesses of the City.
Discussions were led by Alastair Little, long-time cycling enthusiast and Ripon resident, David Stead, owner of David Stead Gallery and Neil Dunkley who runs Moonglu cycle shop in the City.
Alastair said:
As cycling enthusiasts, proud of our City, we all want to see Ripon take full advantage of this opportunity. We’ve a vision for what we’d like to see happen and this was an opportunity to share ideas and listen to other people’s great thoughts.
David Shields, from Welcome to Yorkshire attended the meeting and provided the context for the size and scale of the event, saying the convoy of sponsors and support vehicles could be up to 3 1/2 hours long. He also outlined the potential economic impact from visitors and tourists this year, during next year’s event and as part of the legacy.
The event was supported by the City Development Team, as an important strand of promotion and marketing of the City.
Alan Weston, City Development Manager said:
it was great to see so many enthusiastic people all wanting to get involved. Working together we can make this both a successful community event and also attract visitors and tourists to the City.
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And the need for everyone to work together was summed up by Neil Dunkley owner of the City’s Moonglu Cycle shop, who added:
We’re just a group of cyclists who had some ideas in the pub so if anyone else wants to get involved please come along to the next meeting or get in touch. The more people get involved the better we can showcase Ripon.
The next Ripon Welcomes Le Tour meeting will take place on Tuesday 21st May at 18:00. For further information or for anyone wanting to discuss what they are planning for Tour De France please contact Alan Weston, City Development Manager on 01765 601100 or email: riponcitydevelopmentmanager@yahoo.co.uk
