Biking Broadway
On the evening of June 18th, Broadway closed off it's historic High Street and welcomed bikers of all abilities to compete in a series of fun cycling events in celebration of National Bike week. Biking Broadway, organised by Riley & Thomas, gave everyone the chance to take part in competitions, races and attractions; offering fun at its finest for the whole family.
The event began once the High Street was closed to traffic, and opened with the Children's 'best dressed' bike competition which many entered. With so many brilliant bikes on display it was always going to be a tough decision but the honour was given to James Lee for his fantastic entry, Tyre Snake. James was the worthy winner of £50, the prize being kindly donated by Hampton International.
That was followed by the main event: the Team relay race. The relay teams, made up of 3 riders, were split into two heats. They had to cycle the length of the High Street starting from the War Memorial, up to the mini roundabout at the top of the street before turning around and cycling back to set the next rider off. 16 teams entered in total, 10 battled it out in the first heat and 8 teams competed in the second. The first quickest 5 progressed in Heat 1 and was joined by the quickest 4 from the second to set up the final, winner-takes-all, race of the nine best teams.
They were: Here for the Beer, Buckland Manor, Broadway Deli Girls, Treasure Trove, The Silver Foxes, Bruised Peach Riders, The Jeremy Houghton Zoomers, Ashmores Dry Cleaners and Evesham Vale Triathlon. In what was a hotly contested final, the number one team was crowned as "Here for the Beer" who were the undoubtedly the quickest on the day. They each showed athletic resilience to peddle their way to first place and win a bottle of champagne.
The final cycling event saw individual riders compete in one race, stretching four lengths of the High Street, to crown the best solo cycling display. The winner was Warren Mantle, who blitzed the course and finished comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack. His cycling merits earned himself a top podium finish and a bottle of bubbly. There were no empty hands however, everyone who took part in the events were rewarded with free ice cream courtesy of the Icicle Trycycle, which was the case for every competition and race on the day.
The event was a huge success, it was a real laugh with everyone in good spirits. The turnout was great and there was tremendous support from the crowds of people who turned up, cheering on those who enthusiastically took part. There were costumes, turbo tandems, out-of-breath fire fighters and a couple of pedestrian near-misses. And more, family bike rides, historic bike displays, even a bike riding stilt walker, naturally. None of it was taken too seriously and that was probably the best thing about it! To top it off it was perfectly encapsulated by the fine weather we enjoyed, which seemed to be the perfect advert for an afternoon in Broadway.
Please take your cycle helmets off to Riley & Thomas who organised and hosted this fantastic event for everyone to enjoy, they deserve great appreciation for their dedication. Also a special mention for Robin Walker who was on the microphone throughout the event and Chris Brooks and team from Wychavon District Council for all their help behind the scenes. With this year's celebration of cycling over for now, we already look forward to welcoming it back next year!
For a full album of photos visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/visitbroadway
