Schools Gearing Up for the Women's Tour 2017
Schools across Warwickshire have been sent a school pack as the county prepares itself for the Women's Cycling Tour coming to Warwickshire on Friday 9 June.
Warwickshire is hosting the third leg of the tour which first came to the county last year and was viewed by an estimated 75,000 spectators who lined the roads and braved the elements to cheer the cyclists on.
This year, the cyclists will start at Atherstone and cycle 160km along Warwickshire's roads before finishing on The Parade in Royal Leamington Spa.
The riders from 2016 have spoken about the experience of riding through Warwickshire last year and what they identified as the highlight was the 'wall of noise' that greeted them as they rode.
This came largely from Warwickshire school children. It may come as little surprise to those who teach them that our children created a cacophony of sound that is still living in the memories of those that heard it.
And the riders have said that a repeat performance this year would be perfect so the partners involved in the tour have created the school pack to ensure that schools take the chance to get involved in the tour, plan their spot from which to cheer the riders on and look at activities that the children can do that are related to cycling.
The pack gives schools the chance to become part of the race with children in the north being invited to design the start flag which will be used to get the cyclists moving in Atherstone. Children in the south of the county are being invited to design the stage trophy that will be awarded to the winner of the Warwickshire stage of the Tour.
Race organisers are looking for schools to also use their influence on social media to increase awareness of the Tour. Schools can follow #WT2017 or #ThisGirlCan on twitter. Or, if schools would like to post messages and share with facebook friends, these can be supplied. Email haydenwright@warwickshire.gov.uk to be included on a database of recipients for Facebook ready messages.