With just one-year-to-go until the Tour de France arrives on Powys roads, the National Cycle Museum in Llandrindod Wells is hoping to be among the organisations and businesses that benefit.
On 4 July 2027, the best cyclists in the world and 10s of thousands of visitors will be descending on the county, as stage three of the world’s biggest annual sporting event races between Welshpool and Cardiff.
In between it will travel along the Severn Valley to Newtown, through Llandrindod Wells, Builth Wells and Brecon – after climbing Mynydd Epynt – before heading out of Powys through the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
It is expected to provide a massive boost to Powys’ economy and ensure more visitors than ever are aware of what the county has to offer for years to come.
The National Cycle Museum, run purely by volunteers and sitting directly on the race route, is among the tourist attractions hoping to benefit from increased visitor numbers.
Trustee Peter Davies said: “We’ve got quite a selection here – 260 bikes, with frames – in the museum. We’ve got a Hobby Horse here that we’ve only had for a few months that is 200 years old. There are only about 10 in the world, so it’s very rare. We’ve got transitionals, Boneshakers, Penny-farthings, all kinds of things from the early stages. Then as you come to the newer ones you go from solid tyres to blow-up tyres, which were round about 1900s or thereabouts, right through to the Raleigh Chopper, light weights, race bikes and carbon fibre.
“When people come here, they really have a surprise. It’s nice for them and nice for us, and they write in our book and say how they’ve enjoyed it. It’s not just the bicycles, it’s all the memorabilia with them; the posters, the lamps, everything.”
The National Cycle Museum is open on Mondays and Tuesdays, between 10am and 4pm, and on Saturdays (April – September), between 10am and 2pm.
It is based in the Automobile Palace which itself is grade II* listed and believed to be the oldest bicycle and car showroom in Wales, on Temple Street, with more information available through its website: www.cyclemuseum.org.uk
Councillor Glyn Preston, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys, said: “The National Cycle Museum is one of Powys’ hidden gems and its location on the Tour de France route places it in a fantastic position to benefit from the increased visitor numbers the event will bring. With its unique collection charting more than 200 years of cycling history, it offers a wonderful opportunity for visitors to learn more about the sport while exploring our county.
“The Tour de France will showcase Powys to a global audience, and we are keen to ensure local attractions, businesses and communities make the most of the economic and tourism opportunities it presents.”
The Tour’s description for stage three reads: “Taking place entirely within Wales, this stage is not only gruelling but also has an explosive finale and will put the peloton’s team leaders and more punchy performers to the test.”
