Over 100 of the best riders from afar as Israel and New Zealand will race around 20 laps of the closed road circuit in The SD Sealants Junior Tour of Wales on Sunday morning before moving on to their afternoon stage.
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It’s a first for the race to come to the county in its 40 year history and has served as the springboard for the careers of countless Grand Tour riders including Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas who finished 2nd on Junior Tour 2004. Carmarthen cyclist Scott Davies also won the 2013 edition before making his big race debut at the Giro d’Italia this year.
This event will support the investment Carmarthenshire is making in cycling such as the new closed road circuit in Pembrey Country Park which opened last year and was the venue for the opening stage of the 2018 Men’s OVO Tour of Britain and the final stage for this year’s OVO Women’s Tour race.
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The council’s head of leisure, Ian Jones said: “The park continues to attract high profile events such as this and it’s another example of Carmarthenshire’s aspiration to become the Cycling Hub of Wales. The event focuses on the next generation of riders who aspire to emulate local hero Geraint Thomas in becoming a future Olympian and Tour De France Winner.”
The circuit provides a safe, traffic-free environment for recreational cyclists, as well as coaching, training and competitive cycling events for those who wish to develop and test their skills.
It has been designed and built to British cycling standard, with a 6m wide tarmac surface of varying gradients and bends, to attract local, regional and national events, races and training camp.
Team Dimension Data professional cyclist Scott Davies adds: “It’s great that this year’s Junior Tour will include stages in Carmarthenshire. It’s a fantastic place for cycling with quiet roads, an abundance of climbs and spectacular scenery on a clear day. The route for stage 4 features some of my home roads and facilities that I train on every day. I’m sure it’ll make for some great racing, and the best of luck to all the riders competing in this year’s race.”
