80 CLOSED ROAD CYCLE EVENT SUNDAY 19TH JUNE 2016 FORMAL DESCRIPTION FOR PARISH COUNCIL

Number of riders and organisation Maximum 2,500. The entrants will be required to cycle at a minimum speed of 12mph. All entrants advise us of expected speeds at the time of entry, allowing suitable groupings to minimise road closure. All riders will be expected to register at the Pilgrim Centre on the day before the event.

The event is being organised in accordance with the guidelines of, and with the assistance of British Cycling who are also insuring the event.

Route The route starts at Bedford Park gates and De Parys Avenue, before going down the High Street, along the Embankment, up Bushmead Avenue left onto Goldington Road, and onto Kimbolton Road. From there it exits Bedford Town via Cleat Hill before heading out to , Wilden, , , , Little Staughton, , Swineshead, Risley, , , and then back down into Bedford on the Kimbolton Road finishing on Park Avenue. All of these points are shown on the enclosed maps.

Reason for a Closed Road Event Whilst the current increase in participation in recreational cycling is evident, there is also an large increase in the amount of events nationwide. Few of these are closed road. For the participants a closed road event offers a safe opportunity to be able to measure their abilities against others through timing devices. The Bedford 80 will, as with the other closed road events, be a timed event, where riders will be able to see the time taken to complete the course.

Road Closure Marshalling We have contracted with Hertfordshire Traffic Management Ltd to undertake all matters regarding the closure of the roads. Their brief extends to full junction by junction mapping, and planning, notices on the road before the event and taking them down afterwards, Professional marshals at Key or critical junctions, and outrider motor cyclists on the event.

In addition the Rotary Club have budgeted for 90 additional volunteers from the club and friends who will assist with additional marshalling both on the front line roads to be closed and at roads connecting with the race. In addition they will assist in Bedford Park and the feed station.

Communications It is planned that the event will contract for separate communications to enable all or key marshall points to be in communication with the central control at Bedford Park. They will also be warned by the outriders, of the need to close or when to reopen the roads at specific points

Health and Safety Whilst various members of the Rotary Club have over the years been involved or run large organisations and events, this event will be contracting with a separate health and safety organisation to undertake risk analysis of the issues not covered by Hertfordshire Traffic Management, and in addition to review their paperwork, so as to provide best practice. It is anticipated that this will come from Gentian Events Ltd through Eric Stuart.

Timing of the event It is planned to start the event at 7.00am and it is anticipated that the last rider will complete the course by 12.30pm.

The start Riders will enter Bedford Park via the Pilgrim Centre. They will then be marshalled through the park, past the Cafe where they will be split into two colour co-ordinated groups. These will then be corralled into waves of 50 riders and walked to the entrance way of the park at the gates nearest the swimming pool. From there we will launch the riders in waves of 50 riders at a time on De Parys Avenue.

The Finish The riders will come back down Park Avenue from Kimbolton Road and finish in Bedford Park.

Parking and arrival We have identified around 1000 parking spaces at Bedford Modern School, The Pilgrim Centre, Amey, and Albion. The cyclists will cycle to and from their cars to the Park from the west side of town. All entrants will on entry give details of method of arrival. Parking will be allocated at registration.

We anticipate the riders will start to arrive at 6am at Bedford Park.

Temporary Facilities and concessions We anticipate that will need to erect temporary buildings (Portacabins) at the Park for organisational purposes.

In addition we have budgeted for 40 temporary toilets to be erected in the Park.

A structure to house the start and finish line timing mechanism has yet to be designed. One of the criteria for this will be the ease of erection and breakdown.Temporary fixed leg barriers will be used to coral the riders and at both start and finish of the event. We anticipate that these will be erected the day before but that any that are required on the public highway will be erected on the day.

We are anticipating selling concession stalls at this area. These have not yet been considered but will NOT include any alcoholic refreshments.

Whilst these facilities have yet to be contracted for, we anticipate that they will be erected the day before and be taken down immediately after the event.

Spectators As we have not run this event before, the question of how many spectators and where they will be placed will be a matter of guesswork. Due to the early start time, we think that there will be limited spectator involvement in the town, however as we wind our way towards the villages, we will be encouraging the local population to come out and support the riders. We hope that there will be some interest on the return to Bedford Park.

Refreshment Stop We are arranging for one formal refreshment stop at Little Staughton for the riders to take on water and feed if required. With the route being 80km it is our experience that most riders will have enough on board without the need or indeed the desire to stop.

Communication Strategy We have already been in contact with key employers along and adjacent to the route. These include Mowsbury Golf Course ,Keysoe Equestrian Centre and Little Staughton Farm Shop. Further consultation will be organised in the next month, to ensure that a good compromise on procedures and timings can be worked out.

In addition to the businesses, and more importantly, we will be communicating fully with the Parish Councils, and Borough Councillors affected. The objective will be to explain and where necessary to individually notify residents of the event. Whilst some inconvenience is anticipated, and is regrettably necessary, again, advance compromises will be sought. It is anticipated that a leaflet drop to every household on route will take place, This will notify them of the timings of such closures.