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SIR DAVE BRAILSFORD SUPPORTS ROAD SAFETY AWARENESS EVENT

Cycling guru Sir Dave Brailsford backed our road safety awareness day which was held at the Derby Multi Sports Arena and Velodrome site.

He attended the Changing Places Day event, along with Ian Drake CEO of British Cycling and Phil Hogg, British and European para-triathlete champion.

They also got a sneak peek inside the facility which will include the UK’s newest Velodrome.

They were guests of honour at our event which aimed to highlight the challenges faced by all who share the roads – particularly cyclists and HGV drivers.

“More and more people are getting interested in cycling and it is important that we increase awareness of the challenges faced when we are sharing the roads together,” said Sir David. “This kind of event is really important in changing attitudes and I am delighted to be here.”

Sir David chatted with members of the public who had attended the event, which included a pop-up cycle track from Street Velodrome enabling participants to feel the thrill of riding around a velodrome track and race against the clock, or their friends.

The UK’s number one mountain bike display team featuring Joe Oakley who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent were also there to entertain the crowds.

The main focus of the day was the road safety message and this was highlighted by the chance for cyclists to sit in the cab of a lorry and view the road from the driver’s perspective and for driver’s to cycle alongside the lorry – even in a safe environment it can be a scary place to be.

Cyclist Simon Reavill,said: “ As a keen cyclist I found the view from a truck cab an interesting perspective and it will keep me safer on the roads.”

After touring the event, the guests were given a tour of the Multi Sports Arena, which will be handed over to client Derby City Council, next November.

“This is very, very exciting,” said Sir David. “The fact that it is a multi-use facility with a velodrome around an in-field catering for a variety of sports is excellent planning.”

Ian Drake, CEO of British Cycling said: “This is a fantastic facility and I am sure in 20 years’ time we are going to see gold-winning Olympians who started their journey in this very Velodrome.”