Race organiser with sponsors urgently needs women racers.

Le Commentateur

My club got this email this morning, so posting here too in case it helps.

Hi,

I wonder if you can help me find some women riders?

You see, this year we decided to replace the ex-Pros race at the Newport Nocturne with a women’s event. We really wanted to support women’s racing. The trouble is women’s racing doesn’t seem to be supporting us! There’s plenty of ‘buzz’ about the event on Facebook and Twitter but it just isn’t being converted into entries. We have 12 entries with one or two more supposedly on the way. The event is on 1st September with the closing date in a week’s time. Newport, Shropshire has excellent motorway links and is just 1.5 hours from Manchester and Liverpool, 2.5 hours from London.

We’ve got two new sponsors (one for the overall race and one for the “Queen if the Sprints”) for the women’s race. These sponsors specifically want to support women’s racing. They will both be lost to the sport if we don’t get enough entries to go ahead. Also, it will be another high profile event cancelled. That seems crazy at a time when women’s cycling is in the spotlight. You’d think that with £1000+ in prizes and the prospect of 10,000+ spectators the entries would be flooding in!

If we have to cancel we will have a huge space in the programme of events with nothing to fill it at short notice. On top of that we need the women’s race sponsors’ money to help pay for barriers, lights, advertising, etc, for the event as a whole. We stand to lose a lot of money. Basically, we have to make the women’s event work.

Do you know any women who would be interested in riding? For anyone who hasn’t been to our event, here’s a video clip from the last edition in 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vXEAkrzh0Y

Please see what you can do!

Thanks!

Nick Jeggo
Promoter
Newport Nocturne
07967 452688
www.bikerace.co.uk
info@bikerace.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/NewportNocturneCycleRace

Cue debate.

Tom Butcher

Shame if they can't get a decent entry it's a great event.

Herbsman

Have forwarded it onto my club. Not many women riders in it though but if you get one entry it was worth doing.