A cycling race in Wales has been shortened and rerouted due to the country’s new 20mph default speed limit, according to the event’s organisers.
The Junior Tour of Wales, set to begin today, has seen changes to three of its five stages as support vehicles would struggle to keep up with riders without exceeding the speed limit.
The race’s finish, originally planned for Nantgaredig in Carmarthenshire, home of three-time Olympic cycling medallist Emma Finucane, has also been moved.
The Welsh government has said that it collaborated with race organisers to ensure the event could proceed safely.
Race organiser Richard Hopkins said: ‘A Welsh government scheme designed to enable cycle races to manage race and public safety through 20mph zones has failed, leaving us with a major problem.
‘Even though there was only seven miles of 20mph across the whole 237-mile, four-day race, and even then split into a number of very short sections, we couldn’t guarantee to manage all of them safely.’
The new speed limits apply to vehicles but not cyclists, making it difficult for support vehicles to keep pace with the riders.
The 20mph policy was introduced in September last year, with the promise that lower speed limits would lead to fewer collisions and people injured.
The Welsh Government provided funding to Wales’ 22 councils for new signs required to alert drivers of the speed limit.
It has seen fierce opposition from the Conservatives in the Senedd, who have branded it a ‘waste of time and resources’.
Wales’ Transport Secretary Ken Skates had admitted that the policy was so unpopular even his own family had signed the petition against it.
Vandalism of 20mph signs and a Senedd petition with over half a million signatures opposing the policy.
The Junior Tour of Wales, which began in 1981, has seen past participants like Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas and double mountain bike gold medallist Tom Pidcock.
This year, 100 riders will start the race in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, passing through Powys and Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire over the weekend, and concluding with a final stage in Monmouthshire on Monday.
Mr Hopkins acknowledged the disappointment the changes might cause, especially as they alter the race’s character and challenge, including the loss of the stage finish in Nantgaredig and the climb of the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire.
‘It’s massively demoralising, after putting so much effort into trying to make the race as a whole viable, and it also leaves me wondering what’s going to happen next, because every time I think we might be in a good place, something else rolls along to knock it back,’ he said.
Local businesses, such as the Railway Hotel in Nantgaredig, are also feeling the impact.
The Welsh Labour government has scrapped its blanket 20mph speed limits just a year after they were introduced
A woman holds a sign during a protest against 20mph speed limits on September 23
Melanie Phillips-Rees, landlady of the Railway Hotel in Nantgaredig, noted that local businesses are also feeling the impact.
She said: ”It’s disappointing that the race will not be able to follow its usual route as it has always been an attraction that has drawn attention and support from the local community.
‘We have a number of aspiring young cyclists in the area and the completion of the race here allows them to witness an amazing event first hand, an opportunity that will now be missed.’
The Welsh government said: ‘The priority for any race is always to ensure that it is safe for all participants and other road users in accordance with police/highway authority requirements.
‘The introduction of 20mph does not change this position.
‘We have worked with the race organisers to develop various options to ensure the race can go ahead.’
Welsh Cycling has supported the lower speed limit for its benefits to road safety for cyclists but acknowledged the challenges it presents for organising road races.
