Onstage Entertainment Added To UCI Road World Championships Calendar

Organisers of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships are gearing up for three nights of top-quality cycling entertainment.

To accompany the world-class racing taking place across the county in September, Harrogate's Royal Hall will host fun events with special guests, informative and entertaining insights designed to perfectly complement the eight-day event

The new voices of cycling - Ned Boulting and David Millar - will host two events. Over T’Rainbow on Saturday 21 September will celebrate Yorkshire’s legendary cycling heritage, while Ned n’ Dave’s Pot of Gold on Thursday 26 September is focused on the history of the UCI Road World Championships.

Then, on Friday 27 September, The Cycling Podcast’s trio of highly respected and experienced journalists (Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe) will present their own inimitable brand of commentary, analysis and insight regarding the Championships.

Yorkshire 2019 CEO Andy Hindley said: “We want the 2019 UCI Road World Championships to be the most inclusive and most enjoyable Championships ever, and organising top-quality entertainment on top the racing will play a huge part of that.

“We’re delighted to have Ned, David and The Cycling Podcast team onstage at Harrogate’s Royal Hall during the Championships and the shows will be must-sees for people descending on the county this September. Demand will be high so we encourage cycling fans and local aficionados to book early.”

Four-time Tour de France stage winner and ITV commentator, David Millar, said: “Yorkshire has become one of the most important homes of cycling not just in this country, but across the world. I can’t wait to be there once again to celebrate the iconic rainbow jersey. Please join me and my commentating compadre Ned Boulting for two special evenings in honour of the single most special week in the racing calendar.”

Fellow ITV commentator, Ned Boulting, said: “The full panoply of a mad eight days of racing on Yorkshire’s famously testing roads will be picked apart and dissected live on stage, before your very eyes. That’s the theory anyway, as David and I open our contacts books and invite some special guests to join us in marking a unique moment in the history of bicycle racing on this sceptres isle.

“Saturday’s show will look back at some of the great stories of local cycling legends and on the Thursday we will be focusing more on the current racers and the rainbow jersey contenders. Each night will be a great way to celebrate the sport and enable people to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes.”

The Cycling Podcast presenter Richard Moore said: “The UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire promise to be huge. We’ll be there podcasting throughout the week but we’re especially excited about our show on the Friday evening. It’ll be the biggest one we’ve ever done and we’re looking forward to an evening of hopeless speculation in anticipation of the climax to the Championships.”

Fellow The Cycling Podcast presenter Lionel Birnie said: “I’ve always dreamed of appearing at the UCI Road World Championships. I was seven years old the last time they were held in Britain so it’s really special to be appearing at such a prestigious venue as Harrogate’s Royal Hall to talk about the races this time around. The whole county will be buzzing that week and Yorkshire will be the centre of the cycling world, so to be on stage in front of hundreds of cycling fans on the Friday night will be an occasion to remember.”

The stage shows are not the only non-racing initiatives being organised by Yorkshire 2019. During the Championships a 50,000-capacity Fan Zone will be located on The Stray in Harrogate featuring a giant stage and whole host of entertainment is being planned across the nine days.