Tour of Britain cycle race heads for West Somerset and Exmoor

WEST Somerset is to host part of this year’s Tour of Britain blue riband cycle race for the first time, as some of the world’s top cyclists compete in a stage which takes them through the district.
The terrain of Exmoor National Park and the Quantock Hills will provide competitors with some tough challenges.
The riders will pass through Williton, Dunster, Minehead, Porlock, Lynmouth, Simonsbath, Exford, and Wheddon Cross before reaching the stage finish in Taunton.
The Tour of Britain starts on Sunday, September 9, and reaches West Somerset on Tuesday, September 11.
The South West stage is being hosted by Somerset County Council, which has secured a stage of the tour for five years from 2007.
The council is confident the race will bring substantial economic benefits and a tourism boost to the county.
The Tour of Britain is Britain’s leading professional cycle race and biggest live sporting event and is free to watch.
Tour of Britain activities are planned to take place in Somerset throughout the summer, including a triathlon for schools at Millfield School, in Street, and a cycling exhibition at the Somerset County Museum, in Taunton.
Details of the Somerset route were unveiled at a ceremony in the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, where guests were treated to a visual spectacle by RNAS service personnel from 864 Squadron.
After flying in by Sea King helicopter, they presented museum staff with a £2,500 bicycle given by Tri UK and Fisher Outdoor for a competition at the exhibition.
County economic development portfolio holder Councillor Paul Buchanan said: “We are determined that the South West stage of the Tour of Britain will be the best ever.
“It will be an exciting event for Somerset, and not to be missed.
“The route will showcase the county, with television coverage on the BBC, and will give us an opportunity to show the world what a perfect setting Somerset is for cycling and outdoor activity breaks.”
The Tour of Britain South West stage is supported by the Somerset Strategic Partnership, Somerset Rural Renaissance Partnership, Exmoor National Park Sustainable Development Fund, Active Exmoor, and Fleet Air Arm Museum.
Information about the route of the race, images and logos can be accessed and downloaded at www.tourofbritain.co.uk/media/downloads/index.asp

• Our photographs show (top) county heritage officer Tom Mayberry (left) with Richard Wallis of Tri UK, and (middle) RNAS service personnel from 864 Squadron delivering a competition prize bicycle by Sea King helicopter for the Somerset County Museum exhibition ‘On Yer Bike’, which is due to start on June 30. Photos submitted.

Round the world yacht race challenge for Tiina

WEST Somerset schools project co-ordinator Tiina Huovinen (pictured) is set for the adventure of a lifetime after being selected to take part in the world’s longest ocean yachting race.
Tiina, 33, who works with the West Somerset Strategic Partnership, will compete in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race.
She heard about the race from a past competitor.
Tiina said: “I have done some sailing before, but nothing like this. I thought it sounded like just the sort of challenge I would like to take on, so I applied.
“I am looking forward to learning new sailing skills and the mental challenge of finding out what I can cope with.
“I am keen to win, but it is also about your own personal experience and doing the best you can.”
Tiina, who is originally from Finland, will set out on the last two legs of the Clipper 07-08 with a crew of people from all walks of life.
Together, they will race through the Panama Canal, and on towards the finish in Liverpool.
It’s still not too late for others to apply to take part in the race. And Tiina, whose job involves co-ordinating a learning partnership strategy for schools in West Somerset, said: “I would encourage others to take on something like this.”
Competitors receive intensive training before they race across thousands of miles of ocean aboard 68-foot yachts.
Crew members take turns to cook, clean, and carry out repairs, as well as sail the yachts.
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was established a decade ago by highly-respected sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, currently racing solo around the world in the VELUX 5 OCEANS event.
He was keen for amateur sailors to experience the adventure and rewards of ocean racing, previously only enjoyed by the privileged and the professional.
Sir Robin said: “Tiina will be joining more than 1,400 people who have made the Clipper experience a turning point in their lives.
“We want people to finish the race thinking that it is the best thing they have ever done.”
Anybody over the age of 18 years can enter, and there is no upper age limit. Competitors who have already signed up for the race - 40 per cent of whom have not had previous sailing experience - include a vicar, a housewife, and a postman.
The Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race starts from Liverpool, in September, and lasts 10 months and takes in 35,000 miles of ocean racing.
The overall race is divided into seven legs and a total of 15 individual races.
Points are accumulated according to each race position, and the yacht with the highest total at the finish (Liverpool, 2008) wins the race trophy.For more information on applying to become a crew member in the sixth Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, contact Clipper Ventures on 02392 526000 or email crew recruitment manager David Cusworth at dcusworth@clipper-ventures.com.

Photo submitted.