British Cycling’s National Road Championships were last night named as 'Event of the Year' at the Scottish Sports Awards in Glasgow.
The championships took place over four days in June with the action culminating in the men’s and women’s road race on Sunday 23 June when Mark Cavendish and Lizzie Armitstead thrilled the crowds by becoming respective national champions. Prior to this, Alex Dowsett, Joanna Rowsell and Sam Harrison were crowned the 2013 British Time Trial Champions in nearby Stewarton.
"This year’s National Road Championships were the best attended we’ve ever had and further reinforces the growing appetite that we are seeing in this country for cycling."
Jonny Clay, British Cycling Director of Cycle Sport and Membership
Record-breaking crowds attended the weekend’s racing, with more than 30,000 people lining the streets of Glasgow, while British Cycling’s website saw its most successful day in history with double the number of visits that the National Championships saw in 2012. Web traffic to www.britishcycling.org.uk on Sunday was higher than it was even during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Commenting on the news of the award, British Cycling’s Director of Cycle Sport and Membership, Jonny Clay, said:
“This year’s National Road Championships were the best attended we’ve ever had and further reinforces the growing appetite that we are seeing in this country for cycling.
“The road race took place right in the heart of Glasgow and attracted thousands of people to create a unique sporting atmosphere so I’m delighted that this has been recognised by the Scottish Sports Awards.
“I want to thank Scottish Cycling, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life, Commonwealth Games 2014, Event Scotland and of course the riders, but I would also like to thank the fans in Glasgow who turned out in huge numbers and made the event the success it was.
“The fact that our website traffic broke records as well for the number of visits shows that thousands of people all over Britain are fans of cycling and want to catch up on all of the action. We are now excited to build on this event next year.”
