Residents' relief as finishing flag to fall on Peterborough's Tour of Cambridgeshire cycle race

The finishing flag will fall on the Tour of Cambridgeshire cycle race at the end of this year’s event.

The event was launched in 2015, based at the East of England Showground, but the 2023 race, the seventh to be held, will be the last, organisers have confirmed.

Thousands of cyclists of all abilities have enjoyed riding on closed roads on the tour, which take place over three days.

But the event has also come in for criticism over the years – with residents living around the Showground having problems with access when the event is being held.

Organisers said this year’s event will be the last, partly because of the redevelopment of the showground, but also because the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships will be taking place in Britain this year – which was one of the aims of hosting the event. Riders taking part in the Tour of Cambridgeshire are able to qualify for the world championships.

Orton Waterville councillor Julie Stevenson said: “While it's a great shame to see yet another popular Peterborough event come to an end, since the race has started and ended at Orton Northgate there have been considerable problems for local residents. While no one minds a bit of disruption in the name of community events, in recent years there have been problems for residents trying to access their own homes. For example, a resident living with cancer was not permitted to get to his house by one of the marshals when he needed the loo (with sadly predictable results). If we're going to have events where people live more attention must be paid to the needs of those residents.”

A spokesperson for the Peterborough Cycle Forum said while it was a shame the event was ending, the tour had not done much to promote cycling in Peterborough.

They said: “Our members have ridden in the Tour of Cambridgeshire - it was a great event on closed roads. Having something like that associated with the city is always a good thing, and it’s a shame it is ending.

“However, the event did very little for everyday cycling. Sadly cycling levels in Peterborough continue to be very low and have decreased noticeably in recent years.

"As a Forum we are interested in helping people cycle to the shops, work or school. To enable this change we need to better maintain our existing cycling network, and improve it, in line with the city’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.”

Malcolm Smith of organisers Golazo Cycling said: “In the years since we began the event thousands of riders have enjoyed taking to the closed roads of the county, with many of them qualifying for and subsequently competing at the Gran Fondo Worlds where the Tour of Cambridgeshire has consistently provided the largest travelling participation.

"It has given us a huge sense of satisfaction to know that we had a hand in opening up this opportunity for amateur and age group racing cyclists from Britain.”

This year’s tour will take place from June 2 to June 4. For more information, visit https://www.tourofcambridgeshire.com/