The next generation of sports stars can be inspired by the arrival of the Tour of Britain, according to the race’s chief executive.
This year’s final stage will culminate with a sprint finish in front of Aberdeen’s iconic Beach Ballroom – the first time in the modern era the race has visited the north-east.
Hugh Roberts, the chief executive of SweetSpot, which organises the AJ Bell Tour of Britain as well as the hugely-successful Tour Series, believes it will inspire young people across the north-east to get involved in cycling.
‘Biggest free event in the country’
“Hopefully we will look back at today as a time when we brought the race into this part of the country for the first time, and hopefully we will come back many, many more times in the future,” he said.
“The tour can highlight the attractions of Aberdeen to the tourism market. On a sporting level we can encourage girls and boys to get out and cycle a bit more.
“Road cycling in particular, you can just go and do it yourself. You don’t need anyone to ride with and there are lovely open roads up here which are relatively underused in terms of the amount of traffic.
“For us, it’s great to be able to inspire domestic and international tourism, inspire the youth to take up riding and also to say thank you to people who do it as a means of transport or as a recreational thing.
“This is the biggest free-to-watch event in the country. Nobody is paying a penny.”