While the Newport Nocturne as a whole was pulled back from the brink earlier this month, the scheduled women’s race is looking less secure.
A lack of entries is threatening its status, with entries to the men’s event outnumbering it by five to one. With Lizzie Armitstead winning Olympic silver at the weekend, Nocturne promoter Nick Jeggo is reaching out to women inspired by her exploits to “showcase the talent we have in the UK.”
“We really wanted to get behind the girls, so we replaced our popular ex-Pro’s event with this race,” he said. “We are delighted to have a main sponsor and a points race sponsor who specifically want to back the women’s race. There’s plenty of ‘buzz’ about the event on Facebook and Twitter, but at present, it isn’t being converted into entries.”
The Newport Nocturne, billed as Britain’s original floodlit criterium, takes place on Saturday 1 September in Newport, Shropshire. The women’s race, a 35 minute event open to elite, 1st, 2nd and 3rd category cyclists, costs £15 to enter. To do so, click here.
