BRADFORD Council has celebrated 100 days until the city hosts the UCI Road World Championships with the unveiling of the competition’s flag.

Cyclists, councillors and Council staff were on hand to mark the day in Lister Park which is on the route of the Women’s Elite Road Race on Saturday, September 28.

The Council is planning a whole host of events and is continuing its work to encourage cycling across the district as part of the legacy of hosting part of the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France.

Representatives from the Council received their official flag for the race at a ceremony in Harrogate on Thursday.

The flag was welcomed in to the park by representatives from local cycling clubs and young people from Bradford youth service.

There is a lot of work is going on behind the scenes in preparation for this prestigious event.

The council is working with the district’s many cycling clubs and local community groups to involve them in the celebrations and activities to welcome the race to the Bradford district.

Among the events planned is a Women and Cycling Conference, a mass participation cycle ride in the city centre as well as an event involving the many cycling clubs in the Bradford district.

The Women and Cycling Conference will take place on Thursday, September 19, at the Dubrovnik Hotel. When the conference took place in Bradford in 2017 it was attended by 100 people, attracted big names in women’s cycling including Otley-born former World Champion Lizzie Deignan and also had cycling based activities in Lister Park.

The mass participation cycle ride will take place on closed roads in the city centre on Sunday, September 22. The event is open to all ages and abilities and aims to encourage as many people as possible to get on a bike and have fun.

Plans are still being worked on for an event involving some of the many cycling clubs in the district to link them together to celebrate the race.

A series of inclusive community bike rides will also take place to encourage people to get cycling in the run-up to the event. The rides will include traffic free environments such as Lister Park, Devonshire Park and Lund Park as well as road rides throughout the summer for people of all abilities to get involved in.

There will also be lots of things for people to do on the weekend and in the run-up to the World Championships, including getting involved in dressing the route and creating land art. More details about the activities and events as well as operational details such as road closures will be released in the coming months.

Bradford city centre will see the start of the Women’s Elite Road Race, which then goes through Manningham, Shipley, Baildon and Hollins Hill. The Men’s Elite Road Race comes through the district via Ilkley and Addingham the following day.

Coun Sarah Ferriby, the Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “As the UCI World Road Championships get closer, there are lots of behind the scenes preparations being put in place. We are really excited to be again welcoming professional cyclists to our district, along with cycling fans from across the world for this event and we also hope local residents and businesses will get involved in this incredible opportunity to celebrate world class sport right on their doorstep.”