Jersey rides onto national TV

Monday 16 June 2014

Tourism chiefs in Jersey will be hoping this weekend's Festival of Cycling delivers a welcome boost to the industry. The weather was perfect as the island played host to hundreds of amateur and professional cyclists, culminating in the Pearl Izumi Tour Series Finale.

The events centred on Gorey Village, and included a road race and professional hill climb, as well as a 100km and a 50km coastal sportive.

The weekend finished with the 'King of the Castle Urban Downhill race', in which both professional and amateur riders raced from the top ramparts of Gorey Castle all the way down to a finish line in the village. 

Hundreds of islanders made the most of the fine weather to go along and watch parts of the three-day cycling festival, but with significant exposure on national TV stations, it was the audience outside of Jersey which was the main audience for Jersey Tourism.

The department's Donna Le Marrec commented: “The staging of the finale of the UK Pearl Izumi Tour Series is a great coup for Jersey, especially as the sun was shining! The ITV4 coverage will re-position Jersey to a new sporting audience as a fantastic place for cycling and other outdoor active pursuits. Aside from the benefits of the television coverage,  200 professional cyclists and their entourages have come to the Island as well as the amateur cyclists who took part in the Jersey Festival of Cycling and the 100 km sportive“.