Location: Millbrook Proving Ground,Beds
Event: 4 May - 6 May 2013
The long running women's stage race held in the Bedford area as part of the Women's Team Race Series, just got harder as organiser Jon Miles added another day. "The opening of a bypass around some of the villages north of Bedford has allowed a brand new course to be worked out" reported Jon.
Above l to r: Alice Monger-Godfrey, Helen Wyman - winner in 2008 and Gabby Day
The 3 Days of Bedford now starts on Saturday 4 May using the new course and race headquarters in Great Barford village hall; the riders will face an afternoon start at 1.30pm for 55 kilometres on what is basically a rolling course.
Sunday will see the race fall into its normal pattern of a team time trial in the morning starting from Sunderland's Hill to just outside Keysoe along the B660; in the afternoon there is a 80 kilometre race starting in Keysoe going through the villages of Colmworth, Little Staughton and Pertenhall.
Monday sees the race go to the traditional final day in the Millbrook Vehicle Testing track where such television programmes as "Top Gear" are filmed plus excerpts of the latest James Bond film.
This year will also see a race specifically for 3rd and 4th category female riders; "I realise that some of the lower category riders enter the stage race because it has been the only women's race that weekend, "says Jon Miles, "although without expectation of finishing this tough stage race. Because of this I have decided to hold a race just for 3-4 category women riders at the Millbrook course on Monday 6 May. I really do hope that riders will see that they will have a better race that weekend by entering the Millbrook Classic for Women.”
This classic stage race organised for some 20 years by Jon Miles has some valuable support from Rouleur Magazine, Velocite Bikes with Bike Pure sponsoring the Junior category in the race; Bottle Sport are supplying race bottles for the event. Shutt VR will be reinforcing their support for women's racing by supplying the race leaders’ jerseys. Stefan Wyman will be supplying a winner’s podium, he has also helped the prize list by enticing an anonymous donor to help lift the prize list to about £2,000
