Edinburgh Marathon and bike event close roads to cars for weekend

MOTORISTS in the capital may wish to consider giving up their vehicles during the last weekend of May as the city turns its streets over to athletes.

Roads across the capital will close for the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday 31 May, and several streets in the Old Town will close the previous day for the first-ever Edinburgh Nocturne cycle race.

Streets around the Grassmarket will close at lunchtime on Saturday 30 May to prepare for the bike races, which start at 6pm and run until 10pm.

The Nocturne sees up to 60 elite riders take to the Old Town's streets to complete a 1.2km circuit taking in the Grassmarket, Victoria Street, George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row. Several other roads in the area will also be closed to accommodate the event.

Visiting cyclists for the Elite Criterium race will include Beijing Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy, and Tour de France star David Millar. Although local hero Chris Hoy has taken part in previous Nocturnes, he is not expected to make an appearance at this year's event in Edinburgh.

City events champion Councillor Steve Cardownie said he thought the economic benefits of the cycle race and the marathon would outweigh the inconvenience of closed roads. He said: "It's the price that you pay for attracting the events and I hope that people who are inconvenienced will recognise that they bring in a lot of money. People enjoy competing, they enjoy spectating, but they also enjoy the rattle of the tills. In a time of recession it's imperative that we attract events like this to boost the local economy.

"Cycling events are always very popular, they can be quite spectacular, we have had cycling events in the city before and they were very well received. "

The Nocturne, which is free for spectators, originated in London in 2007, and will be held there again this year along with an event in Blackpool.

Organisers say they aim for a festival atmosphere, and the event will also feature amateur races and fun events. These include the Folding Bike Race, in which amateur competitors dressed in suits dash for their folding bikes from a standing start and race around the track for the chance of winning a brand-new folding bike worth £600.

Nocturne spokesman Adam Tranter said: "That's one of our most popular events – it started in London, where it came from all the commuters."



He added: "The Nocturne is in the evening, so it's a little bit different. It's round a very short course of about one kilometre so the spectators can see the riders come round again and again, so it's a lot of fun.

"There is a lot going on over this weekend but it's something that the council's really got behind and wants to bring to Edinburgh so we hope it's beneficial to everybody. Not many cities get as much free sport in one weekend."

For information on road closures visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/City_Living/Events/CEC_edinburgh_ marathon_2009