Horsham district ready for Tour of Britain cycle race

Barriers are ready by the side of some roads in Horsham town and district council banners are out along the route.

The sprint section along Albion Way has been organised with sponsor banners and flags.

The national Tour of Britain Cycle Race is scheduled to pass through Horsham Town Centre West to East along Albion Way from 11.55am.

Sprint 1 of Stage 7 takes place with its finish in Albion Way in the town opposite the planned viewing gallery.

Horsham District Council is urging town customers and race viewers to arrive well before 11am to ensure they are not disappointed. All race road closures are planned to be lifted by approximately 12.30pm

A public viewing gallery will be formed by the closure of the West bound carriageway of Albion Way between Swan Walk Car park roundabout and Bishopric lights between 11.30 and 12.30 approx.

Access to the gallery will be via the pedestrianised town centre, West Street and through Springfield Road.

All spectators are asked to remain within the gallery area and/or on surrounding pedestrian pavements during the passage of the race in order to avoid potential for accidents.

Closed roads are not to be crossed unless under the supervision of event marshalls in yellow jackets.

The West Sussex County Council North forecourt and car park accessed from Chart Way and Madeira Avenue (Albion Way) is being set up as providing facilities for visiting cyclists to stop and view the passing Tour before possibly riding on to catch the Ditchling Beacon hill climb section.

Additional barriers are being set up in the Upper Car Park for the chaining up of bikes and a number of organisations will be present to offer services and entertainments for cyclists. The Café at County Hall North will be open for visitors on the day.

Local Samba Band, Bloco do Sul and Horsham Boom Tribes will be performing at vantage points throughout the morning in advance of the arrival of the Tour.

In addition there will be local bands performing on the Carfax Bandstand from 11am and again at 2pm.

Horsham Museum houses a display of one of the finest collections of early cycles anywhere and it is hope that these will be put on display in Swan Walk Shopping Centre on the day of the race.

A big screen TV is planned for the Bishopric with associated sheltered seating for anyone wanting to follow the race live as it leaves Horsham and progresses to its Stage finish in Brighton.

Horsham’s brand new Smartpark service will be in operation in Swan Walk car park with multiple ticketless payment options.

The town centre Forum multi-storey, Sainsbury’s and Hop Oast Park and ride parking facilities will remain accessible throughout the day with access to and from Swan Walk, Piries Place and Denne Road restricted between approx 11.30am and 12.30pm.

Race visitors are recommended to arrive to park well before 11am.

Visitors are asked to refrain from casual on-street parking within the town and along the route through Horsham District that may cause a hazard to the passage of the race, pedestrians and other road users.

The County Times team will be out in force to capture the unique occasion with video and photos.

However, we would like to see your pictures or video taken today from across the district.

We will feature a slideshow of all your photos on our website and include as many as possible in the County Times paper next week.

There are a variety of ways to send in your contributions.

Use our Share Your Story facility on the home page of the website (just below the video section).

Click on the button and follow the instructions - it’s as easy as that.

Or contact us via Facebook (wscountytimes or Twitter (@wscountytimes - use the hashtag #tobhorsham.

Or you can email us.

If you want to keep tabs on the race then check out our Live Live section available on PC or tablet.

We will have updates on the website as the race progresses through the Horsham district and a special round-up in next week’s County Times.