Brands Hatch announced as Paralympic road cycling venue

20 May 2011

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced that Brands Hatch, near Sevenoaks will host the Paralympic Road Cycling events for the Paralympic Games.

From 5 to 8 September 2012 riders will race round the circuit at Brands Hatch before heading out onto local roads nearby.

This announcement marks the final venue to be confirmed for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and pays homage to Brands Hatch’s cycling routes, as it was first developed in the 1920s as a grass track cycle racing venue.

The course was chosen after extensive consultation with Kent County Council to find a route that will provide an outstanding experience for both athletes and spectators.

During the London 2012 Paralympic Games there will be 32 road cycling events for men and women with a range of disabilities including visual impairments, cerebral palsy and amputations competing on bicycles, tricycles, tandems and hand cycles.

225 (155 male and 70 female) athletes from around 40 nations will participate in the road cycling events, which will consist of mass start road races ranging from 30km to 120km and individual and team time trials ranging from 20km to 35km.

The events will be ticketed in the main, but part of the route will be free providing a fantastic way of watching high profile action. Tickets will cost £10 and there will also be special price tickets available (£5 for 16 and under and 60 and over) as well as group organiser tickets for large groups which would see them receive additional tickets at no extra cost.

Kent County Council Cabinet member for Customer and Communities Mike Hill said:

"This really has been a week of celebrations in Kent. We had the announcement earlier this week that the Olympic torch will be coming to Kent and the excitement is really mounting now as we celebrate that the official Paralympic road cycling event will be taking place right here in the county. It is a real credit to all the hard work which is going on behind the scenes helping Kent be part of this world event and giving residents the chance to get involved."

Seb Coe, Chair of LOCOG said:

‘We are thrilled to be bringing such a high profile and exciting Paralympic sport here to Brands Hatch. This will help us extend the Games outside London and will give spectators and athletes the chance to discover yet another stunning part of our country. Our ParalympicsGB cycling team won 20 medals at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, including 17 gold, and I hope that today’s announcement will inspire and excite our Paralympians about competing here in under 500 days time. This venue will really bring the magic of the Games to life for thousands of spectators.’