The Northern Midlands will host a stage in the 2018 Oceania Road Cycling Championships.
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After securing the event for Tasmania in November, the Northern Midlands Council was approached by Cycling Tasmania to host the time trial stage along Nile Road, Evandale.
The council voted unanimously to allow the road to be used for the international event at its November meeting.
The event requires a full road closure of Nile Road for three hours from “ just south of Evandale township to where the bitumen ends”, according to the council’s community and development manager Amanda Bond.
The towns of Nile, Deddington and Clarendon will all be involved in the event.
“The Oceania Cycling Championships will attract participants and sponsors and may encourage further events to come to the Northern Midlands,” Ms Bond said.
“The event will also provide positive exposure for the Northern Midlands.”
Deputy mayor Richard Goss concurred that Evandale’s inclusion in the event was a coup for the municipality.
“I think it’s a good event happening in Tasmania, and it’s good to have these things come to rural areas of Tasmania,” Cr Goss said.
“I think it’ll be a good event to have in the community.”
Cycling Tasmania executive officer Collin Burns said Evandale was chosen for the event partly for its historic connection to cycling.
Evandale has hosted the national penny farthing championships since 1983.
“Evandale’s got a history of cycling events – it’s host to the penny farthing championships every year,” he said.
“It’s also got a lovely flat road that goes from Evandale out through to the Nile and further south.
“It’s a perfect road for the time trial.”
Cr Goss said Evandale will have no problems in catering for the expected influx of cyclists, staff and officials to the region.
“Evandale is quite a well-known Northern Midlands town, which caters for tourists every week,” he said.
“It has events every week, like the Evandale market, and every weekend it’s loaded with tourists.
“The town is very geared up for those types of events.”