A PUBLIC meeting called by Monmouthshire County Council and Velothon Wales to discuss the 2018 cycling event attracted just one member of the public on Monday evening .

The meeting had been called to announce plans for the controversial event which takes place this year on Sunday, July 8.

The announcement for the meeting stated, ‘The people of Usk will be brought right up to date with event details and will have the opportunity to pose questions to organisers.’

In the event, however, no-one from Usk turned up for the meeting at County Hall, leaving just one Llanfoist resident to quiz Velothon representative, Nigel Russell and Monmouthshire Council’s cabinet member for innovation, enterprise and leisure, Bob Greenland.

Changes to the routes and the organisation of the event were announced. The 2018 event will have no professional race and organisers are promising that road closure timings will be ‘significantly shorter’ than in previous years.

Following complaints from the public in previous years about the unhelpfulness of event stewards, the organisers have announced that all officials on the 600 steward points throughout the course will be equipped with leaflets and local knowledge to assist the public in finding alternative routes where available.

Nigel Russell of Velothon Wales stated, ‘We have learned by listening to communities over the past three years. This year there will be only one loop of the Tumble hill climb and a shorter, separate route of around 60 kilometres centred on Usk.’

Llanfoist resident, Peter Sturgess, whose home village keenly feels the impact of road closures, brought up the problem of cyclists urinating behind public buildings in the village and was told that this year portable toilets are to be strategically placed to combat this.

Councillor Greenland, who has been a vociferous supporter of the Velothon, commented on the ‘material benefits’ the event has brought to Monmouthshire, ‘Riders visit the area for weeks prior to the event, they use local businesses, spend money and raise the profile of our county.

‘The first year was an absolute disaster, but in 2017 there was just one official complaint from a member of the public and the people of Usk were right behind the event. Riders and organisers were “blown away” by their welcome in the town.

‘We want communities throughout the area to get involved and have events of their own. Try seeing the road closures as an opportunity to hold parties or barbecues. Take advantage of the fact that the children can play safe from the fear of traffic for the day.’

Asked if it would be popular to move the event around Wales, Nigel Russell replied, ‘We don’t want the same battles we had here in year one. If it was held in an area only once every five years people would never get behind it.’

Velothon Wales is managed by Run 4 Wales, a licensee of Ironman (World Triathlon Corporation) and is one of a number of similar events put on throughout the UK and beyond. The World Triathlon Corporation is a for-profit organisation owned by the Chinese conglomerate, Dalian Wanda Group based in Beijing.

Around 16,000 riders took part in the 2017 event, paying on average £65 to enter. Monmouthshire County Council uses the 1984 Road Traffic Act to undertake road closures. They state they receive no payment from the organisers in return for an expenditure of around £20,000. No compensation is paid to businesses or residents affected by the event.