The 2018 Velothon will take place on Sunday, July 8 after Monmouthshire County Council passed the proposal with just a handful of opposition votes.

Devauden Ward Councillor Bob Greenland, cabinet member for innovation, enterprise and leisure, told the meeting that despite the first year of the Velothon being an ‘absolute disaster’ there have been improvements in subsequent years.

Councillor Greenland went on to praise Usk’s embracing of the event stating that the display of well over 100 painted bikes throughout the town was a ‘brilliant success’ and a ‘huge attraction’ that brought people from ‘quite far away’ to visit throughout the year.

As a result of the town’s enthusiasm, Councillor Greenland informed the council that talks with Velothon’s organisers are underway to add a ‘shorter race’ that will begin in Usk and end in Cardiff. He stated, ‘That will open huge opportunities for our traders here in Monmouthshire, in pubs and shops and accommodation providers as well’.

Councillor Greenland stated, ‘There has been much reduction in complaints coming in to the council with just one formal complaint last year and numerous people came to us and complimented both Usk and the county on the hosting of this event.

Councillor Giles Howard, representing Llanfoist - a ward directly affected by the event’s road disruption, stated he had difficulty supporting the report without knowing more about road closures and timings. He called for a further report to council with those details in it.

Regarding complaints, Councillor Howard said, ‘I suspect that many complaints weren’t formally made because people accepted that it might be inevitable that the event was going to happen. Indeed, the Bridge pub in Llanfoist didn’t do any Sunday lunch trade at all so I suspect most of their food ended up in the bin - but that wasn’t the subject of a ‘formal’ complaint.’

Councillor Howard went on to state, ‘I am also uncomfortable about a reference in the report to ‘managing the media’ and preventing letters. The suggestion is that they should only print our press releases while the fact is we are as much under scrutiny as anybody else out there.’

Councillor Kevin Williams, representing Llanwenarth, also in the Velothon’s path, was critical of the volume of rubbish left behind, stating, ‘The litter on The Tumble was bad with a horrendous amount of black cable-ties particularly around the Keeper’s Pond; how an animal didn’t choke on them I don’t know.

Councillor Williams added, ‘I’m not against the event in principle even thought it looks like it has no tangible benefit for Monmouthshire. But I think the organisers need to address the issues of litter rather than just leave it for our workers to clear up’.

Councillor Val Smith states, ‘Each year, I’ve looked for some financial figures, I would like a costing to see how much exactly Monmouthshire County Council puts into this event; an honest figure. It would help if we could see a tangible financial benefit. I look forward to a financial report.’

Before the vote, Councillor Greenland responded, ‘The real benefit of the Velothon is not in terms of finance, it is in terms of health; it we can enthuse young people about physical activity then it is worthwhile for that reason alone.’

The Velothon is organised and managed by Run4Wales, a subsidiary of the World Triathlon Corporation, a for-profit organisation owned by the Chinese conglomerate, Dalian Wanda Group based in Beijing.