Watch as Hartlepool hosts Tour of Britain Women's race

The second stage of the race features some of the world's top female cyclists.

Transcript

00:00Three, two, one, go!

00:04Let's go for it!

00:21Okay Jonathan, so can you tell me why you chose Hartley Pool for the leg of this race?

00:26Well, we've been working with the Tees Valley for a good few years now.

00:30We've had quite a few races in the wider Tees Valley area, but nothing in Hartley Pool.

00:35Through some discussions with the council and with the combined authority,

00:39Hartley Pool was super keen to host us there.

00:42And we thought, well, it would be brilliant to bring something to Hartley Pool.

00:46I think the environment that we've got here is just amazing in the Royal Navy Museum.

00:50It's a fantastic place to be.

00:52Loads of people here are really busy.

00:54Loads of people come out.

00:55There's loads of activation outside as well with community groups,

00:57local cycling clubs, etc, doing activities.

01:00So, yeah, it's raining a bit, but it's not so bad.

01:03I think we're used to that in the North East, aren't we?

01:04What do you think about today's event?

01:06I think this is fantastic for Hartley Pool.

01:08I'm a big fan of cycling and bringing the Women's Tour of Britain.

01:11It's such an honour for us.

01:13And I hope it's a catalyst for something new.

01:15I know what a great culture of cycling we have in Hartley Pool.

01:18I know that we have teams like Manila.

01:20I know we have the cycling track in Summerhill,

01:22which is becoming more and more popular as people understand us there and there for public use.

01:26I see people riding their bikes up and down seeking through the front all the time.

01:29So, bringing an event like this, which, like I say, hopefully is the start of something new

01:33and a brand new relationship, is really, really exciting.

01:36And lots of different people from the community have come down today, haven't they?

01:40Yeah.

01:41You know, the weather hasn't put people off in Hartley Pool.

01:43We know what it's like here.

01:44There's lots of schools come down and that inspires the next generation of, hopefully, cyclists as well.

01:49But even if it's off cycling, it shows that taking part in the sport is really, really important to them.