It’s almost here!
Velo Birmingham will see 17,000 cyclists riding a 100 mile or 42 mile route on closed roads – either competitively or for challenge or charity – this Sunday (12th May).
The shorter route takes riders from Birmingham City Centre to Coventry.
The full 100 mile route then continues on from Coventry, passing through Druid’s Heath, Walker’s Heath, Kings Norton, West Heath, Longbridge, Rednal, Rubery, passed the Hollymoor, Merritt’s Brook and Ley Hill areas of Northfield, around Bartley Green Reservoir to Woodgate, through Quinton and skirting Harborne on the final leg to the finish line on Belgrave Middleway in the city centre.
Get involved
Organisers anticipate around £2 million will be raised for core charities Alzheimer’s Society, Cure Leukaemia, NSPCC and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, as well as many other charitable causes supported by individual riders and teams.
Race organisers are encouraging local residents to take to the streets and support the riders and the event. Gather your family and friends and find a good spot to cheer! (Fingers crossed for dry weather! 
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Local riders and causes:
Here we will list some of the residents of South West Birmingham who are riding the Velo and their causes, with donation links where available.
Give them a MASSIVE cheer if you spot them! Get in touch to be added!
- Team Collie: Graham,
- South & City College Birmingham’s Cure Leukaemia Team: Team members include college principal Mike Hopkins; Jaguar Land Rover executive Rob Kesterton; “Blind Dave” Heeley and his sporting partner Steve Dugmore; former World and multi National Cycle Speedway champion Jim Varnish; former Villa defender Steve Staunton; Olympic silver medalist Phil Brown; and SCCB staff including Leon Lewis, Tony O’Hare and Anthony Coleman. Donate
- Emma Briggs: Emma from Bartley Green is cycling the 100 mile route to raise funds for conservation charity WWF. Once her sponsorship hits £250, her employers will DOUBLE her amount – can you help?! Donate
- Symone Collicutt: Symone from Northfield is cycling the 100 mile Velo for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity. The charity supports the work of clinical staff by providing extra help for patients and staff. Donate
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Team AA Oldbury’s jersey Laura-May Browne: Laura-May is joining 24 work colleagues from the AA in Oldbury, all raising money for the four main supported charities of the event – Alzheimer’s Society, Cure Leukaemia, NSPCC and QE Hospital Charity. Of the four, Laura-May has chosen to support the QE Hospital Charity Donate
Travel and transport
Organisers say: “Due to the scale and numbers participating in Vélo Birmingham & Midlands, it will be necessary to implement road closures across the full route to facilitate the safe passage of the participants. Please be aware that the road closures could impact local travel arrangements on Sunday 12th May 2019.
“The route has been carefully considered and selected through a partnership of all local authorities, emergency services and transport operators to minimise the inconvenience of the necessary road closures. Emergency Services will be operating as usual and the public should use normal protocol in the case of an emergency.”
If you need to be out an about this Sunday, Network West Midlands advise:
- Plan ahead: Check your journey now and check it again on the day as roads across the West Midlands will be closed and re-opened at different times throughout the day.
- Allow more time for your journey: thousands of people will be taking part in the race and many more will line the streets to spectate, so roads and public transport will be busier than normal.
- Leave the car at home: road closures will be in place throughout the day. If you do need to drive, think about where you will park to avoid road closures.
- Be patient and expect to queue: train stations along the route are likely to be very busy as people make their way around the West Midlands.
Route & Times
All households and businesses along the route should have received information flyers.
Road closures will begin from just after 4am in Birmingham City Centre for the start of the race. They affect the south west section of the route at various timings between around 7am and 7pm, so expect travel to be disrupted for most of the day.
The route and main crossing points and closure times can be seen on the map below.
For a more detailed interactive map showing which roads will be closed, visit the Velo Birmingham website.
Parked cars: If you live or work on the route, organisers are asking that all cars and vehicles are removed from the roads affected on Saturday (11th May) night. Any vehicles left on the route which are deemed to present a safety hazard may be towed.
Buses: Many bus routes are affected and may be cancelled or diverted during the road closure times. Changes to National Express West Midlands services are detailed on their website. You can use the Network West Midlands online Journey Planner to check services by date.
Trains: Normal Sunday service. however, services are expected to be busier than usual due to the volume of participants and spectators in the area. Plan your journey at www.nationalrail.co.uk
Help available: If you need help, contact the Vélo Route Team by emailing route@velobirmingham.com in the lead up to the event. On the day of the event the hotline number 0121 396 1296 will also be in operation to offer assistance.
We hope you all manage to go about your normal business and are able to enjoy the day!
Wishing the best of luck to all the riders for a safe and enjoyable race!
The post Velo Birmingham: South West Birmingham road closures and riders appeared first on B31 Voices.