Business brains bring bikes

PERTH’S legions of amateur cyclists will be able to qualify at home for the masters World Cycling Tour thanks to some local entrepreneurs who have won the right for a new event to be held in April.

The city and Rottnest will be key locations for as many as 400 cyclists aged 30 and above riding in what is the first stage of the new UCI World Cycling Tour, which has been expanded from a single event to a series of seven races held around the world.

The top 10 per cent of riders in each age group in each of the events will qualify to ride in the World Cycling Tour to be held this year in Belgium in September. Age brackets go up in five-year increments from 30 through to 65 and over and the race is expected to attract many keen cyclists from the business community.

Former investment banker and owner of Malaga-based crane and truck hire company Kwik, Craig Smith-Gander, has bankrolled the project through a partnership with his sister, high-profile company director Diane Smith-Gander, and public relations consultant David Christison.

Mr Smith-Gander said he was inspired to bring a major cycling event to Perth after seeing the opportunity in Europe.

He said in the early 1990s he was involved in organising a criterium series held in the city.

“That series was very successful,” Mr Smith-Gander said.

“But we were very young and embarking on professional careers and didn’t have the time to devote to it.”

The group has contracted Bicycling WA to stage the event, which begins on April 14.

Mr Smith-Gander said Tourism Minister Kim Hames and state government agencies such as Eventscorp and Main Roads had been supportive of the bid and the organisational needs of the event, which was secured less than four months ago.

The course selected for the event – including time trials at Rottnest and road racing around Kings Park and the Esplanade – was designed to showcase the state capital’s attractions.

The race concept is to allow amateur cyclists devoted to the sport to have a taste of high level racing, and ultimately race for a world champion title.