Watch: Bumper crowd braves the rain to enjoy Dudley Grand Prix

The second running of the Dudley Grand Prix drew a bumper crowd to the town centre to see six races, ranging from under 12s to elite female and male cyclists from across the UK, which covered the mile-long, figure-of-eight course.

Starting on Priory Road, the twisting and turning course took riders along Ednam Road, Parsons Street, Priory Street and the Broadway past Dudley landmarks such as Stone Square, Dudley Town Hall and the Dudley Council buildings, with the racers doing multiple circuits of the course. It started just after 4.15pm yesterday with the community ride around the track, a leisurely ride which gave participants the rare chance to cycle around an elite-level circuit course and saw dozens of people take part, ranging from older riders to very young aspiring cyclists.

All around Dudley, crash barriers were being put up and adorned with sponsor and British Cycling logos and traffic was being diverted away from the town centre, with diversions along the Broadway and Priory Road, while security teams were deployed along the route.

The weather was changeable, with a downpour prior to the official opening at 4.15pm, but the fears of another day of heavy rain and showers, like what happened at the first event in 2023, were not realised as the weather, on the main, stayed dry and warm.

Food and drink vendors were getting set up prior to the start of the event, with Fixed Wheel Brewery from Blackheath among those setting up a stall along Ednam Road and Coronation Gardens.

Owner Scott Povey said he felt it was a great occasion to be able to hold the event in Dudley again and said it was something that benefitted the whole region.

He said: “I’m feeling good about today as this is the second time it’s been run and the weather is looking a bit better than last year, so I’m expecting a good turnout.

“It’s great to be able to have events like this in Dudley as it brings people into the region from all over the region and I think there should be more and more of these events in the region.

“We are based 10 miles down the road and we’re here all day to serve people some of the best drinks from our range, including a tribute to Mark Cavendish and our very own Pilsner.”

People were seen beginning to line the sides of the streets from around 4pm, with casual fans joining devoted cycling fans to cheer on the cyclists around the course.

One of those enjoying the event was former Halesowen cycling club chairman and campaigner David Viner, who said the event was a vital one for cyclists in the region.

He said: “I think this event is fantastic as it’s an opportunity for local cyclists to mix with the best national cyclists, with boys and girls from a very early age getting to take part.

“We’ve lost a lot of road cycling events over the years in this region and we no longer seem to have cycling events in public parks, so this is a fantastic opportunity for people to enjoy road cycling on a challenge circuit.”

Before the community ride got under way, there was a civic launch by Dudley town crier Ian “Porky” Jones making an official announcement of the event, before the Mayor of Dudley Councillor Hilary Bills welcomed the riders to the event, wished them well, then cut the ribbon to launch the event.

Mr Jones said he had been honoured to be able to launch the event and be there to support the riders.

He said: “I think it’s a huge honour to start this cycle event and this is my second year doing it and I think it’s great for the area, so hopefully we can get a lot of people out to watch the event.

“It’s massive for the profile of Dudley as it’s putting the borough back on the map and shows that you don’t need to have all the big things to happen in Birmingham and you can actually put them in the Black Country.

“Dudley is the heart of the Black Country and it’s important not just for the profile, but also for the people and area, to come out and have a good day out.”