A SOUTH Lakeland town is gearing up for a ‘wheely good’ Tour of Britain.

A giant ‘Stan Laurel-on-a-bike’ design climbing the Hoad, decorated bike wheels and bowler hats, cycling superstars graphics around the town and a giant TV to keep track of the riders are all planned in Ulverston for the cycling spectacular.

Cyclists will start from Barrow on September 7 and travel down the coast road to a sprint finish outside Ulverston Leisure Centre before riding through the town’s cobbled streets and heading out towards Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick.

Ulverston is determined to make the most of the day with the town council heading up a Tour of Britain task force including the representatives from the Business Improvement District, Ulverston Leisure Centre, local bike shops, Cumbria County Council and the town’s traders and schools.

Market Street and New Market Street will closed to traffic to enable people to cheer the racers as they ride through the centre of town, from Tank Square up Market Street to the Cross, before heading towards the finish at Whinlatter.

They will also be able to watch the race on a giant TV screen organised by the BID.

Dozens of bike wheels will be decorated and placed around the town in shop windows and other prominent positions to publicise the race.

‘Wheely good wheel workshops’ are being organised at Ulverston Tennis Centre on August 8 and 22 from 10am to noon.

The drop-in sessions cost £2 per person.

Ulverston Leisure Centre is appealing for donations of bicycle wheels which will gain a new colourful lease of life, and is also working with the county council which aims to salvage wheels from bikes deposited at the recycling centre in Ulverston.

The town council is negotiating with Townlands Trust for local artists to paint a huge graphic design on the side of Hoad Hill in flora and fauna friendly paint to coincide with the race.

The design will feature Stan Laurel apparently cycling up the hillside on a giant bike.

Key points around the town centre will also be decorated with a dozen graphic designs featuring British cycling heroes and local schoolchildren are decorating hundreds of green bowler hats which they will wear at they cheer on the racers coming into Ulverston.

Ulverston Town Council clerk Jayne Kendall said: “The Tour of Britain is a fantastic opportunity to showcase bike-friendly Ulverston and we are determined to make the most of it. There has been a fantastic response so far from people wanting to be involved, from the bike shop owners and traders to schools, the County Council and the Leisure Centre.

“Ulverston is already a popular destination for cyclists seeking to explore South Cumbria and the race will dovetail with ‘healthy town’ and tourism initiatives to put it firmly on the map for the Tour of Britain visitors and local fans and enthusiasts.”