Cycling coup

It is the first time that the event has been staged in Britain let alone Wales and has been awarded by the Union Cycling Internationale after a £250,000 bid from a consortium of partners including Newport City Council, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Cycling Union. By landing the race, Newport will see a galaxy of world champions and Olympic Games medalists riding around their roads to win one of only nine races around the globe in the series.

A provisional date for the race is pencilled in for August 21 next year with a start and finish possibly at the Celtic Manor Resort.

Welsh cycling star Nicole Cooke has vowed to regain the World Cup crown she won 12 months ago when she takes part next year. Injury meant she was unable to defend the title this year.

Cooke said: "I really appreciate my fan base here in Wales and know that they get very few opportunities to see me race in front of them.

"I will do absolutely everything I can to do Wales proud. It will be a top class world field with a huge number of riders all wanting to beat me in my own back yard.

"Injury has prevented me from defending the World Cup this year. Next year, I will be looking to win it back. Look out for some fireworks.

"I tell all my team and friends in Italy, how lovely it is back home in Wales. I will now get a chance to show them exactly what it is like. I am going to take them on the Transporter Bridge, to Raglan Castle, Cardiff and lots of places.

"Then we are going to relax in a super hotel, the best on the World Cup circuit. This round of the World Cup is going to be great."

The other competitors likely to arrive include Germany's Regina Schelicher, second to the Welsh woman in last year's series, plus Holland's Mirjam Melchers, who was third to Cooke.

And legends that should also appear include double 2000 Olympic Games gold medalist Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel, winner of the road race and time trial in Sydney, plus double world champion Sussane Ljungskog of Sweden.

It represents yet another enormous boost to Newport and Gwent's growing reputation of being a centre for cycling excellence. Newport has hosted the British Road Race Championships twice in succession, the last time being in May this year and has a £7.6 million Welsh International Velodrome which, next week, will be home to the British Olympic track team for their final preparations before heading to Athens next month.

For Welsh Cycling Union chairman Bill Owen, who spearheaded the bid, it is a dream come true in a lifetime involved in the sport. He said: "I cannot begin to tell you how tremendous this achievement is. Britain has never staged a Women's World Cup race before and to have it in Wales, where Nicole Cooke is from, really does put the cherry on the cake.

"We will be witnessing cycling of the highest order when the leading riders from all corners of the globe come to Wales.

"It has been a lot of hard work but I am absolutely delighted at the outcome. Now the challenge is to get the race organised to the best standards possible and, working in conjuction with our other partners, to lay on a festival of cycling.

"In the scale of cycling overall, it does not get any bigger. We want to make it such a success that the UCI will be hard pressed to leave us off the calendar in the future."

One of the other major players in the bid was Newport City Council, and their cabinet member for culture and recreation, Councillor John Guy, was equally delighted at the news.

He said: "This is a major coup for Newport to be one of only nine cycling Grand Prix events in 2005.

"This will further enhance Newport's reputation as Wales' leading sporting city, putting us firmly on the national and global sporting map. "With the recent completion of the Wales National Velodrome at Newport's International Sports Village, it's with great pride that we are becoming the UK's centre for cycling."

Congratulations also came from the Sports Council for Wales through their chairman Philip Carling.

He said: "I'm delighted that, in conjunction with the Welsh Assembly Government, we have been able to play a role in helping to bring the Women's World Cup to Wales.

"Newport is quickly establishing itself as a powerhouse of British cycling and I'd like to commend all those involved in bringing this high-profile event to home soil.

"Wales boasts some of the best cycling routes in the world and this event will give the nation a fantastic showcasing opportunity.

"It is clear that Welsh cycling has a strong female role model in Nicole Cooke. I'm now looking forward to seeing a new generation of riders who will be inspired by lite performers and by the World Cup staged on home soil."

And Dylan Matthews, chief executive at the Celtic Manor Resort, added: "It's another good, successful partnership and it's great when you win these things. It gives you confidence.

"We are now thoroughly looking forward to welcoming the women riders from all corners of the globe to our city and our resort.

"The Ryder Cup (being held there in 2010) was a very large but completely successful bid which was helped by parties working together throughout, and it is the same with cycling and this latest success."