Cycling will be made safer and more accessible in the Illawarra as twelve organisations shared in $220,000 in grants.
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Six programs are targeted at students, including mountain bike sports programs at Illawarra High School, Wollondilly Anglican College and Keira High School.
UOW Cycling Club and Healthy Cities Illawarra also received funds to promote and improve cycling for students at the university.
The funding comes from the NSW government UCI Road World Championships Legacy Partnership Program and is the final round of funding in the program.
Minister for Tourism and Sport Stuart Ayres said that the program is designed to ensure that the benefits of the September road race are long lasting.
"This program is already leaving a legacy that will be felt across the region long after the last race is run, and the projects awarded funding today will add to that," he said.
Facilities to train the next generation of cyclists to compete in future UCI events shared in the funding, with $32,000 towards the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club for upgrades to the UCI World Championship Track, an asphalt sprint training lane at Southlake Illawarra BMX Club and park and ride at the Vikings Rugby Football Club.
Wollongong 2022 chair Dean Dalla Valle said the variety of programs would provide an ongoing boon to the region prior, during and after the event.
"It's fantastic to see so many cycling-related initiatives being implemented across the Illawarra, from education programs to facility upgrades and tourism campaigns to promote local cycling experiences," Mr Dalla Valle said.
"These activities make bike riding more accessible to an even bigger audience and will help to engage the local community in the sport ahead of the world's best cyclists arriving in Wollongong to compete between 18 to 25 September."
Once the elite cyclists have left the road, Wollongong's status as a destination for cycle tourism will remain and two programs were awarded funds to support ongoing visitation: $31,000 for a feasibility study for the Southern Village Iconic Trail for cross-country mountain biking in Wingecarribee and $20,000 for Destination Wollongong to digitally promote the city to tourists interstate and overseas.
Now, with three months to go until the race, Wollongong 2022 are promoting a guide for visitors drawn to Wollongong by the race, covering 100 sights of interest and attractions.
Road works are also progressing on preparing the city's roads for the course and organisers are building on a volunteer drive that has seen 1000 register to be involved in the event.
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