Live from Cologne - Cyclists to get police escort back to the center of town

The time trial cyclists of the Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 will experience a first tonight - after the time trial competitions, the cyclists will be escorted to the city centre by the police.

250 participants are taking part in the time trial competition at the Gay Games. The race starts at 7 pm at the Fuehlinger Lake, and at 9:30 pm all cyclists are expected at the finish line. “Of course we would like to make it possible for all of the participants to end their evening at the villages at Neumarkt”, says Dagmar Ziege, who is responsible for the sport. “We made an agreement with the police that those cyclists who are not allowed to drive on regular streets due to lack of lights on their special bikes, will be escorted back by the police in a convoy from Fuehlingen to Cologne city centre.”

The convoy starts at 10 pm at the Fuehlinger Lake and will reach Heumarkt at 10.30 pm. From there, the participants can cycle through Schildergasse to Neumarkt and enjoy the atmosphere of the Gay Games villages that will remain open until midnight.

The time trials were moved later at night to accommodate the desire of local communities to not have their streets closed during normal day driving times.