Schoolchildren will also be involved in an evening of activities in Bury St Edmunds ahead of the start of a major women’s cycling event.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Women's Tour finale reaches Bury St Edmunds as the pelaton races along Southgate Street - 2014The Women's Tour finale reaches Bury St Edmunds as the pelaton races along Southgate Street - 2014 (Image: Archant)

The first stage of the Friends Life Women’s Tour will start on June 17 on Angel Hill, which is where last year’s inaugural tour finished.

The evening before there will be an event at the Apex where the teams are introduced to the public and it is hoped there will be late-night shopping at the Arc.

Children from 16 primary schools in the Bury area will be presenting banners they have created to their adopted cycling team at the rider presentation event. Middle and upper schools are also being invited to create banner artwork to be displayed on the balconies of the Apex.

The children will be encouraged to line the route on the day, cheering on their teams and waving flags and other banners they have also made.

At a Suffolk Business Women networking lunch in the town on Wednesday, there were talks by Guy Elliott, from Women’s Tour organiser Sweetspot, and Ipswich cyclist Tanya Griffiths.

Mark Cordell, chief executive of the Ourburystedmunds Business Improvement District (BID) group, said: “We are very keen for these great events to come to Bury St Edmunds, and we are very excited you [the tour] are coming back.”

He said the BID is working with Suffolk County Council about making Bury more cycling friendly and for better cycle storage facilities.

He said the county council had carried out an audit which revealed there are a lot of cycle routes around the town, but they are not linked.

“Me and Alex Paul [from the Angel Hotel] are looking at funding for the links so people can come to Bury on a cycling holiday.”

Colin Grogan, sport, health and inclusion development manager at Suffolk County Council, said a cycle strategy group had been established to look at how to make cycling easier and more accessible.

He added: “And through the cycle strategy group we will be looking at how we can tap into funding opportunities that could improve cycle networks and infrastructure.”