Children aged 5-11 years are being invited to design the starting flag for the final stage of the Women’s Tour starting from Chipping Norton. The winner and their family will be given VIP access to the start of the race, a signed tour shirt and will also have the honour of waving the flag to start the stage, which starts from the centre of Chipping Norton on Saturday 11 June 2022.

Among the judges will be CAMS Basso rider Katie Scott, from Faringdon in West Oxfordshire, who made her debut in last year’s Women’s Tour.

Entries can be submitted up until the closing date of midday on Friday 27 May, after which a winning design will be picked and produced to start the event. There is no limit to the number of entries and primary schools are encouraged to enter multiple designs from students across all age groups.

Giles Hughes, Chief Executive of West Oxfordshire District Council said “This is a unique opportunity for children to take part in this special occasion by designing the flag which kicks off the final day of racing. The flag design will be seen worldwide by television audiences, as well as the many thousands of people who will visit the District to see the start of the race in Chipping Norton.

“As a keen cyclist, I am personally looking forward to the race, and I hope that having the race here on our doorstep will encourage more people to take up cycling as a healthy passtime and a way to include more physical activity into their daily lives.”

Katie Scott, professional cyclist for CAMS-Basso added, “Riding the Women’s Tour last year on home roads in Oxfordshire was one of the highlights of my racing career so far, so it’s brilliant to see the race is back in the region again. The support we received from the roadside was something else.

“I love that the local community gets so involved and this competition is a brilliant and fun way for children here to get creative! I can’t wait to see all the designs and hopefully see families out waving their flags and cheering us at the race next month.”

How to enter

To enter this fantastic competition, either print the template below and draw and colour your design or if you don’t have a printer at home you can copy the template by hand on an A4 sheet of paper.

To submit your entry please email a photo or the original document to womens.tour@westoxon.gov.uk ensuring that your age and name are clearly included in the email.

Entries should be related to cycling or the landscape along the route. This could be a landmark, village or the beautiful West Oxfordshire landscape.

West Oxfordshire flag