WITH just weeks until the Tour De France passes through the district, a former Olympic cyclist is hoping to get local young people excited enough about the sport that Bradford could soon be creating its own champions.

Phil Bateman competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea as part of the men's time trial team, and is now a supply teacher and British Cycling coach. He is eagerly awaiting the world's biggest cycling event coming to within just a few miles of his Shipley home early next month, when the annual cycling race starts in Yorkshire.

On July 5 - 6 the cycling race will pass through Keighley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and other local towns and villages as part of the race's Grande Depart. Over the weekend the event, which also passes through York, Leeds and Harrogate, is expected to attract millions of visitors and a massive TV audience who will watch cyclists from across the world ride through the areas rolling hills and industrial towns.

Mr Bateman, 52, is currently visiting schools across Yorkshire to not only get them enthused about the race, but also to get them involved in cycling as a sport.

Although school children regularly teach cycling skills and safety, limited resources mean children often don't get to experience cycling as a sport.

This week Mr Bateman is in Marshfield Primary School on Thornton Lane, and has a packed schedule of other schools to visit in the coming weeks.

He said: "I have been a supply teacher for a few years, and a few people said I should use the Tour De France as a springboard to get kids into cycling.

"I'm going to about 20 schools in total and they are not all on the route. I want to take things beyond the level that is normally taught in schools."

As part of his workshops he is getting children involved in cycling challenges and races, and ON Monday the Marshfields pupils delighted in enjoying cycling as a sport rather than a hobby or skill.

Other schools that will be taking part in workshops include Idle, Burley and Woodhead in Ilkley and Fearnville Primary School in Tyersal.

As well as teaching the children about the sport, Mr Bateman is also hoping to prepare them for the Tour itself. He says that many of the children, and a lot of adults he has met, still don't get how big the race will be.

The Tour De France is the world's largest annual sporting event, and will be broadcast on over 120 channels to a potential audience of 3.5 billion people. The last time the Grande Depart was held in the UK around two million people lines the roadsides to cheer on the racers.

Mr Bateman said: "I don't think they realise just how big it is going to be. I'm talking to them about how many top cyclists are taking part, the number of spectators there will be and the number of people that will see it on TV. Hopefully they'll realise this is a very big event. I think a lot of people feel that this will just come and go, but it is going to be amazing.

"A lot of the children I have come across haven't had the chance to race a bike. I want to give them the chance to race in a secure environment and get a taste of what racing is really like.

"The whole point is to make schools and children more aware of cycling as a sport. A lot of cycling events are about it being a form of transport or healthy living. In terms of cycling as a sport I would like it to be put in the curriculum. There is no reason schools can't get bikes in to do this, and I hope we can push this."

He hopes that the legacy of the Tour will last way beyond the summer, and lead to more of the district's young people getting involved in the sport.