THOUSANDS of people gathered in Redditch town centre on Thursday for the 2016 Redditch Tour Series.

The event, which is now in its fifth year, was kicked off at 2pm by Redditch's very own pop princess Keri Whip and Worcestershire County Council chairman Tony Miller who officially cut the tape.

Cllr Miller said: "It's a honor to sponsor this event. We hope to keep this going in years to come."

Keri performed a series of tracks including her own Ridiculous Me and Rihanna's We Found Love.

Each of the elite race tackled multiple laps of the town centre circuit, providing a chance for fans to get close to the action.

Last year the event, televised by ITV, attracted more than 12,500 spectators.

Recently elected town Mayor Joe Baker said: "It makes me very proud because I know it takes a lot of money to organise an event like this, a lot of time, money and effort and I am just so proud to be part of it, so proud of Redditch and to represent Redditch.

"It's a really, really important event because it brings the community together and it shows people around Britain what a great town we have, what a great facility Redditch is for events like this to go on.

"It brings people into the town, brings help to the economy and it’s a great place where people can get a free event.

"It makes Redditch perfect."

Council leader Bill Hartnett added: "The Redditch bike race is always a great event and this year was no exception. I spoke to many people and to the stalls during the event and they all said it was a great event made better by the good weather.

"I do hope we can work together to secure funding for the race to continue in future years, the council would be prepared to contribute towards the costs."

The event has previously brought in more than £100,000 to the local economy.

For a full results, see our sport section.

Highlights of the event are available on the ITV Player.