The Goodyear Autocare Tamworth franchisee has signed on as the Tamworth Cycle Club’s major sponsor.

The announcement comes days out from the annual Gunnedah to Tamworth Cycle race, and will see Balla also throwing his support behind other TCC events in the future, with plans to expand the annual Nemingha to Nundle road race. He is also keen to support a women’s event later in the year.

“It’s exciting times for the club,” TCC president Min McDonald said.

“Obviously we have a great board at the moment that have got some great ideas.

“But it’s hard to make things happen without financial support.”

The G2T hasn’t had a major sponsor for a couple of years, and while delighted to have Goodyear on board for that, it is the long term opportunities that McDonald is most excited about.

“We’re in the early stages of what we hope will be a festival of cycling,” she said.

The club are looking to add a criterium and a hill climb to the Nemingha to Nundle in 2018, which Goodyear will be heavily involved in. 

An avid cyclist himself, Balla is a member of the TCC and previously competed in the G2T. He wasn’t exactly sure where he finished but recalled being mowed down at the finish.

“I’ve come full circle. I was a competitor and now a sponsor and hopefully I’ll be a competitor again next year,” he said.

He is enthusiastic about supporting some of the new events the TCC have in the pipeline, and said it has been good to see the development of women’s cycling.