Get involved with the C2c in a day – even if you can’t do 140 miles

Get involved with the C2c in a day – even if you can’t do 140 miles

DATE Sunday June 11

PLACE Rookhope or Stanley – mid afternoon start

Riders from across the region will be taking part in the new venture for 2017. An organised Coast to Coast in a day.

Not for the faint hearted but family and social riders can get on board with the event by adding to the group as they go!

Ed Tutty, who is organising the day cycle ride on Sunday 11 June, is looking for social riders to give the ‘140 milers’ some support in the last stages of the ride from Whitehaven to Roker:

“We will be starting on the west coast at about 6am and the 14 or so riders will set off with around 12 hours in the saddle ahead of them. What I, and the riders, are after is local riders to get with them towards the end of the route – just where they need some encouragement.”

Rookhope is about 90 miles into the route and has an ideal area where good cyclists can join the peloton for the last 50 miles or so to Roker.  More social cyclists can join in about 30 miles from the coast at Stanley / Consett area using the C2C route as a guided.

“We are looking to encourage cyclist to join us at our ‘rest areas’ on this side of the Pennines before the last big effort to get to Roker. Commemorative T-shirt at the end, along with a nice goodie bag, Water stop, insurance and emergency help along the way are included in the cost.  Most of all you can encourage and help along the ‘140 milers*’ with their quest to do the whole thing in a day!”

This will cost £25 and there are discounts for under 16 and groups.

For more information on this part of the event, please contact Ed Tutty on info@etcomm.co.uk or see the Durham Big Ride Facebook page.

Stanley Ride for all the family

 

Stanley Town Council is putting on a cycle ride for the whole family this spring.

With help of Sustrans and the Durham Big Ride the event will be encouraging all levels of cyclists to dust off their bikes from the garage and get on them to see the great routes that are on the Towns doorstep.

The event, on Sunday May 1, is a way of celebrating the opening of a new link route from the C2C route into Stanley town centre and also the ideal time to see the best of the countryside around the Stanley area. “The event is a great way to mark the refurbishment of the C2C pathway”. Said Joan Nicholson, Chair of Stanley Town Council, “It is a wonderful facility which should be used as much as possible.  Our event will only use a small part that is close to the Town but the route is such a wonderful ‘highway’ to some of the best countryside around.”

She continued, “We want to get people of all ages out on their bikes and use the routes and get a little fitter into the bargain.  It is a ‘win – win’ situation for all concerned.’

For the initial event two routes are planned both starting and finishing in the towns Oakey park: A 20 mile ride to Cox Green, just outside of Sunderland and for the little ones a nice ride to Beamish Museum car park with a little rest before going back to Oakey park.

Gina Clarke, Network Manager from Sustrans welcomes the idea of even more people using the pathways that are already very popular with commuters and leisure cyclists alike:

“Our aim at Sustrans is to encourage everyone to use cleaner, cheaper and healthier ways of getting around. These scenic traffic free paths provide a safe, enjoyable route to the shops, to school or to work for both walkers and cyclists. “Our team work hard to maintain this section of the National Cycle Network from Consett to Washington. We are looking forward to the event bringing new people to the C2C, giving the next generation of cyclists the opportunity to experience the route for themselves.”

Costs to be a part of the first Stanley Family CYCLE are £15 for adults and £7 for under 14 with a family ticket available with all finishers getting a quality T­ shirt and goodie bag.

For more information, please see the facebook site: Stanley Family Cycle.

Riders getting into a pickle this year on The Beast

 

 

Riders completing the Durham Big Ride and Beast in September will have their ‘after ride sustenance’ all sorted with a new venture.

 

Cheese and Pickle, the outside catering arm of The Court Inn from Durham City has the catering contract for the Beast as well as its little brother Durham Big Ride this year. The Beast will see something like a thousand people take to the roads on a ride famous for its 52 miles of hills.

“The Court Inn has an excellent reputation for good food and the outside catering will be no different” said Colin Wiles, ride organiser, “ When people have finished the ride they look forward to a nice treat and the local produce that Cheese and pickle provide fits that bill exactly.”

The Ride, now six years old is not for the faint hearted with almost two miles of vertical climb in the 52.  “The riders of the first one gave the event the name and they often say – if you are not going up you are going down!” said Colin.

 

The Beast, two weeks later, is for the more experienced riders and takes in 52 miles of hills around the Durham City area.

For more information and how to sign up go to www.durhambigride.co.uk

 

WIGGINS TOPS THE BILL AT CLASSIC

The legendary Sir Bradley Wiggins, Britain’s most decorated cyclist, will line up on the start line of the third Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on Sunday 2 August, part of the Mayor of London’s annual festival of cycling.

 

It will be Wiggins’ first race on UK roads following his sensational performance at the Olympic velodrome earlier this month, when he set a new UCI World Hour Record of 54.526km.The winner of the 2012 Tour de France, four-time Olympic gold medallist and six-time track world champion will lead out his newly-formed team WIGGINS. 

 

Twenty-five teams of six riders will contest the 200km race, which this year starts on Horse Guards Parade in St James’s Park and offers the world’s largest prize fund for a one-day race. Also confirmed is Mark Cavendish - the Manx Missile - and his Etixx – Quick-Step team. BBC Sport will televise the race live, with coverage distributed worldwide.

 

“It’s always fantastic to race on home roads and this race is very special,” said Wiggins. “My team is really looking forward to it. I was amazed how many people were out watching last year in that appalling weather. The whole Prudential RideLondon festival shows how much cycling has grown in this country.”

 

“Every race wants Wiggins,” said Mick Bennett, Race Director of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. “He now has rock star status and generates massive excitement wherever he races. We expect hundreds of thousands of spectators to line the route to cheer him on. His team is packed with great athletes likely to feature in the Team Pursuit in the Rio Games next year and they should perform well in a race of this nature.”

 

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Huge crowds will once again line the capital’s streets this August to roar on some of the world's top cyclists. I’m sure British fans will be shouting even louder at the sight of former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins shooting past our grand landmarks.

 

“London continues to showcase its ability to host world-leading sporting and cultural events, and Prudential RideLondon is yet another one of our superb showpieces that helps to attract tourists, drive the economy and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds on to their bikes. It’s a festival of cycling that caters for everyone, whether you are a top professional, a committed daily commuter who loves riding their bike or a family looking forward to a leisurely day’s cycling along some of the capital’s most famous streets.”

 

Richard Walsh, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Localities and Community Wellbeing, said: “Sir Bradley is a cycling superstar so we can expect huge crowds on the route in Surrey again – and perhaps he will inspire a future icon of the road to emulate his incredible achievements on the bike.”

 

The third edition of the race, rated Category 1.HC on the UCI Europe Tour, will start at the iconic location of Horse Guards Parade in central London before going out through the capital to Kingston upon Thames, Hampton Court and then over the River Thames into Surrey. After 57km of racing, the first challenge the riders will face is the 2.4km climb of Staple Lane in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

 

The peloton will then race through Dorking before taking the southern approach to the ascent of Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey. With a further three circuits (one more than last year) of a loop through Dorking and up the testing 6.7 per cent climb to Ranmore Common, this year’s race is set to be a true classic. 

 

 

The riders will then race up the famous zigzags of Box Hill, through Leatherhead, Oxshott and Esher before returning back through Kingston upon Thames. From there the peloton heads towards central London, through Raynes Park, Wimbledon, over Putney Bridge and alongside the River Thames through Chelsea. The closing stages of the race go through Parliament Square and up Whitehall to the famous 1km to go marker from Trafalgar Square through Admiralty Arch, where the riders will start the final sprint along The Mall towards Buckingham Palace and the finish line.

 

The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is the fifth and final event of Prudential RideLondon, the world’s greatest festival of cycling. More than 95,000 riders will participate in the five events over the weekend of 1-2 August.