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Northern Rock Cyclone 2012 entries open next Tuesday

Five events on offer next year offering something for everyone from beginners to the pros

Entries for one of the country’s most popular sportives, the Northern Rock Cyclone Challenge, open next Tuesday with the ride, which attracted more than 4,000 participants last year, one of the highlights of what will next year be a four-day festival of cycling in the North East, with five separate events.

Running from Thursday 28 June to Sunday 1 July, the Northern Rock Cyclone  starts with a new Tyne 6 Bridges ride, aimed at beginners and families, on the evening of Thursday 28 June, with participants switching back and forth between Newcastle and Gateshead as they cross the river. Entry to that ride is £6, and further details can be found here.

Friday evening sees the return of the ever popular Leazes Criteriums, an evening of top-notch circuit racing featuring everyone from youth riders to amateurs to top international riders. Organisers confirm that next year, the  sprint competition in the elite race will be sponsored by M Cycles.

The Northern Rock Cyclone Challenge Ride takes place on Saturday 30 June, with three routes on offer through the glorious scenery of Northumberland – 33, 63 and 104 miles. More than 4,000 riders spanning beginners, families, sportive enthusiasts and even pros took part last year in what is generally reckoned to be one of the country’s top sportives.

The following day, the male pros take to the road for the Beaumont Trophy, run on the same course as this year’s British National Road Race Championships, won by Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins, who had previously won the Beaumont Trophy in 2009. Part of British Cycling’s Premier Calendar series, next year the event includes a King of the Mountains competition sponsored by Kielder Organic Meats.

Sunday 1 July also sees a new women’s elite race, the Curlew Cup, sponsored by Northumberland National Park, with a points competition sponsored by cycling holiday specialists Saddle Skedaddle, the race looking to build on the success of the women’s nationals held on this course earlier this year and won by Lizzie Armistead.

Event organiser Peter Harrison said: “It’s always exciting when entries for next year’s rides open: as the nights draw in and the weather turns looking forward to the great rides of next summer brings a smile to everyone’s face.”

Entries to all events open on Tuesday 1 November, and can be made by following the Enter Ride link to the left of each one’s page on the Northern Rock Cyclone website.

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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joemmo | 12 years ago
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I'd better leave work on time on the 28th or I'll be riding against the flow of that Bridges ride on the way home... hope the entrants are reminded that it's a shared bike / ped route the whole way.

It's a well run event, the Cyclone, and the route is good too but - if you're listening organisers - the feed stops (apart from the WI cake stand and enterprising ice cream van) are disappointing and the goodie bags are RUBBISH! A Mars bar, a bottle and some junk mail? At least put something like a pie or bag of crisps in, I always want a savoury hit after a long ride.

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