The weekend is made up of three events, Leazes Criteriums on Friday 24 June, the Northern Rock Cyclone Challenge on Saturday 25 June and the National Elite Road Racing Championships on Sunday 26 June.
The Northern Rock Cyclone weekend is one of the biggest cycling festivals in the UK. 2011 is the fifth edition of the event
Phil Mustard said, “The Northern Rock Cyclone is a fantastic event and it’s good that it attracts so many people from all over the world. Cycling is a great way to keep fit and the Northern Rock Cyclone will definitely test your stamina as well as giving you the opportunity to see what the North East has to offer in terms of hospitality and stunning countryside.”
The weekend begins on the evening of Friday 24 June with the Leazes Criteriums.
This series of thrilling races around Newcastle’s Leazes Park starts at 6.15pm with youth races. It will also feature amateur races, building to a feature elite race which is expected to attract elite riders including Tour de France and Olympic cycling superstars.
Whether you’re new to cycling or a committed fanatic, it’s a great chance to kick off the weekend sitting back with a drink and some food enjoying the atmosphere or to getting close to the action. And you can take the chance to meander around the trade village to look at the latest goodies from the likes of Madison too.
Between 1pm an 9pm you can also sign on for Saturday’s Northern Rock Cyclone Challenge, making it the perfect start to the weekend.
The Northern Rock Cyclone Challenge is the biggest mass-bike ride to take place on open roads in the UK and brings thousands of cyclists to the North East.
For 2011, up to 5,000 cyclists of all types – from families to professional riders – are expected to take on the 33, 63 and 104 mile routes. The two longer routes will take in parts of the National Elite Road Race Championships route, including the challenging Ryals climb.
All routes start and finish from the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, Kingston Park, ensuring a fantastic atmosphere.
The Northern Rock Cyclone Challenge makes the most of Northumberland’s beautiful countryside and quiet roads and features well-stocked feed stations, electronic timing, free bike checks at Newcastle’s Cyclelogical bike shop and a personalised certificate for every rider. To make sure everyone completes the course safely technical backup is provided by Madison, National Escort Group (NEG) motorcycle outriders accompany participants and the route is marked out by Northumberland County Council. Photos of every rider are also available within 48 hours of the end of the ride.
For 2011 the official Charity Partner for this event is the NSPCC
Entry for the events is already open at www.northernrockcyclone.co.uk
Cycling’s National Elite Road Race Championships are set to hit the North East for the first time ever in 2011 as part of the Northern Rock Cyclone weekend.
The men’s and women’s races – which are the top level of cycling racing in the UK – will start and finish in the village of Stamfordham, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and take in the stunning Northumberland countryside.
Thousands of excited cycling fans are expected to line the route to cheer on their favourite riders, including international Olympic and Tour de France stars. The event will also be broadcast on television (details to be confirmed).
Both the men’s and women’s races will use the same route used by the North East’s popular Beaumont Trophy race in previous years.
It is anticipated that the women’s event will start at 9.30am and will be 64 miles. The men’s event will start at approximately 1.30pm and finish about 6pm after completing 122.5 miles.
Full details of the event can be found at www.northernrockcyclone.co.uk/. You can also follow the event on Twitter @nrcyclone or on Facebook