Tour of Britain Heads for the North East

 

Story posted June 6, 2008

Stage 6: Darlington to NewcastleGateshead

Friday 12th September

Website: http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/

 

North East Stage Route Unveiled

The Tour of Brtiain has announced the route of the 6th Stage of this years race from Darlington to Gateshead. The route of the stage takes in some of the most significant landmarks of the north-east of England and will provide plenty to challenge the best professional cyclists from around the World who will be in the race.

A key attraction for the Tour of Britain is that no matter where you go in the country, people will line the roads to see the top professional cyclists race through their area!

 

Stage 6 of the 2008 Tour of Britain will see the riders will race north from Darlington before heading around Newcastle and Gateshead to enter the city from the east, following the banks of the river Tyne to finish the stage in this most striking of cities. Commenting on the Tour of Britain coming to North East England for the first time, Stella Hall, Creative Director of the culture10 programme at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said:

 

"We are delighted that the Tour of Britain will be coming to North East England for the first time. It is a fantastic event and a real opportunity for us to continue to showcase our region as a place of sporting excellence, with beautiful scenery and iconic locations that provide the perfect backdrop for spectators to enjoy international sporting events."

 

“The Darlington to NewcastleGateshead stage of the Tour is part of a year-round programme of exciting sporting events here in the region, which also includes the Northern Rock Cyclone festival of cycling in June.”

Key Places for the Stage

The Tour of Britain on the road ... top professionals from here and abroad, making a  real race of it on British roads.

 

Darlington
A beautiful town whose heritage dates back to Anglo Saxon times, Darlington is filled with historically significant buildings that chart the many chapters of its development as one of the key industrial towns of the North East of England. Formerly one of the engines of the British textile industry and the location of the first passenger railway in the world the town has adapted in recent years to become a home for many world class companies including the mobile telecommunications giant Orange. Darlington is also significant in cycling terms too, as one of Cycling England’s six demonstration towns there is a huge amount of activity in the town to encourage people to get on their bikes, perhaps the Tour of Britain will persuade a few more this September!

 

Gateshead
Dating back to Roman times Gateshead has a history that is intertwined with the development of the coal industry for a great part of its existence. The fantastic architecture and engineering feats that run the length of the river Tyne bear witness to a region that was at the heart of the industrial heyday of the UK. When the Tour of Britain finishes its 6th stage in Gateshead in September, the race will finish close to one of the key symbols of the regeneration of the city, the Baltic Mill. Once an industrial centre that processed huge amounts of Flour for markets around the globe, the Baltic is now a world renowned gallery, exhibition space and cultural centre that leads the world in its field. The only question that remains is who will lead the field when The Tour arrives this September.

 

Cycling Returning to the North East

NORTHERN ROCK CYCLONE FESTIVAL OF CYCLING
13-15 June; Newcastle Gateshead and Northumberland
A major event in the annual cycling calendar, this prestigious three-day festival of cycling includes: cycle races in Leazes Park on 13 June, featuring novices through to Olympic and world medallists; the Cyclone Challenge Cycle rides, starting and finishing at the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, designed to provide a challenge for all ages and abilities and part of the UCI Golden Wheel Series; and the Beaumont Trophy Road race, one of the UK Premier Calendar Series, the ‘Grand Prix’ of athletics, featuring top UK riders and teams. Details Here

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