Tour of Britain in the North East

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Story posted August 5; Event Press Release: Tour of Britain in the North East
Event Website: . THE UK’s biggest professional bicycle race, The Tour of Britain, is returning to the North East on Sunday 13 September 2009. Part of Newcastle Gateshead’s world-class programme of festivals and events in 2009, managed by culture10, the organisers of The Tour of Britain today (Tuesday 4 August) unveiled the route of the North East stage.Beginning in Darlington, the 96 professional cyclists will compete in an 160km (100 miles) race through Sedgefield, Fishburn and Shincliffe before heading towards Durham. As the riders head north and west from Durham, the race takes on a hillier tone with the first E.ON King of the Mountains climb coming just before Lanchester before the race continues its northern trajectory towards Prudhoe and on towards Morpeth.

The final sector of the race takes the riders east and onto the coast for the second consecutive day, heading south through Whitley Bay before turning inland to follow the Tyne in to Newcastle and then Gateshead where the stage will finish. Nine of the 16 teams confirmed to take part in The Tour of Britain 2009 are AG2R La Mondiale, Agritubel, Barloworld, CandiTV – Marshalls Pasta, Team Columbia – HTC, CSF Navigare, Team Halfords Bikehut, Rapha – Condor, Topsport Vlaanderen.

Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of The Tour of Britain said: “We are extremely pleased to be bringing the 2009 Tour of Britain back to the North East for a second time. Our partners from NewcastleGateshead and Darlington Council have provided us with the confidence that Stage 2 from Darlington to NewcastleGateshead will be a challenging one for the riders and at the same time an exciting one for all the spectators.”

Stella Hall, Creative Director of culture10 at NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “Following the success of last year’s Tour of Britain, I’m delighted to announce, together with lead authority Gateshead Council, the return of the annual blue riband cycling event to the North East. The Tour of Britain is one of the biggest events in our culture10 sports programme and it attracts significant numbers of visitors to the region. 2008’s North East stage was the first time the region had hosted the event and we were thrilled by the riders’ enthusiasm for the area and the many supporters that came to cheer them on."

“This year’s event will see the 16 Professional teams travel from Darlington through Durham, Northumberland and Tyneside finishing at Baltic Square in Gateshead. I’d encourage everyone to come and support the event and show the rest of the country why the North East is a true sporting capital.”

Gateshead Council cycling champion Cllr Gary Haley said: “British cycling seems to be on a bit of a high at the moment so there couldn’t be a better time to have Britain’s top cycling event right here in Gateshead, and it's bound to generate even more interest in cycling generally. “The finishing line between The Sage Gateshead and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art is right in the middle of two of the region's most popular cycle routes, the Keelman’s Way from Wylam to South Tyneside and the hugely popular ‘C2C’ cycle route, so Gateshead Quays is a regular stopping off point for cyclists."

“We’re continuing to see a measurable increase in the number of people choosing to cycle, either for pleasure or for transport. The spectacle of The Tour of Britain will hopefully persuade yet more people to give it a go.”

David Faulkner, Newcastle City Council’s Deputy Leader of Council said: "We are delighted that The Tour of Britain will be returning to Newcastle again and look forward to extending riders, support teams, fans and tourists alike a very warm North East welcome. "We have a great passion for sport in this area and a reputation for successfully playing host to major international competitions, so I am confident that the event will be very well supported.”

Stephen Howell, Head of Sport and Leisure Services at Durham County Council said: “With the Olympics just around the corner, County Durham is already gearing up to welcome top sportsmen and women from across the world. It is absolutely wonderful to see The Tour coming through Durham for the second consecutive year as it raises the profile of County, and the region in general to the sporting world."

John Williams, Leader of Darlington Council said: “The Tour is a fantastic opportunity to involve the people of Darlington, community groups, and organisations. Following the success of last year, we are hoping to expand our activities this time so that even more people are involved." Councillor Roger Styring, Deputy Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “We are very pleased that this exciting and prestigious event takes in part of Northumberland, and we look forward to welcoming everyone involved.”

Details of spectator sites and times the tour will pass through each area are available on The Tour of Britain website: www.tourofbritain.co.uk.

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