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Richmond CC Announces Itinerary for Annual Cyclists' Meet

Story posted March 24

Thursday 27th May sees riders compete for the Swaledale Trophy during the Swaledale SPOCO Time Trial. The course is approximately 26 miles with a bit of a climb in the middle. "The course definitely suits mountain goat racers and spectators can be assured of seeing some grimacing expressions on Cogden Moor!" commented organiser Geoff Lloyd. Racing begins at 7pm from Round Howe, Richmond. Further details will be posted soon on the Richmond Cycling Club website.

The 5 Dales Cyclosportive is increasing in popularity year on year. With a maximum rider limit of 500, organiser Sven Wardle is urging riders to get their entries in whilst they still can "The event is over half-full already and we're expecting it to be full again" commented Wardle. "We're also trying to tweak the route to avoid the last mile through the town centre in Richmond. This was a suggestion from several competitors after last years' event and we, naturally, want to increase the safety of the event both for riders' sakes and to secure it on the calendar for the foreseeable future" he went on to say.

Three route options are available; 100, 80 and 50 miles, the 100 taking in 6 major ascents through five of Yorkshire's Dales, including the unforgiving Park Rash and Fleet Moss climbs. The 50 and the 80 mile rides offer escape routes for those who feel they may not get home if they continue with the 100! Feed stations are provided and Richmond CC also provides a meal at the end for all riders. Further info available on the RCC website and entries via www.sientries.co.uk.

Richmond Cycling Club is renowned for its challenging events and tough courses, one of the most gruelling being the Waitwith Moor circuit - home to the Arthur Caygill Trophy Road Race. This year's race takes place on Sunday 30th May and Race Director Marc Atkinson is anticipating a full field of 80+ riders. "We're seeing a massive surge in demand for road racing in the Northeast due to the recent Police and Highways issues with a lot of the courses" commented Atkinson. "At the moment, demand is outstripping supply and every single event is full in advance. As per usual, we won't be accepting entries on the day for this event but I'd advise riders to get their entries in early. We have around 35 places left and I fully anticipate the race to be over booked." Racing is for 3rd and 4th category riders and kicks off at 2pm from Richmond School.

Perhaps the most novel of the Richmond Cyclists' Meet events is the Grass Track Meeting on the town's cycling track. The grass track on the cricket field in Richmond is 1 of only 3 banked cycling-specific tracks in the country and is arguably the best! Racing on the track dates back to the late 1800s, when local bookies would take bets on the riders, who gave their bikes names - much like horse racing. Richmond's population would treble in size with spectators coming to witness the spectacle of the racing and the morning carnival parade through the historic market place, which starts from the Grass Track at 10am.

"It's a fantastic event and it seems to be growing in popularity with the riders" commented organiser James Hall. "We've a licensed bar on site in the Cricket Clubhouse and last year counted over 1000 spectators lining the banks of the track." The jewel in the crown of the grass track meeting is the National Championship race - this year contesting the 8km Grass Track Endurance championship at 1pm.

Locally, the most popular race is the inter-club championships, where local clubs compete for the "Richmond Cobble". Last year, Richmond CC, Teesdale CRC and Bishop Auckland CC contested the Cobble and further additions to this line-up are anticipated for 2010. "We're fully expecting to have at least another 2 local clubs contesting the Cobble this year. We've got 2 cycling clubs in Richmond now and I hope that both will take part - it'd be great to see a showdown between Richmond CC and Colomba CC in the final! Obviously, I'm backing Richmond CC but we've identified some strong talent in the Colomba squad that could potentially pose a threat to us!" Hall said. Racing kicks off at 12pm and usually concludes by 5pm, after which Richmond Cycling Club extend an invitation to all to join them for a drink in the Cricket Club.

Further information on the Richmond Cyclists' Meet will shortly be available on the Richmond CC website: www.richmondcyclingclub.co.uk.