By Chris Marshall-Bell
Cyclists in the north of England can experience cycle fever for a second weekend running with the Stockton Cycling Festival beginning next Friday (July 11).
The annual festival has established itself as one of the biggest in the country with a variety of events, including the Stockton Velo-29-Altura Grand Prix which forms part of the elite road series calendar on Sunday, July 13.
Starting at 1pm, the peloton will ride around the local countryside before returning to the Riverside circuit of which they will complete five laps. Ian Wilkinson, riding for UK Youth, was the winner last year.
The action gets underway on Friday night when the elite town centre race takes place between 7.45pm and 9pm.
People can pay entry fees on the day to ride one of the five sportive routes ranging from 36 miles to 108 miles on Saturday, July 12.
The latter rider, dubbed the Le Tour de Moor, is a new addition and consists of 8 KOMs and 10,000 feet of climbing. It takes in the locally known punishing ascents of Blakey Bank and Rosedale Chimney.
On the Sunday there is also a family festival day and the StreetVelodrome will pop up in town. For more information on all the events and details on how to race in the sportives click here.
Visit the Stockton Cycling Festival web page for more information.
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