The Lancashire countryside. Alive with the sounds of birds singing and lambs calling to their mothers as they play in the sunshine. A rural haven of dry stone walls, meandering streams, rolling hills and, for one weekend in June, hoards of lycra-clad, sweat dripping, Olympic cyclists!
National Road Race Championships
For June 26th and 27th 2010, those rolling hills have been chosen as a fitting challenge for the best British cycling has to offer. The National Road Race Championships are coming to the Pendle villages on a gruelling 7½ mile circuit. SKY will be covering the action for television, as well as to support their own cycle team.
Watch top riders battle it out the week before the Tour De France. Will Steve Burke, Pendle’s own Olympic medallist, beat Bradley Wiggins, fourth in the Tour de France in last year?
Champions come to Pendle
Image: http://pennineevents.co.uk/Pendle/index.aspx
There will be two Championship races, both restricted to elite-level competitors; one for women, which will include Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke and one for men, which will include Olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins and Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish.
Both events will cover multiple laps of the circuit around Barley, Blacko and Roughlee. Men will cover 16 laps, women 9 laps.
Cycling for everyone
There will also be a chance for everyone to have a go – expert or novice, young or old – as the events are part of the Pendle Bike Fest, which incorporates a range of cycle rides suitable for all.
The laps will start and end in Barley and there will be plenty of opportunities to spectate along the route. The locals will be out in force and the route offers plenty of pub based vantage points guaranteed to offer a much more comfortable view than the one the riders are looking at!
There are also several local campsites, B&Bs and guesthouses along the route and nearby, which will offer on-the-spot access to the vehicle-restricted circuit…
A spectacular event
As a local, I know just how steep, long and punishing those hills are – by the end of the race, it will only be the cheering support that keeps these cyclists going! With dramatic views from the top, high speeds on the downhills and the chance to watch truly herculean feats of physical prowess, it seems like sleepy Pendle will be the place to be for that particular weekend in June.
For more information about Pendle Bike Fest go to: http://pennineevents.co.uk/Pendle/index.aspx
Contact Debs, Tripbod in Lancashire for information and advice on planning your trip to Pendle for the National Road Bike Championships
