Event
C2C Challenge 2009: Saturday 11 July - Sunday 12 July 2009
Ride the C2C Challenge 2009 (coast to coast from the Irish Sea to North Sea) cycle route from Whitehaven to Sunderland across the waist of Britain on beautiful, quiet Sustrans-recommended roads and paths with fantastic back up including:
Coach transit from Tyneside to Whitehaven on Saturday morning (a truck will take your bike and excess baggage inc. camping gear).
Ride to the half-way point of Alston, where you can pitch camp and enjoy a fun night in the cobbled splendour of England's highest market town.
The following morning sees the start of the second leg of the epic trans-Pennine journey to the sea front at Sunderland where hundreds of cyclists will celebrate their achievement at a reception laid on by Sunderland City Council.
Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op mechanical support - if you suffer any mechanical mishap, we will do all we can to help you get back on the road.
Entry fee: £50.
More than anything, it was the vision of the event's co-organiser, David Gray, that persuaded Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op to support the CTC Challenge. This is how he pitched it to us.
'We hope that this event will attract a wide variety of cyclists. Lots of colour and lots of camaraderie. I know a lot of people find it hard to plan their own C2C trips because of all the difficulties of booking bikes on trains and not having enough people to justify the cost of a minibus. This way we will sort all the hassle so all the participants have to do is pedal their bikes back across the route, which for some will be more than enough! We are not setting any limits on numbers; just sign up and get training.'
David, who worked for Sustrans for 20 years, helped build the C2C route and was the first man to cycle it.
Stop Press: You must register by midnight tonight, Friday 3 June, if you want to ride the C2C Challenge 2009.
