What is the Virgin Money Cyclone

A new era of cycling in the North East
 

The Virgin Money Cyclone Festival of Cycling was created in 2007 to encourage as many people as possible to get out on their bikes, get fitter and enjoy the countryside. It is a multi faceted event designed to cater for the needs of competitive and none competitive cyclists. For the past 4 years the event has been run over 3 days with events to meet the needs of all who wish to compete or just ride for pleasure as well as allowing spectators to see some of the best riders in the World in action.

 

Due to the success of the event over the past 4 yrs the 2012 edition of the  Virgin Money Cyclone is being increased to 4 days to accommodate an even broader spectrum of participants in 2012. The additional event planned for the Thursday evening has been created to attract an even wider participant group with two shorter rides on traffic free cycle paths along the banks of the Tyne.

Since the inception of the event in 2007 participant numbers have quadrupled and over £500K has been raised for various charities. The event is now one of the biggest and possibly the biggest event of it's type and attracts riders and participants from all over the World. The 2011 edition of the event hosted the British National Road Race Championships for both Men and Women.

 

All riders/participants/spectators who are on the mailing list will be kept up to date with information in the months and weeks leading up to the event. 

 

The event will start and finish on Newcastle Quayside and use Sustrans Routes 72 & 14 along the north and south banks of the Tyne heading out in a westerly direction. There are two rides of 9.5mls and 14.5mls for those who want to experience a leisurely ride along the banks of the Tyne. These are ideal rides for the inexperienced who may be afraid of traffic or those with young families. All participants must pre register on the event website.

Friday 29th June 2012
Newcastle Leazes Criteriums
The Criterium racing in Leazes Park, Newcastle will start at 6.15pm. There will be races for all ages and abilities. The evening starts with races for youngsters Youths. there will be two races, one for U10/12 followed by one for U14/16. 

 

The supporting senior event will precede the main event and is for riders who race regularly but are not full time riders.This is for riders who hold either a 2nd,3rd or 4th category BC licence.

 

The finale for the evening will be a one hour race for the best riders in the Country. Many of these riders will have won medals and there even may be some current world and Olympic champions in their midst. Some of the best riders in the World may be competing on the Friday as well as on the Sunday.

Saturday 30th June 2012
Virgin Money Cyclone Challenge.
A series of 3 rides of differing distances and difficulty to test all those who compete. The rides start and finish at the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, Kingston Park. There is limited parking within the grounds for all those who are travelling to the venue. This parking can be pre booked. There is also additional parking at the Great North Park  This will be signposted.  The three rides leave from the Club between 8.00am and 10.30am and go directly out into the Northumbrian countryside on country roads, therefore avoiding the city traffic. Riders will be set off in Groups of 60 at 2 minute intervals. Those riders doing the 104ml ride are advised to leave between 8-9am. Those doing the 63ml ride should plan to leave between 9-10am and those doing the 33ml ride should leave between 9.30-10.30am. There are catering facilities open at the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club throughout the day so that a refreshing drink can be had upon completion of your ride.

These events are not races and no positions will be given on the website. Each rider will be given a finishing time along with split times calculated along the route. This will be done with the aid of electronic chips which will be given to each competitor and provided by Sport Ident, the leader in this type of electronic timing. All finishing and split times for those completing their own Challenge will appear on a results page within 48 hrs.

Each competitor will be given a T shirt and Goody Bag upon completion and will be able to download their own personalised certificate from the Marathon Photos website. There will be feeding/re-hydration stops on all of the routes with food and drink which also act as timing stations and medical control centres. There are also many cafes and pubs along all three of the routes and competitors can stop off and enjoy a well earned rest and sample the local cuisine.

The event will have full medical cover courtesy of St. John's Ambulance and comprehensive marshalling provided by The Sea Cadets and Territorial Army. There will be Technical Service vehicles sweeping the routes for those who have major technical difficulties. All junctions will be signposted courtesy of Northumberland County Council.

If you decide you are going to ride on behalf of one of the nominated Charities you will be sent a sponsorship pack from that charity once you have registered. You can then raise money for that charity. This could be as little as £1. There is no obligation to sign for a charity and you can just do the ride of your choice without any charity involvement if you wish. However it is hoped that many people will ride on behalf of a charity. There is also a bonus if you decide to ride on behalf of a charity. You will then be eligible to win one of the great prizes on offer for those raising the most amount for their charity. In 2011 there were over £2000 in prizes on offer courtesy of Madison/Shimano.

Sunday 1st July
Womens National Series Road Race

The first event of the day will be a Womens National Series Road Race which will attract some of the best riders in the Country. The race will start at 9.30am and will use the Ingoe Circuit which passes through the villages of Stamfordham and Matfen. This circuit was used by both the men and women as the finishing circuit in the 2011 National Road Race Championships. It is 13.9mls and the women will complete 4 laps of this circuit before finishing in Stamfordham. Total distance for the event is 55.6mls

 

This will be the 61st edition of the event. It will be run over the same course as the 2011 Mens National Road Race Championships. Riders will complete 3 laps of the larger circuit which is 22.3mls. This includes the climb of the Ryals. On completion of the 3rd lap of the larger circuit riders will then go on to the smaller finishing circuit of 13.9mls as used in the womens event. This will be completed 3 times making a total distance of 108mls. The race will start at 1pm.

I hope many thousands of riders and spectators will once again come and enjoy the weekend and increase its status in the National Sporting Calendar.

 

You will be able to view highlights and get news of the whole weekend, before, during and after the event on Facebook and YouTube by clicking on the links below as well as following  the action from all the Premier Calendar Road Race Series.

 

 

Peter Harrison
Organiser