News – Raleigh signs up for Reg Harris sportive

2014_April_Raleigh_Banner

August Bank Holiday sportive re-connects five-time World Champion with former bike sponsor Raleigh

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

News – Raleigh signs up for Reg Harris sportive

Raleigh is to sponsor the second annual Reg Harris Cyclosportive, organised by the Rotary Club of Tottington & Bury West. The non-competitive ride aims to attract more than 300 cyclists to the Lancashire town to tackle the rolling hills of the Pennines.

reg-harris-cycling-plus2

The sportive starts in Tottington, Greater Manchester on Sunday 24th August 2014 and is the brain child of Marilyn Hughes, the daughter of Bury-born Reg Harris. Former Raleigh rider, Reg Harris was a multiple world track champion in the 1950s before making a stunning comeback to claim the British track championship in 1974.

Cyclists taking part will be doing so to raise sponsorship for local causes including the Bury Tandem Club for the Visually Impaired, Bury Cancer Support Centre, Bury Hospice and North West Air Ambulance. Earlier this month, organiser David Hughes, who is Marilyn’s husband, ventured into the Lancashire hills to introduce elite cyclist Ian Wilkinson to this year’s route.

Team Raleigh rider Ian, who is based in Barnoldswick, was impressed by the scenic route. “I often ride parts of this route in training” said Ian, “there’s a beauty to this area that I really enjoy. Plus the hills are long and challenging. If you’re looking to push yourself and earn your stripes then this is definitely a course that you should try.”

The route
The three routes are based around Reg’s former stomping ground with CTC Bury Group where he would undoubtedly have ridden many of the roads on his fixed wheel bikes. Take your pick from the long route (51 miles), the short route (26 miles) or the taster route (6 miles). Both long and short routes offer a serious challenge without being completely leg breaking. The taster route is new this year and is available to participants aged 12 and above (all juniors must be accompanied by an adult throughout the route).

The first 10 miles of both short and long routes is predominately uphill. The longer route then continues around Hoghton Tower, before passing through the rolling countryside around Anglezarke. The route then ascends Winter Hill to Bradshaw with a final climb to Affetside before an enjoyable descent back into Tottington.

From Lower Darwen the shorter route follows the Roman road back to Edgworth with several short but steep testers before rejoining the main route on the final climb from Bradshaw to Affetside. Much of both routes give panoramic views of the rolling Lancashire hills. The taster course follows the short route until Turton Heights where it turns and returns to the HQ, with a nice long downhill to finish.

Enter to win
Enter and raise a minimum of £15 sponsorship and you could be in with the chance of winning a Raleigh Revenio 3 road bike. See full details here: http://www.regharrissportive.co.uk/?page_id=1553

Sign up here
Entries are now open for the sportive, which starts and finishes at Tottington High School and includes a 51-mile, 26-mile or taster six-mile route. For more information about the Reg Harris Cyclosportive, go to www.regharrissportive.co.uk, follow @RegSportive on Twitter or search Reg Harris Cyclosportive on Facebook.

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: ,