On Saturday 28th April Newton Aycliffe based cycling club VC167 ran an event to take on the iconic Coast to Coast cycle ride. A total of 25 riders took part in the 140 mile event, 15 VC167 members, nine Darlington cycling club members and a member from Stockton Wheelers.
The youngest rider on the event was VC167 member, Megan Plews and at 12 years old she is the youngest ever VC167 member to complete a C2C, a fantastic achievement.
The day began at 5.15am with the riders meeting up in Newton Aycliffe ready to be transported to Silloth in Cumbria for the 8.30am start. After a quick pit stop on route, for a breakfast bun and coffee, the convoy arrived at Silloth at 8.00am to a sunny morning and a beautiful view over the Solway Firth.
We left Silloth in the morning sun but unfortunately riding into a head wind lasting for the length of our journey made the ride just a little tougher. We rode through Wigton on the way to the notorious Hartside climb, and on reaching the summit, it was sad to see the now burnt out remains of the famous Hartside cafe.
Now it was time for the thrilling descent into Alston for a welcome lunch at the Cumberland Inn. After lunch, we set off for another epic climb over Yad Moss. Descending through Middleton in Teesdale past High Force, the last big climb was Folly Top then downhill all the way to Staindrop.
It was an ironic twist that the final part of the journey to Seaton Carew took us through Newton Aycliffe but with a 12-year-old girl determined to ride to the end, no-one else was quitting. The arrival on Seaton Carew sea front was a very welcome sight with everyone relieved but proud of their achievement.
Many thanks to Gordon Panicca for all his hard work organising the event. Also thanks to Ian and Sam Baronowski for their work in the support vehicle. Those pit stops were very welcome with the chocolate brownies and flapjacks.
By Les Bell
Main picture: Girl cyclist Megan Plews
