Early on the morning of June 11th, 14 local cyclists from Newton Aycliffe’s oldest and largest cycling club. set off for the epic adventure of riding coast to coast in a day. The route took them 120 miles from Silloth to Seaton Carew and took only 8.5 hours of cycling. Many of the riders had only turned to cycling in the last year and had trained hard for the event by gradually building up their mileage.
The first 50 miles were grueling with over 4,000ft of climbing. Hart Side and Yad Moss are rated some of the toughest climbs in the region, but the more experienced riders, such as Ian Neale and John Meade, guided the others to the top. The welcomed sight of the support vehicle, driven by Andy Plews, was like an apparition at the summit of Hart Side!
The rolling countryside and wonderful views kept many of the riders going, many of whom had never cycled that far in one day. Peter Smith’s family met him on route, about 25 miles before the finish.
They gave encouraging words to help him on his way, and he, along with 8 other first timers, couldn’t stop smiling as they crossed into Seaton Carew. Marathon runners, husband and wife team, Michelle and Jason Dixon looked like the Cheshire cat, once they had dismounted their bikes! All the riders supported each other and are part of the friendly cycle club VC167. Formed since 1993, the club has just over a 100 members spread over a wide geographical area from Tyneside, through most of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Newton Aycliffe section has over 40 members in the cycle club.
It is a modern day cycling club, with something for everyone. Usually 4 rides per week starting from Newton Aycliffe Railway station catering for novice to experienced riders. If you would like to try cycling then contact us and check out what we have to offer. Contact gordonvc167@talktalk.net