RESIDENTS and businesses have been warned to expect road closures while cyclists race 78-miles round County Durham in front of 3,000 spectators.
The 78-mile long Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Pennines road race will this year take place on Sunday, October 6.
A series of meetings is to be held this month for residents to find out more about the roads affected and to offer them the opportunity to raise any issues.
Representatives from event organiser IMG Challenger World and officers from Durham County Council will be at the meetings to provide information and to answer questions. People who live or run businesses along the route have been encouraged to attend.
Nigel Dodds, the council’s strategic manager for outdoor sports and leisure, said: “Last year the event attracted competitors from around the world and brought a huge boost to the local economy, in excess of £235,000.
“However, we recognise that while the event brings a number of benefits to the region, the necessary road closures inevitably cause some disruption.”
The race starts on Harmire Road, Barnard Castle, and it heads through the Durham Dales, Weardale, Teesdale, Esh Winning, Crook and Hamsterley Forest.
The meetings are at: Cowshill Village Hall, on June 24, at 6.30pm; Crook Civic Centre, on June 25, at 6.30pm; Teesdale Leisure Centre, on June 26, at 7pm.
Details on the road closures can be obtained from IMG on 020-8233-5900, between noon and 2pm Monday to Thursday, or by emailing info@etapepennines.co.uk. A map, can be found at http://www.etapepennines.co.uk/roadclosures.
via Businesses face road closures as major bike race heads through town (From The Northern Echo).
Deerness Valley Cycling 