North East sports fans are set for a treat later in the year as a prestigious UK cycle race comes to Durham and Sunderland.
History will be made when on Tuesday September 6 when riders roll out in the shadow of Durham Cathedral and Castle on Owengate, as the city hosts a stage start in the Tour of Britain for the first time. However, it won't be the quickest route along the A690 to Sunderland that many would usually use on the first stage of the tour to take place on English soil.
Instead, more than 100 of the world's best riders will head west into the North Pennines AONB. Among the challenges in the opening 50 kilometres of the 168 kilometre route is the ascent of Chapel Fell, a four kilometre climb near the border with Cumbria.
