A new sportive event has been added to the cycling calendar to coincide with the 2010 British Road Racing Championship. Named the National Cyclo-Sportive, it will take place in Lancashire on Saturday 25 June and will share some of the same challenging route that Britain’s best road riders will cover one day later.

The National Cyclo-Sportive will replace the existing Pendle Pedal event and will start and finish in Barley village beside Pendle Hill – the same place as the National Championships. Riders will get to ride under the same start/finish gantry before heading out onto some of the most beautiful and traffic-free roads in England.

Lancashire’s Ian Wilkinson, who is a former national mountain bike champion and has enjoyed considerable success on the road this year with the Halfords Bike Hut Team and who will be racing for the new Endura team next year, will be riding.

He said: “The possibility of winning a national title on my home roads is really motivating. I will also plan to ride part of the National Cyclo-Sportive as my warm up. It’s a stunning route and I look forward to riding it with hundreds of other cyclists.”

The National Cyclo-Sportive will feature many of the famous climbs previously tackled by pro riders on the Tour of Britain, Kellogg’s Tour and Tour of Lancashire races: Waddington Fell, Tatham Fell, Bowland Knotts, The Trough of Bowland and the Nick of Pendle. The main route is 100miles long, with a 60mile option also available.

The Sportive climbs up from Barley beside the imposing figure of Pendle Hill before speeding down through Downham, a setting for many period TV dramas.

This picturesque village with no overhead cables is a throwback to a bygone era. Areas of the Ribble Valley hidden off the main roads are often likened to parts of Tuscany, perhaps without the vineyards but with beautiful isolated farms and houses, wooded glades and rolling countryside.

There are also big climbs: first Waddington Fell, then Tatham Fell are tackled. After a loop around the Lune Valley, the riders then take on the real big ones: the Trough of Bowland and the Nick O’Pendle.  By the time they’ve reached the finish, the riders have climbed over 3,500 metres.

It will be a fully supported ride, with four free feed stations, extensive route marshalling and signage, bike mechanics, sweep vehicles and chip timing.

For those staying on to watch the best British pro riders on the Sunday, it is also expected to be the only UK racing appearance of the new Sky Pro team.

The weekend will feature a full entertainment and visitor programme, with accommodation packages for visitors to the region. The entry fee for the National Cyclo-Sportive will be £25 per individual or £90 for a team of 4.

Entries will open on 11th January at www.pennineevents.co.uk.

The National Sportive and National Road Race Championships are just two of the events which make up the Pendle Cycle Fest. Other events include the Colne Grand Prix (part of the National Elite Series), the Pendle Cycle Show and a series of easy-paced guided rides.