Endura Racing, Team IG-Sigma Sport, and Rapha Condor Sharp will all line up for the Beaumont Trophy on Sunday July 1.
The Premier Calendar race, which has run for more than 60 years, will feature as part of the Virign Money Cyclone cycling weekend, which starts on Thursday June 28.
Last year’s Beaumont Trophy was contested alongside the national road race championship, with Bradley Wiggins taking both titles with a solo ride to victory.
The four-day event is expected to draw more than 4,000 cyclists for a series of family and challenge rides, as well as criterium races for amateurs and professionals.
Event organiser Peter Harrison said: “We always work hard to make sure that the Virgin Money Cyclone appeals to everyone who wants to ride a bike and attracts many thousands of cyclists and cycling fans to the North East. To have the support of such inspirational riders and teams once again for 2012 is great news for us.”
The weekend starts at 7pm on Thursday June 28 with the Tyne Six Bridges Leisure Ride for families and riders new to cycling. Two rides of 9.5 and 14.5 miles start on Newcastle Quayside and cross the city’s Millennium, Tyne, Swing, High Level, Redheugh and Scotswood bridges. Entry costs £6.
The Leazes Criterium races will be held in Newcastle’s Leazes Park on Friday June 29. An elite race could also include the three UCI Continental teams committed to the Beaumont Trophy two days later.
Saturday June 30 will see some 4,000 riders take on the Virgin Money Cyclone Challenge rides. Three rides of 33, 63, and 104 mile rides are offered, each passing through the Northumbrian countryside.
Professional cycling will dominate the programme for Sunday July 1 with the Beaumont Trophy and the Curlew Cup, a new event for female riders. The course will be the same as that used for last year’s national road race championships.
