England’s first closed-road sportive – the Etape Pennines – has been announced and will take place on 7 October 2012.
The full route is yet to be unveiled, but the organisers, IMG, have promised a 78-mile course in County Durham. Entry costs £61 and is open now.
The event will be England’s first traffic-free sportive after the Cycletta women-only series saw its closed-road status withdrawn. Scotland, Ireland and Wales already host the Etapes Caledonia, Hibernia (both organised by IMG) and Cymru respectively.
“We’ve been working on expanding our cycling events programme as Etape Caledonia and Etape Hibernia have been so successful,” said IMG Challenger World managing director James Robinson.
“We bring a unique concept to sportive riders and are extremely pleased to have been able to bring a new event to England in the great location of County Durham. We’ll be working hard over the next 12 months to ensure riders have an incredible experience.”
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