The 2011 National Elite Road Race Championships will take place in Newcastle next June as part of the Northern Rock Cyclone cycling festival.

The festival, from June 24-26, kicks off with the Leazes Criterium on the Friday before the elite road races take centre stage on Sunday.

With national championships taking place across Europe on the same day the race attracts the very best of British riders from the international peloton with last year’s field including, Geraint Thomas, Mark Cavendish, Emma Pooley and Nicole Cooke.

Thomas and Pooley are expected to defend their 2010 titles in the north east.

Northern Rock Cyclone organiser Peter Harrison said: “Bringing the men’s and women’s National Elite Road Race Championships to the north east on the same weekend as the Northern Rock Cyclone is a massive high point for me.

“I’m proud that years of hard work developing cycle racing in the north east have paid off.”

British Cycling cycle sport and membership director Jonny Clay added: “The National Elite Road Championships is the biggest single day road event here in the UK and we look forward to seeing its continued development when we visit the north east in 2011.

“The quality of the field that the nationals are able to generate now is testament to the growth of our sport in the UK and we look forward to seeing those riders do battle over a great course that will see a worthy national champion decided.”

Meanwhile, the Halfords Tour Series will return in 2011 with ten dates across the UK.

The series, which features unique team-based criterium racing, will once again take place during May and June, beginning on Tuesday May 17, with two rounds a week being held for the next five consecutive weeks, before a grand finale on Thursday June 16.

In 2010 Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta won the Bob Chicken Trophy as Halfords Tour Series champions, heading off Endura Racing and Rapha-Condor-Sharp into second and third respectively.

“We’re very pleased to be able to announce the ten dates for the Halfords Tour Series in 2011 so early,” said series manager James Tibbetts.

“Since the finale of the 2010 Series we’ve had a lot of interest from new venues looking to become a part of series next year. 

“We are currently in negotiations with a number of venues, new and old, and look forward to being able to make more announcements as we progress through the early part of next year.”