The Marie Curie Etape Pennines sportive has a new start and finish area.
Nearly 2,000 riders turned out for the event last year, taking on a challenging route of nearly 80 miles in the dramatic scenery of County Durham.
Changes made for 2013 will see the 78-mile route, which includes 2,000 metres of climbing, begin and end in Teesdale, on the outskirts of the pretty town of Barnard Castle.
Cllr Maria Plews sport and leisure chief at Durham County Council, said last year’s event had made a “significant economic impact” on the area.
“Events such as this really give us the opportunity to show visitors what our county has got to offer and hopefully many will be tempted to come back again,” she said.
A council study estimated the economic benefit to County Durham at nearly £236,000.
The Etape Pennines will continue to raise funds for the Marie Curie charity, the UK’s largest provider of palliative care to the terminally ill, outside the NHS.
Some 400 places have been set aside in this year’s event to raise funds for the charity, which employs 2,700 doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals, who last year cared for 35,000 patients in nine hospices.
The Etape Pennines is one of three major sportives organised by IMG Challenger, with others including the Etape Mercia and Etape Caledonia.
The Caledonia event has already sold out, and organisers of the Etape Pennines have allocated 1,000 extra places for this year’s ride, which takes place on Sunday October 6.
