Saddled up for thrills of high-speed cycling race

Ed Clancy, who won gold in the team pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will compete for the Rapha Condor Sharp team in the Halfords Tour Series event round Durham City.

Ten teams of professional cyclists will race along the city’s narrow, cobbled streets from 7pm, with up to 10,000 spectators expected to line the route.

Mr Clancy, who is due to compete in the Team pursuit and Omnium events at this summer’s London Olympics, said: “It’s a tough circuit. I don’t know what the obsession with putting hills in is. If it rains it’ll be a real destruction derby.

“People can see racers going past every minute-anda- half, so they’ll really see the race developing in front of them.

“It’s a great spectacle.

You’re bound to see some action at the bottom of the hill. Or get up to the finishing line.

“It’s something different, it costs nothing, so come and have a look.”

The 27-year-old is joined on the Rapha Condor-Sharp team by Commonwealth Games bronze medallist James McCallum, Great Britain rider Dean Downing, British Road Race champion Kristian House and Australian Ben Grenda.

The Halfords Tour Series features 11 races. The first, held in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, on Tuesday night, was won by Scott Thwaites and the Endura Racing team.

Durham is the second instalment, with the last due to be held in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday, June 14.

Rapha Condor-Sharp won in Durham last year and are also the overall defending champions.

A “promotional village”, selling merchandise, equipment and other sporting items, will be in Durham Market Place from 10am today. Tonight’s race starts and ends at Durham School, on Quarryheads Lane, at 7pm. Warm up starts at 6pm. Highlights will be shown on ITV4 on Friday at 8pm. Tonight is the third time the series has visited Durham. For more details, visit tourseries.co.uk

Halfords Cycle Tour circuit