THOUSANDS of cycling enthusiasts are expected to descend on the region for an evening of high speed racing.

The fastest cycling teams in the UK will be battling each other to see who comes first on the challenging circuit around the historic streets of Durham.

The penultimate leg of The Tour – a 10-stage race taking place all over the country – is coming to the city on Saturday.

This is the eighth year the event has taken place in Durham and has for the first time been moved from a weeknight to Saturday in a bid to attract more fans.

Mick Bennett the Tour Series Race Director: We’re thrilled to be bringing the Tour Series back to Durham for the eighth consecutive year on Saturday. It’s always a firm favourite with riders and spectators and we’re hoping that moving the race to the weekend this year will see a bigger crowd than ever before.

“The brilliant circuit around the beautiful city centre, including that infamous cobbled climb, always provides an action-packed night of racing and with it being the penultimate round of this year’s Series teams will be desperate to pick up maximum points.”

As in previous years, the cyclists will be following a challenging 1.4km route starting and finishing near Quarryheads Lane.

The main race gets underway on Grove Street at 5.30pm and riders will race for 60 minutes before a five-lap sprint for the finish. Riders will pedal along Margery Lane before hitting the steep downward slope of Crossgate, where the best will hope to reach top speeds of around 50kph.

Then comes a punishingly sharp right hand bend and a long climb up South Street, offering spectators stunning views of Durham Cathedral, before a sprint to the finish line near Durham School.

Entry to the event is free and there will be pre-race entertainment including music from 3pm.

Before the main event, teams from Durham University will be competing with each other from 3pm, which will be followed by a contest between teams from the emergency services.

Local cycling clubs will also have their own race, starting at 3.50pm.

The winners podium ceremony takes place at 7pm.

Quarryheads Lane, Margery Lane and Grove Street will be closed from 6.30am on Saturday to midnight while other nearby roads, including Allergate, Crossgate, North Road, Pimlico and South Street will be closed from 11am.