Very excited to announce that C King Images will be photographing the Trois Etapes

The Trois Etapes is the ultimate competitive pro-am cycling experience. The event is designed to give riders the chance to experience team cycling under race conditions, with the full support that a pro would have in a Grand Tour. The event is designed to incentivise tactical team riding. Each team of 8 riders (7 amateurs and 1 pro) has its own team car and Directeur Sportif. Every rider has a radio link with their team car and the Race Director.

The 2013 edition of the Trois Etapes will see 14 teams compete over four days (26-29 July) over a flat Prologue and three mountain stages whilst raising crucial funds for charities worldwide.

• Prologue: Les Albiez
• Etape 1: Orelle – Col du Glandon – Orelle
• Etape 2: Orelle – Aussois – Col de l’Iseran – Orelle
• Etape 3: Orelle – Col du Chaussy – Col de la Madeleine

Cosaveli are the organiser and sponsor of the Trois Etapes. Every detail of the 4-day event has been tailored to make it a true pro-am experience. By supporting the Trois Etapes, Cosaveli brings the greatest riding on earth to Trois Etapes riders while backing the work of their global charity partners. “We aim to ride hard, have fun and make a positive difference.”

View the Official Event Website at troisetapes.org

© Copyright Cosaveli Ltd 2013

The Tour of Britain Stage Launch – Cumbria, the Lake District.

Honister Slate Mines was the venue for the official launch of the Cumbria/Lake District Stage of the 2013 Tour of Britain.

The Tour of Britain is an 8-day professional cycle race, ranked at a 2.1 level by the UCI. The race will be held from the 15th to the 22nd September 2013 and Stage 2 will feature the lakes and mountains of Cumbria. Starting in Carlisle and finishing in Kendal with 3000m of climbing in between, it promises to deliver breathtaking scenery and some hard racing.

Details of the Skoda King of the Mountains climbs and the Yodel Sprint locations were revealed at the launch:

Skoda KoM

1 – Mockerkin

2 – Honister Pass

3 – Chestnut Hill, Keswick

Yodel Sprints

1 – Aspatria

2 – Dearham

3 – Whitehaven

Professional cyclists Jack Pullar (Madison Genesis) and Matt Cronshaw (Team IG Sigma Sport) attended the launch, talking with representatives of Carlisle City Council, Cumbria County Council, South Lakeland District Council and the Lake District National Park Authority. Jack and Matt happily rode some of the steep sections of Honister Pass for the media, no doubt fuelled by the bacon butties that Honister Slate Mines kindly provided for the launch.

The Lakes was looking her best today with blue skies and fluffy clouds but come rain or shine, Stage 2 is going to be Epic! Pete Hodges (Tour of Britain) “We’ve all seen the spectacular scenery from the Tour de France and the Giro D’Italia, well this is our equivalent, it really does feel that we have a proper mountain stage in the Tour of Britain this year. We are looking forward to Monday the 16th September and putting Cumbria on the map”.

A gallery of images from the launch can be seen at www.ckingimages.co.uk on the Sport Images Section

For more information on the Tour of Britain please visit the Race Website at www.thetour.co.uk

12 May 2013

Lake District, Cumbria, England.

The Fred Whitton Challenge is a tough 112 mile sportive challenge ride for charity held in memory of Fred Whitton. The route starts and finishes in Coniston and includes the gruelling climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott & Wrynose. It is an epic ride that rewards riders with the very best scenery the English Lake District has to offer.

The event takes place annually in May and throughout its history has seen variable weather conditions. 2013 will be remembered for being very wet and very cold, unseasonably very wet and very cold. Though the day started reasonably well with hints of sunshine on Honister, the rain soon appeared, stayed around and made its presence known. Almost 1400 riders completed the “Fred” this year and can take pride in knowing they not only conquered the hellish lakeland gradients they did it in some of the most brutally tough weather the event has seen. Chapeau!

I recently photographed the Marie Curie Cancer Care Etape Mercia Press Day. The aim of the day was to promote the Etape Mercia which will take place on the 18 August 2013 on CLOSED roads in the west Cheshire countryside.

Journalists and sponsors had been invited to the Press Day which included a ride on part of the Etape Mercia route led by Dame Sarah Storey, and a presentation by the event organisers and Marie Curie Cancer Care. Dame Sarah Storey who is the event ambassador was enthusiastic in her praise for the Etape Mercia which takes in much of the beautiful countryside the area has to offer. The route is 69 miles long and takes place on closed roads and is an entry-level event, so ideal for newcomers to cycling.

2013 will be the first time the Etape Mercia takes place and looks certain to become a firm favourite joining its more established relatives the Etape Caladonia and the Etape Pennines. Sign up now. #BeTheFirst!

Information on the event and details on how to enter are at:

www.etapemercia.co.uk

27 – 28 April 2013

Northumberland

Evan Oliphant of Team Raleigh takes the overall win in the 2 day Tour of The Reservoir.

We had wind, rain, hail, snow and sunshine……. and some great racing.

Chris Opie of Team UK Youth was second overall and was winner of Stage 1.

Top 30 – FINAL RESULTS

More images to follow……………..soon …….