A MAJOR cycling Sportif is to be held across east Cleveland and the North York Moors in memory of the late Dennis Teasdale.

The councillor and former mayor of Guisborough and Redcar and Cleveland, was one of the key players behind efforts to secure funding to restore the Grade II-listed Guisborough Town Hall and was also well-known in non-league football and cricketing circles.

Cyclo-Sportives are long distance organised events, the cycling equivalent of running the marathon, which involve completing a set route. Sportive events typically range from anywhere between 40 and 150 miles and, although at their most popular in summer, there are events run all year round. Sportive routes usually take in the most challenging roads in their area, with long, steep climbs and descents, testing all round bike riding skills rather than flat out speed.

The Sportif is to be called the Moors Menace and draws inspiration from the charitable endeavours of Mr Teasdale. As a public servant, he used his time, despite his failing health, to support a number of local projects and initiatives. Mr Teasdale was particularly proud to be part of the Guisborough Town Hall Gateway project, which will see the building transformed to provide accommodation and serve as a tourism and community hub.

The objective of the Sportif is to provide riders the opportunity to take part in the project by helping to secure the future of the Town Hall, and promote the environmental and health benefits of cycling.

The ride HQ and start and finish on Sunday, September 5 will be at the Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough. The Sportif has three courses of 43 miles, 67 miles and 108 miles, which follow a core route, starting and finishing in Guisborough and travelling along the coast from Saltburn and into the quiet roads winding through the North York Moors. All the routes incorporate challenging climbs such as Saltburn Bank, Skinningrove Bank, and Grosmont. The 67 and 108 mile rides additionally include Caper Hill, Rosedale Chimney and Blakey Bank. The 108 mile route also includes the Cote de Grosmont and Carlton Bank.

The ride will be fully supported with first aid, marshals and a broom wagon, and there will be two feed stations along the route at Glaisdale and Westerdale,

Entries for the Sportif can be made online at www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/237487/The-Dennis-Teasdale-Moors-Menace-Sportive

Entries will cost £30 plus £1 fee for the 43 mile ride and £40 plus £1 fee for the 67 and 108 mile rides.

Mr Teasdale, who died aged 73 in 2020, served as mayor of Redcar and Cleveland in 2018 and 2019, and was twice mayor at Guisborough. Born in Middlesbrough in 1947, he moved to Guisborough in 1959, attending the local County Modern School, now Laurence Jackson, where he was a prefect and deputy head boy. He went on to become a senior officer at the former Langbaurgh Borough Council before retiring from local government in 2002. Politics beckoned when he was elected to Guisborough Town Council in 2011. He went on to represent the town for the Conservatives on the borough council in 2015.