Get your bike out and have fun, chat, coffee and cake. Breeze is British Cycling's programme for providing fun and friendly bike rides for women. Rides are led by BC qualified volunteer Breeze Champions who can support you in every aspect of your cycling journey. Find new friends and new places and get fit to boot. See https://www.facebook.com/breezenortheast/

There's lots going on in the region to get kids started in cycling, develop their bike skills, and provide opportunities to race. There are routes for schools to get involved in developing cycling with their students and there are North East clubs with development sections.

See https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/young-people

BC North East supports local racing in many ways, from coordinating the race programme to liaising with race support outriders. Road racing is organised in 4 categories to ensure that riders race against others or a similar level. To get involved in road racing. See https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/getintoroadcycling?c=EN

There is a thriving mountain bike racing programme in the North East with some fantastic places to ride. All of the British Cycling race events are based in Hamsterley Forest at the Descend Bike Park. Outside of BC racing, there is widespread downhill mountain biking across the whole region.

See https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/mtb

and https://www.moredirt.com/region/United-Kingdom_North-East

The region has an outdoor 250m track at Middlesbrough Sports Village with regular organised training sessions for all ages and racing organised by Middlesbrough Track League. To find out more https://www.facebook.com/groups/borotrackleague

Cyclocross is about getting dirty and overcoming obstacles. Cyclocross is great for introducing new young cyclists and here is a thriving north east race calendar. To find out more see

https://www.facebook.com/cyclocrossnortheast https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross

Fast and exciting! Ride for fun with a friendly welcome. There are BMX facilities at Hartlepool Summerhill, the Hub at Barnard Castle, and Barnsbury BMX at Gallagher Park Bedlington.

See https://www.facebook.com/NorthEastBMXClub

In the north East there are clubs to suit all tastes, whether you're interested in a chat and a ride to a cafe, a downhill mountain trail, road racing, long social rides and everything in between. Some clubs are formally organised with leaders and start times and groups for different abilities and other clubs you just turn up and say hello. To find a club, go to the BC club finder page and enter your postcode: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder?club-search-query=find+a+club

British Cycling has teamed up with HSBC to arrange Guided Rides - led by British Cycling-trained Ride Leaders. They are free to attend and are designed to allow anyone to discover or rediscover the joy of cycling in a friendly, supportive environment.

There are three levels of guided rides – easy-going, steady and challenging - with each level designed to appeal to riders of differing levels of ability, confidence or experience. To find something to suit you go to https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/recreation/article/20170731-recreation-HSBC-UK-Guided-Rides-launched-0

Cycle speedway has been around in this country since 1928 and the North East has a purpose-built cycle speedway track at Northumbria Cycle Speedway, in the Cramlington Learning Village. For more information see http://northumbriacsc.org/index.php

Sportives are all about the personal challenge, from going further, higher or faster than you've gone before. But it's also about fun and friends, old ones or new ones. If you want to step up to your first 30 miler or push yourself to 100miles over wild uplands then there's something for you in the North East.

Find them at https://www.sportive.com/sportive-calendar/uk/north-east