MEMBERS of the public are being encouraged to head to Teesside to find out more about para cycling this weekend.

Middlesbrough Sports Village will host a special event called Limitless on Saturday, where people can try out the sport and then watch some elite-level racing.

Limitless is a British Cycling programme which provides cycling opportunities for disabled people, regardless of age, impairment and ability.

North-East cycling club, Stockton Wheelers, is an official Limitless partner and is hosting the event in Middlesbrough on Saturday, July 20, along with a circuit race as part of the latest round of the British Para Series.

Saturday's event will start at midday on the cycle track at Middlesbrough Sports Village with 90 minutes of free opportunities to try out trikes, tandems, handcycles and pedal carts. The session is aimed at people with disabilities, but also anyone else who is interested in the sport of para cycling.

Then, from 2pm, there will be a British Para Series circuit race in a variety of categories. Para cyclists will set off together and race for an hour. Among those in action will be Sedgefield’s Ben Hetherington, who was making strong progress in elite cycling until a serious accident in 2019. After a long recovery, he is now making a name for himself in elite para cycling and is aiming to secure a place in the development team for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Saturday's Limitless event will raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), which Hetherington and his family have been supporting since his accident. There will be fundraising to help the service run its two helicopters, The Guardian of the North II and the Pride of Cumbria II.