THE big cycling event locally this weekend is the hill climb up the famous One In Four Rake at Ramsbottom.

Almost £2,000 in prize money is up for grabs for the bikers who can pedal the 947-yard course, also known as the Rake, the fastest.

Organiser Peter Graham – himself an ex-national champion – has a record entry of 76 for the Lancashire Road Club promotion, which has £500 waiting for the fastest to the top and another £400 if the winner beats the present course record of two minutes 14 seconds.

Among those entered are Carl Helliwell and Sarah Hartley of Blackburn and District CTC, who both rode well in the recent climb of Jubilee Tower.

There will also be a strong team from the Rossendale Road Club, which includes two tandems.

The course begins at Carr Street in the centre of Ramsbottom and continues up Tanner Street then up to the Rake and finishes at Chapel Lane.

Organiser Peter Graham said. “It has become an important part of the calendar for the town and attracts many visitors as well as top competitors.”

All finishers will get a T-shirt stating that ‘I have ridden up The Rake’ and the usual big crowd is assured on the hill, intent on watching the riders do just that.

The Rake Cycle Climb takes place in Ramsbottom on Sunday, October 16 from noon.