CYCLISTS will get the chance to tackle a route known as the 'Hell of the North' during a charity bike ride from Bradford to France next year.

The five-day trip from Bradford to its twin city of Roubaix was officially announced in City Park today as cyclists gathered to celebrate national Cycle to Work day.

Those taking part in the ride, from April 7 to 12, will be raising money for Yorkshire Cancer Research (YCR) and Cycling 4 All (C4A), a disability cycling and sports club based at the University of Bradford.

Entrants will have the option of a 270-mile ride, or a bone-shaking 399-mile course, taking in part of the professional Paris-Roubaix route, famous for its cobblestones and rough terrain.

Project coordinator for C4A Adam Tasker said the challenge idea came from a charity ride the group made two years ago from Bradford to Paris, again to support YCR.

"During that ride, we stopped at Roubaix with it being a twin town of Bradford and exchanged civic gifts with its Lord Mayor," he said.

"Roubaix is known as the cycling capital of France and we want to make Bradford the cycling capital of the UK and create specific cycling ties between the two cities.

"There will be different routes to cater for mixed ability cyclists, whereby people that want to do the famous cobbled section, which is part of the actual Paris-Roubaix ride, can do that, but others who aren't as strong a cyclist can take a more leisurely route."

Organisers have provisionally planned for around 40 people to join the ride, but said there was scope to increase that figure depending on demand.

Riders have two sponsorship options available, with events such as bag packs and a bucket collection at Bradford City organised to help those taking part reach their targets.

Michelle Foulks, regional fundraising officer for YCR, said: "We've worked with C4A before, and we are very happy to do so again.

"There is already a lot of research going on in Bradford, and we're about to spend another £1.2million at the university, so the money raised by this ride will definitely go towards helping people locally and across Yorkshire."

The Paris-Roubaix is a professional one-day road race in Northern France, known as one of the classics of the European cycling calendar.

Due to its testing terrain, it has been called the 'Hell of the North', or 'A Sunday in Hell', and those taking part in the trip from Bradford will have the chance to watch the professional race in action.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Joanne Dodds was in City Park is supporting the event.

"The group wants to make this an annual event, and the links they will get between Roubaix and Bradford will be brilliant, so I'm a huge supporter of this," she said.

Visit www.facebook.com/BradfordRoubaix for more information.