simpson retro
Friday 12th - Sunday 14th september
Harworth, Doncaster, DN11 8JN
Celebrate the life and legacy of cycling legend Tom Simpson at the annual Simpson Retro, held in the town where he grew up, Harworth, Nottinghamshire.
This unique event combines history, nostalgia, and competitive spirit, offering cycling enthusiasts a memorable weekend.
From 12th to 14th September 2025, enjoy engaging talks, vibrant social events, and the ever-popular retro bike ride along the same roads Tom Simpson once trained on.
The Simpson Retro is a fabulous weekend of joy, smiles, friendship and beautiful bikes. Now in its fifth year, the Simpson Retro will be better than ever in 2025 as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Tom Simpson's world championship win.
The event HQ is Harworth and Bircotes Town Hall, Scrooby Road, Harworth, DN11 8JN, where the weekend kicks off on Friday evening with a 3 course dinner and social event.
Saturday begins at 9am with our all-day cyclist’s market, which is located just outside the Town Hall in our custom-constructed market place. There’s a cycle jumble corner, trade stands with various sellers offering some fabulous items; some of our sponsors have stands, and there is plenty of hot and cold food and drink available for when you get peckish.
At 10am on Saturday, there will be an organised ride departing from the Town Hall car park for a short spin around the local lanes, including a café stop, a visit to the local museum and Tom's grave. The ride will return in plenty of time for the afternoon’s entertainment.
Saturday afternoon will kick off with our retro bike display at midday, followed by films in the Town Hall, and stories by some of the legends of the sport - stay tuned as we announce names over the coming months.
There will be an event in the evening with live music, grass track racing, and fantastic food and drink - more details to come on this soon.
The ride on Sunday will start at 10am outside Harworth and Bircotes Town Hall. The route explores roads Tom Simpson used for his early training rides. These roads were where he discovered his ambition to become a world class professional cyclist, and where he first raced.
Our Best in Show competition takes place during and after the Retro Ride, with judging by experienced show judge and our trophy sponsor Bill Barrowcliff, who does a tremendous job supplying all the trophies for us; we are greatly indebted to him. All awards will be presented at the end of the ride.
The event will wind down in the afternoon, with refreshments and goodies available from our sponsors.
The route
There are two distances to choose from; the 64-kilometre middle-distance (Chemin de Simpson) and the 80-kilometre longer ride (La Grande Classique). They both explore the quiet lanes of North Nottinghamshire, with short dips into North Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire. The routes are mostly flat, with some rolling sections and one short steep(ish) climb early on. The two routes share most of the same roads, with the middle-distance only missing the northern section of the longer route. You can choose which route you ride on the day.
