2007 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships powered by Nissan Sports Adventure Fort William, Scotland Monday 3 - Sunday 9 September 2007 http://fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk
The Fort William team are motoring towards the biggest, best most spectacular mountain bike event in the World this September.
Great news for mountain biking as Nissan reveal a 3 year partnership with the sport at both UCI World Cup and World Championships level.
It's been a few years since a major brand was so heavily committed to competitive mountain biking but with Nissan Sports Adventure backing, expect to see a far higher profile for the sport, the riders and the events throughout the World.
On a practical level, Nissan will be supplying all of the vehicles necessary to run the World Championships, including 4x4 transport for the 4X and course building in and around Nevis Range and the Leanachan forest.
We've already taken delivery of a World Championships branded Navara Outlaw that will be used to tow the Worlds exhibition trailer around the country this summer. It's already clocked up trips to Birmingham and London pushing Worlds awareness to thousands of road users every journey.
THE HIGHLANDS COME TO LONDON
To launch the build-up to the Fort William UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and to announce Nissan as the main sponsor, 10 of Britain's top riders met up in London's Trafalgar Square for a press conference and photo call.
This roll call of home talent were restricted to some casual posing on the steps in front of Trafalgar Column – despite a desire to leap around on the lions. The real action is being saved for the Nissan sponsored Mountain Bike World Cup series and the big one, the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials Championships in Fort William, powered by Nissan Sports Adventure.
HALFORDS BIKEHUT SIGNS UP FOR WORLDS
Halfords Bikehut, the UK's biggest bike retailer, has signed up as a Presenting Partner for the Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships. They will be the retail and cycle maintenance partner and will also promote cycle access at the event along a new bike route from Fort William, together with offering maintenance services at a secure bike park whilst you watch all the action.
The Worlds will also get a big boost from in-store exposure and promotions through Halfords Bikehut 428 branches nationwide where their range of performance mountain bikes (Kona, Diamondback, Saracen, GT and Carrera) continues to expand. The retailer has also opened two new standalone Bikehut stores in Brighton and Putney, providing an extended range and service for cycling enthusiasts.
In addition to this they also sponsor the Team Bikehut downhill race team with riders Jonny Cheetham and Helen Gaskell. www.halfords.com
COTTAGES 4 YOU
Cottages4You have signed up as the latest Presenting Partner for the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships.
They have a huge range of holiday cottages for rent, throughout the UK and Europe, many with easy access to popular mountain biking areas. Their on-line booking system gives quick and clear information on properties by area and you can check availability on-line as well.
At each venue of the Worlds Promo Tour, Cottages4You are offering a free short break in one of their properties, plus an overall tour prize of a week long holiday. www.cottages4u.co.uk
THE WORLDS ON TOUR
The Worlds go on tour this month. For most of June and July we are taking the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships, powered by Nissan Sports Adventure, on the road. The Worlds trailer pulled by the World Championships Nissan Navara will be visiting a number of events and city centres. As well as information on all aspects of the Worlds there will be giveaways and competitions, with prizes from Cottages4U and Halfords Bikehut.
Former top UK downhiller Crawford Carrick Anderson has been turning the Worlds exhibition trailer into a suitable billboard to travel the nation's roads.
Crawfie has a vinyl signage business and rushed through the signwriting so that we could get the trailer to the Bike Show.
If you want any vinyl lettering, contact Crawfie at www.ccasigns.co.uk
Catch the Worlds at these venues: June 16-17, SDA DH & NPS 4X Test Event, Fort William June 23-24, Mountain Mayhem, Ledbury July 7, George Square, Glasgow July 8, Halfords Bikehut (tbc), Braehead July 14-15, Rat Race, Princes St Gardens, Edinburgh July 21-22, World Highland Games, Inverness July 28, City Centre, Aberdeen July 29, Halfords Bikehut (tbc), Perth or Dundee August 4, Glentress, Peebles August 5, Merida Marathon, Selkirk
THE CROSS COUNTRY COURSE
THE HAGGIS TRIP One of the features of the new XC track in the Leanachan Forest is the crossover near the top of the course, where climbing riders go through a tunnel underneath descending riders. Named the Haggis Trap, this is going to be one of the great spectator viewpoints where you can watch leading riders crossing chasing riders, having descended the open switchbacks from the highest point of the course. The tunnel looks tight but even the tallest riders get through no problem – it's just a bit tough if you see descending riders passing over your head knowing they are about 1km ahead.
THE BRIDGE IS UP The Forestry Commission Scotland stressed timber bridge is now in position – a beautiful, slender arch spanning the 20m gorge over the upper reaches of the River Lundy, at the top of the start climb. It is the missing link in the puggy line section of the new World Championships course.
XC TEST EVENT 19 – 20 MAY The first test of the new Forestry Commission Scotland World Championships course was the SXC event on 19-20 May. The weekend also included a one lap time trial used by British Cycling in their team relay selection procedure. There has been a great deal of work by three different trail builders – Golspie Wildcat and Learnie Red Rock designer Mark Hedderwick who tackled the new swooping singletrack in two forest sections, Corrie Construction who tackled the major engineering works on the open hillside after the final climb and the Forestry's own trails team who have done the rest of the works. The result is a mix of trail types and necessary riding styles that should make for an interesting and challenging course, where the rhythm is constantly changing.
OLI BECKINGSALE TAKES WIN AT XC TEST EVENT Oli Beckingsale (Giant Racing) won the first event on the new Witch's Trail World Championships course (Sunday 20 May). Austria's Michael Weiss (Biking Cyprus International) had led from the start but Britain's Oli reeled him in on the final climb of the last lap, winning with a time of 1:52:10 for the 5 lap race. 'The course is really testing, with some really big climbs and I think it's better than the old World Cup course' said Oli. For Michael Weiss it was a 'real World Championships course.' Ivonne Kraft (GER, La Carrere BTS Travel) won the women's Elite event ahead of Amy Hunt (GBR, Trek VW). In total 260 riders competed in all of the categories and the general consensus is the course is shaping up really well, is very tough, and is much harder when you have to race it. With three months of bedding in and some tweaks and changes ahead of the actual World Championships it will be a real challenge for the world's elite in September.
THE DOWNHILL AND 4-CROSS COURSES
GOING UNDERGROUND Another big project funded by Highland 2007 (the year long celebration of Highland Culture) is the complete remodelling of the DH and 4X finish section. A new spectator tunnel under the final straight will improve access around the DH/4X and XC Finish arenas, there will be increased viewing and new features are being designed for the DH and 4X courses coming into the finish.
DH boss Bob MacFarlane and 4X designer Phil Saxena debated leaving a sizeable gap jump – but common sense prevailed and the tunnel was used after all.
The new finish section will be ready for the SDA DH and NPS 4X events on 16/17 June.
DH TRACK OPENED ON 12 MAY The new World Championships DH course opened to the public on 12 May. Apart from some special World Championships features, just for the Worlds week in September, this will be the same course as the stars will ride. If you are planning a visit, remember it is a full-on downhill, very tough and very long. It's a great chance to test yourself on one of the most demanding courses in the world.
DH/4X TEST EVENT - 16-17 JUNE The new DH and 4X courses get their first official test on 16 and 17 June with the SDA DH and a round of the NPS 4X. Work has only just finished on the shaping of the top section of the 4X so this will be an important test before any final modifications pre Worlds. For the DH, the new top section has been bedding in since April. Fast, open and smooth it rewards good riding before it enters the more brutal, challenging mid section. This will form the basis of the Worlds course but other changes and features are planned for the final course in September.
www.sda-races.com/sda_www.nps4x.com The demand for entries crashed the SDA website server with all entries taken up in 4 hours. The big names starting their Worlds preparation will be Steve Peat, Fabian Barel and Nathan Rennie.
GAELIC LIVE The West Highlands of Scotland continue to be one of the bastions of Gaelic (Scotland's original Highland language) so it features in lots of World Championships activities. For non-Gaelic speakers, pronunciation can be something of a challenge so the website now provides sound files of key headings. Just click on the heading and you've got instant access to proper pronunciation. www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk
HEED THE CALL! It's official. Peaty needs your help. In an interview in the latest MBUK Peaty makes it clear where you should be in September.
MBUK: '…have you got a philosophy of life that you'd like to pass on to the waiting masses?'
Steve: 'Eat when you're hungry, sleep when you're tired, shag when you're horny….and come to Fort William in September to help me win the World Championships in Britain' Of course your support is needed by all of the British Team riders. So what are you waiting for? Make September 3-9 very special days for British mountain biking. MBUK 213 www.mbuk.com
Editor's Notes The UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships at Fort William – powered by Nissan Sports Adventure – will be staged from Monday 03 to Sunday 09 September 2007 – For more information - http://fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk/
At the World Championships, an annual competition with the emphasis firmly on riding for country rather than for trade teams and sponsors, 700 of the World's top riders from more than 50 nations worldwide will compete across the four mountain bike disciplines of Cross Country, Downhill, 4-Cross and Trials for a total of 19 World Championship titles.
Tickets for the World Championship are on sale now. For ticket information and all the latest news about the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships visit http://fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk/
Accommodation Booking – Tel: 0845 2255121 (+44 1506 832121 outside UK) / www.visithighlands.com / Tourist Information Centre, Fort William - Tel. +44 (0)1397 703781 / www.visitscotland.com / www.visit- fortwilliam.co.uk
The headline sponsor is Nissan Sports Adventure. The key partners behind the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships at Fort William are UK Sport, EventScotland, Highland 2007, VisitScotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, and Nevis Range.