Held as before on the popular area of Cannock Chase the event will once again be focused more towards the newbie or fun rider. At Run and Ride we really want to support the grass routes of mountain biking. The feedback from our previous Classic races was fantastic and for many riders it was their first ever race. Many of the categories sold out for that event so don't wait around to enter as you may just leave it too late!
So what has changed? Well from the Winter Classic...Nothing really. The format works with First Timers having their own category helping the new guys and girls get a feel of what racing is about. The Fun class is the next category up for those who may of raced before but want to just enjoy it and not really worry about how quick they are. Enthusiast is for the guys who race a fair bit, spend al lot of time training and generally rip round. Worth a mention are the U10's and U13's races which prove to be a massive success at every race we do. If you have children who fit into this age group and enjoy riding their bike then we highly recommend you enter them.

We want to encourage more women to give racing a chance, therefore entry prices start at just £5.00 (First Time, Fun, Juvenile, Youth, Junior) and £10 for Enthusiast. We'll also be holding a Women only course pre lap (pre event) to give new comers an idea of what to expect. 
The Singlespeed and Fat Bike categories are here once again too and are proudly supported by www.beerbabe.co.uk
The categories are:

• U10's Boy & Girls (10 Minutes)
• U13's Boy & Girls (15 Minutes)
• U16's Male & Female (M - 2 laps / F - 2 laps)
• U18's Male & Female (M - 3 laps / F - 2 laps)
• First Timers Male & Female (M - 2 laps / F - 1 laps)
• Fun Male & Female (M - 3 laps / F - 2 laps)
• Enthusiast Male & Female (M - 4 laps / F - 3 laps)
• Single Speed & Fat Bike (M - 3laps / F - 2 Laps)

 

• 09.45 - U16's / U18's Male
• 09.46 - First Timers Men
• 09.47 - U16's / U18's Female
• 09.48 - First Timers Ladies
• 11.00 - Fun Men
• 11.02 - Fun Women
• 12.45 - Under 10's
• 13.00 - Under 13's
• 13.45 - Enthusiast Men
• 13.46 - Single Speed / Fat Bike Men
• 13.47 - Enthusiast Ladies 
• 13.48 - Single Speed / Fat Bike Ladies

As for the course, expect a real mountain bike course. What do we mean by that? Well plenty of nice techy, but fast flowing singletrack. and some lung busting climbs mixed up with a few fire road sections. As with all our events we try to create a few new sections with the backing from the Forestry Commission ready for the event. If you are a newcomer don't be put off by the "real mountain bike" talk. Our course are 100% rideable by all levels and we don't put anything too dangerous in the course, plus anywhere that has a difficult section in will have a 'chicken route' alternative. The course will be around 5km in length and take an average of 20mins (Top riders) 30mins (first timers) to complete. Please the course for the National event later in the year will be different.

Info for Riders

The venue at Tackeroo is ideal for holding events at. Easily accessible from the north or the south Tackeroo is around 15 minutes from the M6 motorway junctions at Cannock (South) or Stafford (North). Facilities Toilets Camping - If you feeling brave during Febuary then camping is available onsite at a cost of £2.50 per night Parking - There are lots of hard standing parking at the venue Food & Drink - we've managed to secure ‘real’ coffee car vendor, Per-Cup, to attend the event. For the true coffee lovers they'll be offering proper coffee. We'll also be offering a wide selection of home baked cakes & savoury treats. Onsite drink water - there are a number of taps around the parking area with fresh drinking water. Massage Therapy will be set up early Sunday morning offering pre-race treatment and post race treatments . The effects on the legs of a good massage cannot be under estimated. Run & Ride Store will be offering the essentials should you forget something and dare we say something breaks