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Nutcracker Series Open For Entries!
The long awaited Nutcracker Northern XC Series is now open for entries - with entries on the line available for the series opener this weekend.
Having received a fantastic pre-entry response, organisers of Nutcracker 1, scheduled to take place this Sunday in North Yorkshire, have extended the maximum field size to 300, leaving a further 150 places still available. Now that the pre-entry system is closed for event 1, organisers are inviting people to turn up and enter on the day.
Classed as a British Cycling Regional A event, there's plenty of points available for those interested in chasing points. The timetable for the day is as follows:
Sign-on / Registration opens: 0830
Course open for practice: 0830 - 1000
Race 1 (Senior Novice / youth): 1000
Race 2 (Expert / Elite): 1130
Race 3 (Senior Sport, Master, Vet, Jun): 1400
Prize presentation: 1615
On the day entry is priced at £25 for all senior and veteran categories, £20 for Juniors and £15 for youth.
Further details, including directions to the venue at Camp Hill, are available on the Nutcracker series website.
A British Cycling Category E Series and "Go-MTB" event, organisers Bikelicker Events are hoping to attract riders of all abilities, from Novice first-timers through to the hardcore Elite. With the first round of the series scheduled to be held on Easter Sunday, April 4, the event organisation is now in full swing and Bikelicker's Technical and Course Director, Adey Dent is spending every spare minute fine tuning the course at Camp Hill - the venue for round 1.
No stranger to organising mountain bike races, Adey - who was the organiser for the Richmond and Catterick rounds of the infamous NEMBA series is excited about the prospects for the series: "I can't wait. The Northeast has been without a MTB series for too long now and we've been talking about the Nutcracker for two years! It's good to see it finally get off the ground. Now all we need are some riders!" With 6 different courses to choose from, competitors can be sure of variation - adding to the ‘something for everyone' philosophy that the organisers have adopted. "I'm looking for a mixture of mud, trees and grass! Some courses are fast, some are technical and some are gruelling and we've done our best to identify the best singletrack, the most exciting descents and some good tough and technical ascents to include in the courses" said Dent. Adey's top tip for the Camp Hill event? "Expect lactic acid - it's gonna be a fast course!"
The Camp Hill facility also provides alternative activities for spectators and ‘other halves' who, maybe, have been dragged kicking and screaming to stand with a bottle, an energy bar and a spare set of wheels in (as far as they're concerned) a field in the middle of North Yorkshire! Quad bikes, dune buggies and a high-rope course are all available on-site at "Aerial Extreme" and of course catering and refreshments will be available from the event village.
"We wanted to offer something for everyone - not just the Elites who have numerous opportunities to race but also to those who are reasonably new to the sport or have never raced before" commented Series Director, James Hall. "We've got big plans for the series over the coming years and hope that it meets the expectations of the riders" Hall went on to say.
The second event is scheduled for Sunday 23rd May at Aske, just outside Richmond, also in North Yorkshire. Other events are planned for Dalby in June, Swaledale in August, returning to Camp Hill in September and wrapping up with the sixth and final round in Hamsterley Forest in October (after the bugs, flies and other insects have disappeared!).
Race Dates:
April 4 - Camp Hill
May 23 - Aske
June 13 - Dalby
August 22 - Swaledale
September 12 - Camp Hill
October 17 - Hamsterley
Schedule
0800: Registration and Sign-on opens
0830: Course opens for practice
1000: Novice (Go-MTB) and Youth race (male & female)
1130: Expert and Elite (male & female)
1400: Senior Sport, Junior, Master, All Veterans (male & female)
1615: Final presentation
Entry is priced at £20 in advance for all senior and veteran categories; £15 for Juniors and £10 for Youths. Entries on the day are available at a £5 premium as organisers are stressing the use of the advance online entry system rather than turning up and entering on the day. Advance online entries are via the series website: www.nutcrackermtb.co.uk.
Further information regarding the other events in the series will be uploaded to the website within the next few days.
