Update Posted: 18 May 2011
Text by: Chris Ball
Scottish academy juniors have won the first two nationals with Fraser Mcglone winning round 1 and Mark Scott winning round 2. Mark also went on to win the maxis cup in Portugal at the end of April, all in the junior category.
Fraser Mcglone also qualified for his first world cup final at his first ever world cup in south Africa four weeks ago too.
Keep an eye on the scottish cycling homepage for more fort William material and also be sure to check out the Fort William website at www.fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk
Posted: 18 May 2011
Source: Fort William
17 Days to go – have you got your tickets yet? Book now and save money.
Come and join the superheroes of Downhill and 4-Cross at the award-winning Fort William Mountain Bike World Cup, returning to the Scottish Highlands on 4-5 June.
For all the latest information go to the website www.fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk
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Big Doon and Puggy Pipe nearing completion
The two major new features at Nevis Range have now been named.
The Big Doon is the road gap jump and steep drop/berm combination that will become a major spectator feature during the World Cup. It will only be used for the World Cup so won’t be accessible for day-to-day riding.
Final shaping is still taking place and the take-off ramp has yet to be built but it should be an impressive addition to the Fort William course.
Photo: Land there, turn here. Easy. Designer Rowan Sorrell and UCI Technical Deligate Chris Ball calculate terminal velocity of a body in freefall.
Further down the course, the new tunnel jump has been named the Puggy Pipe. The Puggy Line is the old railway line that was used for the construction of the tunnel that takes water from Loch Treig to Fort William, powering the Hydro plant for the Aluminium smelter. The tunnel allows full access along the Puggy Line whilst the Downhill course is open. The new jump is another impressive construction and will be used by all riders on the Nevis Range downhill course.
Just aim for the passing gondola. The Puggy Pipe takes shape.
Nevis Range Downhill and Red Run open for business
The Nevis Range Downhill opens for public access tomorrow (Saturday 7 May). The course is about 80% of the actual World Cup course and riders will be able to see and experience the preparation for the 10th anniversary event on 4-5 June.
The Red Run is a (slightly) easier alternative and the only lift-served red run in the country. It runs down a steep ridge overlooking the car park.
The downhill is closed for public riding from 30 May – 5 June and the Red Run is closed from 2 – 6 June.
Peaty and Rob go dabbing in the Highlands
Whilst the Mountain Bike World Cup is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, another classic event in Fort William is celebrating its 100th birthday. Yes, the Scottish Six Days Trial has been the go-to event for motorcycle trials enthusiasts from all over the world since 1909 – the only breaks in the continuous run were caused by World Wars.
Two Downhill mountain bike legends are taking part – Steve Peat and Rob Warner – both accomplished trials riders (in fact they can handle anything on two wheels, with or without an engine).
After 4 days of continuous riding – anything up to 100 miles a day and 30 observed sections (where points are added if you put a foot down or dab), Rob is in a very impressive 61st with 103 points and Steve in 115th and 177 points.
Follow the action here
Rob Warner enjoying the benefits of an engine.
Steve taking in the Fort William sunshine.
Barnes family take Macavalanche honours
Joe Barnes (MTB Cut, Dare 2b), from Fort William and a regular on the World Cup circuit won the inaugural Macavalanche event on the May Bank Holiday weekend in Glencoe. He stormed the “natural” course (including snow fields) in a blistering 10 minutes, ahead of World Cup rider Neil Donaghue and street trials legend Danny Macaskill. Joe’s sister Hannah took the women’s title.
Most of the 96 competitors were helicoptered to the start enjoying pristine clear blue skies and amazing views.
This UK version of the Megavalanche was organised by No Fuss Events – and it’s likely to become an annual feature in their impressive calendar of events.
The Macavalanche bikepark.
UCI iPhone Results App
The UCI is constantly trying to promote its competitions on new platforms and have just released a UCI iPhone application which can be downloaded from the iTunes Apple Store.
The UCI application is free of charge and will allow fans to obtain the latest results, news and
press releases across all UCI disciplines including the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Short videos containing the most exciting moments will be available just a few hours after the end of events.
