Nevis Range and Leanachan Forest
Mountain Biking Training on Championship Courses in Scotland
Jun 2, 2008
Serious mountain bike riders will have heard of the descent - 550 metres in 2.6 kilometres - down the Nevis Range’s Aonach Mor and its fierceness as a downhill track from the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships and the annual Fort William Mountain Bike World Cup, first held in 2002.
Mountain Bike World Cup 08
At this year’s event, to be held later this week at the Nevis Range and Leanachan Forest Fort William, an expected 20,000 MTB fans will gauge the training and pre-Olympic performances of over 800 riders taking part in the Mountain Bike World Cup 08. The courses for the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 08 event presented by Shimano are set out along the natural geomorphology of the Nevis Range and Leanachan Forest:
- XCO Course – The Witch’s Trail, Leanachan Forest
- DHI Course – Nevis Range
- 4X 4 Cross – Nevis Range
Spectators, MTB riders and non-riders alike, will appreciate the skills, stamina and strategy of world class mountain bike riders including world champion Sam Hill, in the Fort William Mountain Bike World Cup 08.
MTB Tracks and Courses are Open to the Public
Hosting four major events this summer season, the Nevis Range downhill track and Leanachan Forest cross country courses are accessible to visiting riders in training at all other times in the 2008 summer season (until mid September), open 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and weekends. The Witch's Trail in Leanachan Forest cross-country course is a popular choice for a first visit and will require developing MTB skills and technique. Absolute beginners can work through the Skills Loops and easier routes in Leanachan Forest.
MTB Downhill Training, Nevis Range Scotland
The monster Nevis Range Downhill track is open daily – weather permitting - for training. International visitors to Scotland without their own mountain bikes could hire from the fleet of downhill specialist bikes including the 08 KONA STINKY and the 08 DEMO SEVEN and other mountain bikes from Off Beat Bikes plus essential body armour and full-face helmets.
The Nevis Range downhill track is currently the only one in Britain with mechanical uplift. The gondola rides to the Range save a rider’s energy although it’s a steady ride of 15 minutes up to the top and the downhill course, a black graded trail, can be descended in around 4-20 minutes. Unlimited gondola trips are included in the adult day tickets for the riding which cost £21.
The World Cup Riders will soon make their descent down Aonach Mor with bumps and jumps, berms, drop-offs, rock slabs and natural sections set out in the Official Programme (Mellor Media, £2) with names including Out to Lunch, Stepping Stones, Long Drop, Cantilever, Bog,Trotter, Bus Stop, Pin Ball, Snakes & Ladders, Slab 1, Disco Hips Kicker, Man Trap, Steps, Arthur, Switch Back, The Stairs, Big Woody, Got Wood?, Rootu, Into the Groove, The Dark Place, Hip Replacement, Motorway, Navara Jump and Wall.
Visitors to the Nevis Range and Leanachan Forest have a choice of four MTB events this Summer Seasons 2008 including the annual Mountain Bike World Cup 08. Riders who fancy testing themselves on the manmade downhill track and Wtich's Trail cross-country can ride like a champion on the Fort William courses until mid September 2008.
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