North wilderness to host bike stars

May 14 2008 by Liz Hands, The Journal

THE goal of turning a North forest into a top mountain biking venue will be given a major boost this weekend.

Professional mountain biker Clive Forth has been working with the Forestry Commission to bring one of Europe’s top off-road competitions to Kielder Forest in Northumberland.

The months of hard work will pay off on Saturday and Sunday with the staging of the Saab Salomon Avalanche Trophy 2008.

It is the first time this major event has been held in England.

Kielder is the second leg in a five-stage Euro-competition and mountain biking superstars will be jetting in from the continent to take part.

Other venues include Alpe D’Huez in the French Alps and Brixen in the Italian Tyrolean mountains.

Clive said: “The event is huge and being selected to stage the competition is a massive feather in the cap for Kielder. What the venue lacks in sheer altitude it makes up for in a really good terrain, which is perfect for endurance events.

“Around 300 professional and amateur bikers will be taking part, so it’s going to be a fantastic spectacle.”

The race is run through a series of time trials, with different routes for top riders and those of lesser ability. The event will use sections of Kielder’s new biking Deadwater Trail, which peaks at 2,000ft, making the routes the highest in England.

The Deadwater Trail is a key part of ambitious developments in Kielder Water and Forest Park aiming to make the upper North Tyne Valley one of Europe’s top recreational destinations.

Funders included One NorthEast, through the Northumberland Strategic Partnership (£151,000), Defra (£40,000), the Forestry Commission and Northumberland Sport.

Alex MacLennan, Forestry Commission recreation and tourism manager, said: “Massive investment has gone into creating sustainable mountain bike routes in Kielder – long regarded as a sleeping giant by off-roaders, eager to tackle a true wilderness.”

Kielder Castle car park will be turned into a bike village with trade stands, bike demos, barbecues and loads of other bike-themed events for the public.

The big bike weekend at Kielder continues with a 31-mile Border Raid into Scotland on Saturday, sponsored by the Kielder Bike Place.