We’ve been sent this video by Ryan Bevis on Twitter (you can follow us @bikemagic, by the way) which gives a flavour of the quagmire that riders had to battle with. What started out as green fields (albeit waterlogged by a week of heavy rain) soon descended into rivers of mud.

The 150mm steel full-susser broke cover in March and we got the opportunity to ride it in April: “It’s a bike designed for efficient climbing and solid and stable descending on rough and unpredictable terrain at high speed,” was our verdict.

The Rocket’s attributes come into their own in this unashamedly cheesy and hilarious video, where Rocketman is called into action to save a stricken mountain biker who’s crashed in the woods.

The eliminator made its World Cup debut in Houffalize, Belgium, at the weekend and a rainbow jersey will be up for grabs when the event is included as part of the World Championships for the first time in Saalfelden, Austria, in September – and the UCI hope to add the event to the Olympic schedule in the future.

The eliminator follows a similar format to ski/snowboard cross. Riders qualify in a time trial before racing through four-rider heats, with the fastest two progressing, eventually reaching the final, going shoulder-to-shoulder for the top spot on the podium.

Ski/snowboard cross proved a huge hit with crowds in Canada and the eliminator has all the ingredients to emulate that success – hell-for-leather racing over a short, compact course, with the event decided over just a few hours and a gold medallist at the end . All that, and its  easy-to-understand format, makes it ready-made for television, an area where mountain biking has traditionally fallen short.

Great Britain’s Annie Last won the inaugural women’s World Cup event, while Brian Lopes took the men’s title. With the racing taking place less than 48 hours before the elite cross-country events, many riders were unwilling to sacrifice their race legs but a reverse in the race schedule will solve that problem, according to Simon Burney, former Great Britain team manager and now a UCI official.

“We want to try and make the eliminator after the cross-country World Cup where we can,” Burney told Shimano Race TV (watch the video below). “When we do that we should see more support from the big guys. We’ve got the World Championships for the first time this year in Saalfelden, Austria, so when there’s a World Championship jersey at stake then the team’s will be more excited about having those guys compete.

“And at the World Championships the eliminator will be after the cross-country – the cross-country will be on the Saturday and the eliminator on the Sunday – so I think there we’ll see a lot more of the big names competing.

“And the dream? The vision for the future, because we’ve always got to try and keep progressing, is to have the eliminator as an extra Olympic medal event in the future. That’s what we’re driving towards. Whether it happens or not we need to see, but we need to have that ambition and that focus.”

Mountain biking’s Olympic future has previously been cast into doubt, with the sport required to improve spectator numbers and television viewing figures at London 2012, after which its performance will be evaluated by the UCI and International Olympic Committee.

This translates to a London 2012 course which has been designed on an open hillside, allowing spectators to view multiple sections of the race from one vantage points, while the track has been updated following last year’s test event to allow for more overtaking.

And while cross-country may remain the holy grail for riders, the eliminator offers a ready-made race format to lead the sport in the 21st Century.

Can the eliminator breathe fresh life into mountain bike racing? Tell us in the comments section below.

So what’s The Bicycle Academy? In their words: “A place to learn how to make bikes. You keep the skills, your first bike goes to someone who really needs it.”

It’s the brain-child of Andrew Denham (organiser of the Cobble Wobble and founder of the Black Canon Collective mountain bike club), who’s teamed up with frame builder Brian Curtis. Together they’ll be based in Frome, Somerset.

In summary, the Academy will provide people with the skills and facilities to design and make their own bikes, with Curtis the tutor through evening classes or short weekday courses. As part of the learning process each student will make a frame designed specifically for use in Africa. Once graduated, students will be able to use The Bicycle Academy workshop to hone their skills and build their own frames.

“To many people bikes are a lifeline that make it possible to get food, water, work or an education,” said Andrew. “Together with the charity re~cycle we’ve started work on the design of a standard bicycle frame specifically for use in Africa.

“Every student who takes a course with us will build one of these frames which will then be made into a working bicycle before being distributed to those in need via partnering charities.”

By pledging money to support The Bicycle Academy, you can secure a place on one of the first courses. Here’s Andrew with more…

He said: “We’ve got the workshop, but haven’t got anything to fill it with – We need to buy brazing stations, a lathe, a pillar drill, jigs and a full complement of bike tools.

“By pledging £500 you’re pre-buying one of the first course places before they become available to anyone else, but that’s not the only way that you can help; we’re offering rewards for pledges from just £20 – and remember it’s all or nothing, your money will only be taken if we reach our funding goal. So, if we fall short it won’t cost you a penny, but if we reach the target then everyone will get their rewards and we’ll get to fill our workshop full of tools.”

So that’s The Bicycle Academy. Take a look at the video below for more info or go to www.peoplefund.it/the-bicycle-academy to pledge.

More Mountain Biking Videos

Photo gallery

Being on the bike is also an opportunity to get closer to nature, whether its winding through woodland or swerving to avoid a rabbit that’s jumped from beneath long grass.

But this is too close for comfort…

“With only 107 shopping days until Christmas, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas presents,” the e-mail told us on Friday. In fact, the weekend has now come and gone so that number will soon dip under the 100-day mark.

Anyway, limited Christmas editions of Original Buff headwear will be available in special edition gift packs from the end of October for £13.

Look out for the in-store display at your local bike shop or look online at www.buffwear.co.uk. Don’t say we didn’t give you enough notice.