It actually happened last September, but such is the immediacy of the televisual medium that the MTB stages of the Great Adventure Race in the area around Loch Lomond will be shown on Channel 4 this weekend. That’s Saturday 11 January, 10am so you can set your video or remember to get out of bed or whatever.

The first part was shown last weekend but there weren’t any bikes in it. And anyone who reckons that bike racing is a lousy spectator sport should check out lake kayaking…

There are five teams in the race from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland plus a European team. The race includes all the usual adventure race disciplines – kayaking, running, mountain biking – with the MTB bits occuring on a course in Aberfoyle designed by the Glasgow Mountain Bike Club. Our spies tell us that the weather was great and with helicopter and helmet cameras brought into play it should all look rather splendid.