If you fancy getting your ribs inside those red, white and blue jersey hoops for 2001, here’s the dates to put in your diary.

The Downhill series opens on the rocky slopes of Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales, just north of Pateley Bridge on 12/13 May. Round two takes the riders to the near vertical conifer plantations and fire roads of Innerleithen on 2/3 June. For round three, there’s a venue new to the series, Combe Sydenham in Somerset, a reminder that not all the best downhills are on the Celtic fringes. The series wraps up on 29/30 Sept in Ae Forest, a strikingly steep course set in the woods of Dumfries – where, hopefully, there will be a couple of world championship medals on display!

Dual

The lightning quick head-to-head confrontations of the Dual discipline will also be on show at all the Downhill venues except Innerleithen.

Cross-Country

The season’s opener is once again the fire-roads and tricky single-track of Thetford forest on 24/25 March. Margam Park, near Swansea, is the venue for round two – 14/15 April – and always a popular venue with riders, with it’s classic combinations of sapping climbs and precise single-track. Innerleithen on 2/3 June brings the Cross-Country crew together with the downhillers and, as one might expect, the Scottish venue will test climbing skills like no other. Shropshire’s Eastridge has long been one of the country’s best courses and hosts round four on 30 June/1 July, before the trip north to Ae Forest for the final round on 29/30 Sept.
The National Championships (Downhill & Cross-Country) are on 21/22 July at Hopton Wood, Ludlow, Shropshire, while the National Dual championship will be held as part of the Cheddar Challenge on 6/7 Oct.

UCI World Ranking points

The 2001 series will again be classed E2 by the world governing body, the UCI. The top ten finishers in the Elite Cross-Country categories and top ten fastest Downhill riders (irrespective of category) will receive UCI points, enabling them to qualify for World Cup events. If you are in any doubt as to how this system operates, please call Chris Furber at the BCF on 0161 2302301, ext 2216.

Price Freeze for 2001
Entry Fees have been held at 2000 rates for the 2001 series and are open to Non members of the BCF who will be able to enter non-series Cross-Country races on the day at each Cross-Country venue.

Information and Entries

All BCF members who rode in 2000 series will automatically be sent an entry form for the 2001 series. For information on the National Points Series and entry forms, please send a large SAE to: Central Entries, British Cycling Federation, National Cycling Centre, Stuart St, Manchester, M11 4DQ