The British Cycling National DH MTB Series has been without a title sponsor for several years. But for 2006 the series will become the Chain Reaction Cycles NPS – apparently CRC is Europe’s largest online bike shop, and it’s stumped up a five-figure sum to become title sponsor.

The five-round series starts on April 8/9 at a new race venue in West Wales (Upper Corris, near Dolgellau) before heading up to Scotland, then a couple more rounds in Wales. The series final will be on the World Cup course at Fort William.

According to NPS promoter NACC Events, entries for Round 1 are filling up fast, so get in quick. If you miss out, you can always go and spectate – the organisers are keen to get more crowds on the hills.

The influx of cash should lead to a smooth-running series: “Chain Reaction’s considerable investment will allow us to
have the best of everything at all our races and this will become more and more noticeable as the season goes on,” said NACC Manager Siobhan Fahey.

Those dates and venues in full:

• Round 1 April 8/9 Rugog Farm, Upper Corris
• Round 2 May 14/15 Innerleithen, Peebles
• Round 3 July 10/11 Pen-y-bont-fawr, Llangunog
• Round 4 August 12/13 Caersws, Newtown
• Round 5 September 23/24 Nevis Range, Fort William

More details, entry forms and online entry at www.npsdownhill.co.uk (top tip: that huge JPEG with all the information on it that you can’t read is actually bigger than it looks – open it in your graphics package of choice and it becomes a lot clearer…).