One of the best known events in the UK mountain bike calendar is coming back with a bang in 2007. For almost 20 years the Cheddar Challenge had been a fixture in the UK race calendar up until 2006 when due to unfortunate circumstances the event had to be cancelled only a few weeks before the actual date.

Now Cheddar is back on the map for 2007 (and beyond) with the Cheddar Bikefest sponsored by Kona Bikes. The experienced team that has been running the much loved Bristol Bikefest has joined forces with the original Cheddar Challenge crew and are bringing the event back to it’s former glory.

The format is similar to the Bristol Bikefest but adjusted to the time of year and the potentially ‘half empty tank’ of the riders. Saturday the 29th September will see the 8 hour endurance event and Sunday the 30th September will see the ‘lets get home in time’ friendly 4 hour endurance event. Both days can be ridden as solo events or as teams of 2, 4 or 8 (team of 8 is Saturday only). The special twist on Saturday is that the last couple of hours (depending on weather) will be ridden in the dark and will offer a real chance for everybody to enjoy night riding before the ‘dark season’ starts. Our night lap sponsor NiteRider (www.2pure.co.uk) will be on site offering technical support, showing off the latest night light technology and offering lots of prizes for the fastest night laps.

Loyalty gift – don’t miss out

Cheddar BikeFest have paired up with sponsor KONA bikes (www.konaworld.uk.com) to give every rider who is taking part in the Saturday and the Sunday event a ‘loyalty gift’ (worth more than £15) – so everybody who has already entered both events or who is going to will be rewarded when you sign on. It maybe worth considering giving the 4 hour solo a go once you have tackled the course on Saturday in a team of four or maybe the other way round. For all the Bristol Bikefest 2007 riders out there – don’t forget that our ‘loyalty gift’ offer applies also for taking part in the Bristol event and the Cheddar event later in the year. So if you enter at last one event at both Bikefests than you are in for a treat!

The course

We are still in heated negotiations to get the course back to the glory days of the Cheddar Challenge which includes the extension up and around the quarry – bringing the over all length of the course up to a lung bursting 8km with approx. 265m of climbing. The fought over Witches Wood (best single track decent in the country – we think) is back in the event making the course challenging and fun packed on the way up as well as on the way down. In any case the 2007 Cheddar Bikefest course will be challenging yet full of fun bits that will make even the most hardened mountain biker smile when they come over the finish line.

The venue / event village

With the ongoing changes and improvements that have been made at the Broadway House venue in Cheddar the facilities are all top notch which will make the Cheddar Bikefest the ideal place to bring the family for the final mountain biking burst of the season. The Bristol Bikefest team are going to add their usual laidback atmosphere with music and DJs running from early evening late into the night on Friday and Saturday.

The event village will have something for everyone. Top caterers and coffee vendors from the region, adventure playground and the latest 2008 accessories, apparel and bikes on display.

The categories and kids fun race

Both days are aimed at the experienced rider as well as the newcomer. Saturday sees solo, pairs, teams of 4 and the NEW teams of 8 categories. So if you are not a big fan of riding in the dark you simply make sure that you are done by the time darkness sets in. The Sunday race will have the same categories except the teams of 8. All team sizes can be entered in the competitive, fun or single speed category. There will be kids fun races too which will be held on Saturday lunch time. Entry for the Kids races will be taken at the registration and we will have three categories (0 – 5years, 5 – 10 years and 10 and over).

Timetable

Racing on both days starts at 10am. That means that the last few laps on Saturday will be ridden in the dark and that everybody gets home at a reasonable time on Sunday. Registration will be open from Friday afternoon/evening, all day Saturday and Sunday morning.

How to enter – entry now open!

The event website www.bike-fest.com or www.cheddarbikefest.com tells you all you need to know about the Kona Cheddar Bikefest with venue information, course details, briefing notes and lots more and most importantly has the entry form available to download. Simply download it, fill it in (please note that every team rider has to fill in an entry form) and send it through to us together with the payment. Due to not wanting to overcrowd the course and with that spoil the fun the organisers have restricted the entry, in particular the solo entry. So to make sure that you can take part in the event of your choice please enter as soon as possible.However if last minute is more your thing it is possible that they will accept entries on the day at the venue while spaces are still available.