Race at HONC 2007 as an under-18 and you could win a new Marin Palisades Trail

The legendary Hell of the North Cotswolds “reliability trial” will return for its 23rd year in 2007. Jointly promoted by Winchcombe CC and Cheltenham and County CC, the event will be held on Sunday 15 April with a mass start from the Cotswold town of Winchombe at 9am.

In 2006 HONC attracted over 1,000 riders and the event organisers donated over £3,000 to various charities including Cancer Research and the Air Ambulance.

The 100km route will combine Tarmac roads and bridleways, including rocky singletrack and rutted tracks. There’ll also be a 50km route if you feel like a slightly shorter day out. Both routes will be handed out in the form of written instructions and on a printed map – you’ll also be able to download a digital Tracklogs route to put on a GPS receiver.

There’ll be a refreshment stop halfway round and at the finish. The really important bit is that there’s an upper entry limit of 1,000 riders and you have to enter in advance – not only will there be no entries on the day, but you have to have entered by 31 March 2007. It’ll almost certainly fill up, so get your entry in early.

As has become traditional, Marin will present a brand new bike for one lucky under-18 year old who completes the course. This year there’s an all-new £695; Marin Palisades Trail hardtail up for grabs. The 2007 Palisades features a lightweight hydroformed 6061-T6 aluminium frame, RockShox Tora fork, Truvativ cranks, Deore drivetrain and Hayes hydraulic brakes.

Entry fee for under-18s is £5 and £10 for adults. Entry forms should be available any time now from either www.cc-cc.co.uk or www.WinchcombeCC.org.uk.