The Kielder Water & Forest Park is gearing up for the Northern Downhill Championships on Sunday October 24.

The race is the culmination of the Northern Downhill series, which has seen racers tackle other descents in Kidland Forest, the Cheviot Hills and Hamsterley Forest. 

But riders will also be competing for national ranking points, with participants coming from as far afield as Aberdeen to earn a share of the spoils. 

Among the starters will be Scott Mears from Newcastle and Danny Hart from Redcar, ranked  8th and 30th in the world for downhill respectively and both racing for the Newcastle-based Fox Europe team.

“We’ll be using part of the black rated Deadwater Trail in Kielder, which is a really tough challenge, especially when you are racing against the clock,” said organiser Carl Davison.

“The very quickest will be aiming to complete a run in about two minutes and 40 seconds, which takes a fair dollop of skill and courage.”

Forestry Commission recreation, tourism and communities manager Alex MacLennan added: “Watching these guys in action is incredible and a brilliant spectacle for the public to enjoy.

“More and more top flight mountain bike events are coming to Kielder thanks to the investment made by the Kielder Partnership in creating all year round trails for all abilities.”