You’ve probably heard of the Polaris Challenge – the two-day bike orienteering event that requires teams to carry everything they need for two days and not find out where they’re going until they’ve started. You may well have taken part – hundreds of people have. Well, now the Challenge is doing something a little bit different – they’re holding an event in the south of France…

It’s all the brainchild of Martin Wilcock. He used to be marketing manager of Porvair, who sponsored the Polaris Challenge a few years back (when it was the Porelle Polaris Challenge). He and his family now live in France, running rather splendid-looking holiday accomodation (ariege.com/petit-paradis/info.html if you’re interested). It occurred to him that the track-riddled foothills of the Pyrenees would be a perfect setting for a Polaris, the Polaris people agreed and nothing stood between them and an event than a bit of French bureaucracy.

So it’s full speed ahead for Le Challenge Polaris. The dates are 7-9 November 2003, the entry fee is 100Euros, flights are cheap, the weather’s good and the riding by all accounts splendid. Visit www.ariege.com/polarischallenge/ for more details and an entry form, or the Polaris Challenge site for on-line entry.

And while we’re on the subject, don’t forget the Autumn Polaris (11/12 October, “the North West of England”). Details on the site too.