So far we haven’t heard much about the 4-cross race (replacing the dual event) at the World Cup at Fort William in June, partly because the event will be a world-first. But foresters up at Ben Nevis have been on the old fox and tail to tell us more about the course now that they are busy cutting it out of the forest.

part of the marked out course

The 4-cross race itself involves a short, obstacled course ridden simultaneously by four riders. But the best person to explain the idea behind it is the designer, renowned French biking champion Franck Roman:

“The concept of the course is similar to snowboard BoarderCross, with a
naturally flowing fast downhill feeling with a high number of obstacle
sequences,” explained Franck. “There will be jumps and features never seen
before and the event should provide a great show for the public right up to
the finish line.”

The foresters in Leanachan Forest near Fort William have already been sawing away at an area of trees the size of two football pitches for the course, and are now getting down to the business of landscaping and construction.

local downhillers Dougie Price and Adrian Hirst get stuck in with the foresters

Also out there getting their hands dirty working on the pioneering course are local downhillers Dougie Price and Adrian Hirst. Price apparently said: “We are thrilled to have the world’s first competition standard
4-cross course here in Leanachan, which complements the already world-class
downhill and cross country cycling here. This further reinforces Leanachan’s
position as one of the country’s leading mountain biking locations.”

Er, yes. Well the new course certainly will add an extra dimension to an area that already has plenty of bike routes ranging from family trails, the Great Glen Way and lots of singletrack. And as Keith Muir of the Forestry Commission pointed out, “This is a great boost to the area, which was hit hard by foot and mouth
closures last year. And it is a fantastic opportunity for people to discover
the delights of this dramatic forest…After the championships, serious thrill seekers will be able to try and
smash the records set by the world’s top riders and pit their skills against
jumps and special features to test the best.”

As to exactly what the obstacles are going to be, it looks like we’ll have to wait til the event to find out as they aren’t built yet. We’d reckon there was more than a bit of “look what we get to do while you lot are all stuck in an office” about this 4-cross news from the forestry bods, but then we might look bitter…

For more info on the World Cup, check out our earlier articles (below) or the official website. For general information on woodland biking routes see www.forestry.gov.uk.