Round 2 of the increasingly-popular 2007 ProCup Series is approaching rapidly – the Mapledurham MTB Festival (16/17 June) is just a couple of weeks away. Expect to see a weekend packed with enduro, XC and relay racing, live music and a BBQ party on Saturday evening.

The Mapledurham Estate, just off the River Thames on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border, is one of the most exciting new race venues in the UK. The ProCup organisers have been working with local club RATZ MBC and the estate management to build a great course for both the XC and Enduro races. The course takes riders from the meadows on the bank of the River Thames right into the wooded hills of the Chilterns. The arena is based in a spectacular natural valley that makes for a very good event atmosphere.

Saturday will see XC racing morning and afternoon, followed by the Short Course Relay for teams of three in the evening. Then local band The Zero’s (iffy punctuation band’s own…) will be playing in the main marquee. There’ll also be a BBQ (free to teams, small charge to individual riders) and, in a distinctly old-school race weekend style (and none the worse for that) a skidding competition on the hillside coming into the arena.

Sunday is enduro day, with 75, 50 or 25km options on what’s described as a “fantastic” course. Riders will return to the arena twice each lap to pass through a spectator-friendly pit area.

ProCup’s Henry Turgoose says: “We’re really excited about the event. Mapledurham is a stunning venue with an awesome course and we’ve got a great band playing in the evening. We’re going to be posting Enduro and XC course maps on www.pro-cup.com in the next week so keep your eyes on that for a sneak preview.”

Entries are still open for both individuals and teams of 3. Individuals can enter for either/both the XC and Enduro races. Teams race in the XC, Relay and Enduro stages. For full event details and to enter online or download a form visit www.pro-cup.com. There will be team prizes for the best senior, vet, youth and mixed teams.