It’s just four weeks until the 11th anniversary of the Ritchey Bikefest powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport kicks off on the 9-10th June on the famous trails of Ashton Court, Bristol.

If you haven’t made plans for the second biggest event in the country which combines great racing with the Bristol typical laid back atmosphere then better make sure you secure your entry now.

What is going on over the weekend?

In 2012 the Ritchey Bristol Bikefest powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport will return once more to the fantastic event location of Ashton Court, Bristol. But this year we got something new. Tested during the Oktoberfest and given some star ratings the June Bikefest will also run on the new Ashton Court course in 2012 – from beginning to end.

The infamous 12 hour team/solo endurance race will take place on Saturday the 9th June and will be followed the day after (10th June) by the 6 hour team/solo event and the 3 hour ‘novice’ event.

Both days are aimed at the experienced rider as well as the newcomer. We will have solo, pairs and teams of 4 categories on both days. All team sizes can be entered in the team open, team ‘old gits’ (average age of riders needs to be 40+ years) or single speed category (please note – no single speed category on Sunday). There are obviously mixed teams and pairs in the running as well. Exception to this rule is the 3 hour novice event will have teams of 2-4 and a solo category.

The Bikefest course

Over the last 12 months the Ashton Court course has seen a major overhaul and has turned into a superb all weather single track heaven which runs super fast and has fantastic flow. The almost 10km long loop which has around 155m of climbing in it was first used in the 2011 Oktoberfest and was one of the major highlights of the event.

Since then it has seen a huge rise in popularity with thousands of riders making their way to ride the Bristol trails from all over the south west and in fact the country. The Bikefest will use the course in its entirety and will have some Bikefest specific additions thrown in for good measures. To see the course details please click here or check out the course video from the 2011 Oktoberfest here.

Facilities at the Bikefest

The Ritchey Bikefest is renown for having (pretty much) everything just on the edge of the start and finish area. This year will be no exception with the campground being just on the edge of the track and only a stone throw away from the start/finish/handover and the event venue. The showers and the overflow campground will be across the road at the Cotham Park RFC (details here) due to lack of drainage in Ashton Court.

Music, drinks and food on site

12 hour racing is not just about riding your bike fast…there is so much more to it. To make the weekend complete we will have once more live music on Saturday night as well as our Bikefest DJ playing some tunes on Friday evening as well as Saturday afternoon.

The Bikefest bar will be open on Friday afternoon/evening as well as on Saturday afternoon/evening and will have a broader selection of drinks available in 2012. Ian in his Drop-Off bus will be serving food starting on Friday evening all the way through the weekend.

ProGold Lube and Pedal progression at the Bikefest

Besides brands like Ritchey, NoTubes, Torq, Avanti, Merida and Salsa (to name just a few) we will also have the guys from ProGold on site supplying lots of cleaning and lubing samples to the signing on bags as well as running a free lube station for the competitors throughout the weekend.

Further to that we will have the guys from local bike guiding and skills instruction company Pedal Progression on site offering free taster sessions throughout the weekend as well as get involved in the Bristol Bikefest Kids Race. More details on what the guys have planned please go to the Bikefest website.

Enter now – solo entries close soon

To secure your entry into the Ritchey Bristol Bikefest powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport make sure that you get your details in quickly. The solo category of the 12hour Bikefest race is getting rather busy and will be closed very soon. All the details on the Bristol Bikefest and the Oktoberfest including downloadable entry forms and the online entry can be found on the updated Bikefest entry page.

All other info

For all other info on the Ritchey Bristol Bikefest including directions, rider briefing, facilities and general event deails, and entry facilities (secure online entry and downloadable entry form) please go to www.bike-fest.com.