Words: Tweedlove organisation

Scottish cycling festival TweedLove’s flagship endurance race, the Glentress Seven, is now open for entries.

The seven hour endurance race is one of the Tweedlove festival’s most popular events, as riders battle it out around Glentress, on a course featuring trail centre favourites and many ‘secret’ trails, open only for the race. The event, which has been gaining in popularity since it started in 2011, is available to ride in pairs, trios or as a solo for those who want to savour every bit of the fun and sweat themselves.

Taking place on Saturday 24 May, the race is now open and a 20 per cent early bird discount on all entries is in place until mid-December. After December normal prices will resume, but the good people at TweedLove think the GT7 climbs are punishing enough without a price hike as well, so there will be no increase on last year’s fees.

The Glentress Seven is the opening act of the TweedLove Bike Festival 2014, which features the most ambitious programme in the festival’s five year history. TweedLove is now the biggest cycling festival in the UK, with over 30 separate events spanning almost every cycling discipline. In 2014 one of those events will be the first ever UK round of the Enduro World Series – a race that will attract some of the best riders on the planet to the Tweed Valley, often considered the spiritual home of UK mountain biking.

Of course TweedLove is no stranger to big names, with the likes of Steve Peat, Josh Bryceland and even Mr Santa Cruz himself Rob Roskopp putting in appearances last year. However, hosting the Enduro World Series race and the inclusion of TweedLove in the Homecoming Scotland 2014 programme of events, means next year’s festival will undoubtedly be the biggest yet.

TweedLove organiser Neil Dalgleish said: “The Glentress Seven is just great fun, and always one of our most popular events. It’s a proper test of the riders’ physical and technical skills – even the best can struggle after seven hours in the saddle. But there’s always the option to ride in pairs or trios, which just adds to the fun factor.

“TweedLove 2014 is going to be huge – two weeks, 30 odd events and of course round two of the Enduro World Series. This early bird discount is a great way to make sure you get involved in what will be the best fortnight of cycling the UK has ever seen.”

Entry for the Glentress Seven is now open through www.tweedlove.com.