On top of the world (From The Northern Echo)

On top of the world

11:05am Monday 15th March 2010 in

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As the Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup comes to the region for the first time, Ruth Addicott talks to keen cyclist and organiser Alan Eves.

THE thought of the historic market town of Pickering being invaded by bikers is enough to send most of its residents running for the steam train. But these aren’t the sort of bikers on their way to a Hell’s Angels convention, they are professional, world-class mountain bikers, many of whom will go on to compete in the 2012 Olympics.

Next month, Yorkshire will host the first round of the UCI Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup, and the opening ceremony will see the creme de la creme racing through Pickering.

The weekend event follows a successful bid and joint partnership between British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire, Yorkshire Forward and the Forestry Commission.

The £1m course will centre around Adderstone Field, one of the highest points in Dalby Forest, which has been designed to test both stamina and skill, complete with technical drops and steep climbs.

Alan Eves, forest management director for the Forestry Commission for North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley, believes the competition will give the region a huge boost.

“Dalby was selected on the strength of its bid, which focused on building a world-class course for riders, spectators and TV,” says Alan. “Hosting a major international event will not only bring thousands of tourists to the region, it will put Yorkshire on the world map.

It’s a great opportunity for local people, particularly kids, to come along and see worldclass athletes on their doorstep. I’ve been to world cup events before and it is quite exceptional to see them compete at that level.”

Alan is no stranger to competition of this kind, having been forestry manager at Newnham Park, in Devon, which hosted the world cup the last time it came to England, 11 years ago. He now hopes to replicate the success on the North York Moors.

The top riders have to complete seven laps of the 6.5km course, taking about 17 minutes per lap. “I’ve tried it myself and some elements are very extreme,” says Alan.

The organisers are hoping to attract about 5,000 spectators over the weekend, appealing to families and outdoor enthusiasts as well as fans of mountain biking. Alan hopes it will attract people of all ages and says the event is about a lot more than the competition. “It’s about making a whole weekend of it,” he says.

The three-day festival will also feature a tourism and equipment exhibition, and food and drink stalls selling traditional products from Yorkshire.

Friday evening will begin with the opening ceremony and some of the world’s best riders racing through the centre of Pickering. On Saturday, the action will move to Dalby Forest, where the junior world cup (16 to 18-year-olds) will take place in the morning, and members of the public will have the chance to try the course before the race in the afternoon. The Dalby Dare will challenge 400 riders to test their own time against the elite riders.

The weekend will end with the elite men’s and women’s world cup – four hours of racing, featuring some of Britain’s best cross-country riders including Liam Killeen, David Fletcher, Oli Beckingsale, Annie Last and Sally Bigham.

The event will involve six rounds in total, between April and September, taking place in Belgium, Austria, Germany, Italy and the US, as well as Yorkshire.

An avid rider himself, Alan spends up to 11 hours a week on his bike, cycling five miles to and from work every day. “It’s just a warm-up really,” he says. “It’s a good way to start and finish the day.”

HE has worked for the Forestry Commission for 16 years, moving to the North York Moors six years ago from Devon, where he managed forests in Dartmoor National Park.

His passion for cycling even extends to family holidays. Instead of flying long haul to soak up the sun in exotic climes, Alan opted for a green holiday last year, taking his wife, Jane, and their children, Jacob, 16, Ellie, 14, and Tatam, 11, to the Black Forest in Germany. “We used public transport all the way,” he says. “We took our bikes on the trains. They quite enjoyed it.”

While his teenagers take a bit more persuading to get on their bikes at home in Yorkshire, Alan is not giving up on the chase with the rest of the North.

“It’s fun, it’s great exercise and it’s free,” he says. “It’s nature’s heroin.”

■ The opening round of the UCI Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup will take place in Dalby Forest on April 24 and 25.

■ For day and weekend passes, visit ticketmaster.co.uk or call 0844-847-2387.

British Cycling members and staff are entitled to a ten per cent discount. For more details, visit yorkshiremtbworldcup.co.uk