Poland to host several mountain bike stage races in 2012

Part of the ever-growing popularity of mountain bike stage races, Poland is hosting several events in the summer of 2012 including the Beskidy MTB Trophy, Sudety MTB Challenge and Carpathian MTB Venture.

The Beskidy MTB Trophy will celebrate its sixth edition and will feature trails around Istebna in the Silesian Beskid. It will include four stages, all starting from the same location, beginning on June 7 and ending on June 10. For more information, visit www.mtbtrophy.com.

The Sudety MTB Challenge will feature more Alpine terrain along the Polish and Czech border. A prologue and five stages comprise this event, which is a bit faster and more forgiving technically than the Beskidy MTB Trophy. The race will run on July 22-27 through the Sudety Mountains. For more information, visit www.mtbchallenge.com.

The Carpathian MTB Venture is the youngest of the three races and an orienteering type of event in which racers determine their route based on provided maps. The six stage race, beginning on August 20 and ending on August 25, will feature a diversity of terrain and will start in the area of area of the Bieszczady and Maly Beskid in a small town called Rymanów Zdrój. Along the way, it visits places like the Sadecki Beskid, Makowski Beskid and Zywiecki Beskid. For more information, visit www.mtbventure.com.