Oli Beckingsale (Giant) is one British racer looking forward to his chance to race the Dalby World Cup on "home turf". (Image credit: Jake Orness / www.jakespointofview.com)
Mountain bikers looking for an opportunity to ride the new Dalby World Cup and compare their times to those of the elite racers will have a chance to do so at the Dalby Dare event on Saturday, April 24.
Held the afternoon before the opening 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cross country, the 30km event will feature challenging sections of the new World Cup course including Medusa's Drop, Worry Gill and Dixon's Hollow before breaking away from the World Cup course and continuing onto other red and black Dalby trails with a series of testing zigzags up Addersback climb. A long, fast and rocky descent down Dargate Slack will continue to test riders before a steepening technical climb up Tom Milners Grain. The riders will then have to carefully negotiate their way round Peat Head Rigg and rejoin the World Cup course.
"The combination of the various trails has really come together to make a great course for Dalby Dare," said Martin O. Vastar, course designer for the Forestry Commission at Dalby Forest. "The concept for Dalby Dare was to include a number of singletrack climbs, fast rocky descents and technical climbs, before returning to cross the official World Cup finish line. It offers the perfect Dalby World Cup experience for the rider."
Former British national cross country champion Nick Craig is supportive of the Dalby Dare challenge. "It is an amazing opportunity to ride the trails and test your skills on the World Cup course. Once you have ridden it yourself, you will realise just how good the pro riders are when you watch them smash it round the next day making it look so easy!"
Participants will also receive a Dalby t-shirt and goody bag and will be timed individually on both their World Cup lap and the entire Dalby Dare challenge.
With the mix of amateur and World Cup competition in the same weekend, amateurs will have the chance to not only race, but also be close to the elite action. "The World Cup weekend gives you three days to get incredibly close to the World Cup action from Pickering on Friday and into Dalby Forest over the weekend. Whether you choose to attend or tune in on TV, the weekend promises to be truly inspirational and a great platform for encouraging people into the sport and into events like the Dalby Dare in fantastic facilities like Dalby Forest," said Jonny Clay, British Cycling’s Cycle Sport and Membership Director.
As preparation for this year's World Cup, a British Cross Country National Series round was held as a test event last May. Oli Beckingsale (Giant) and Katherine O'Shea (Torq) won the men's and women's contests.
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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
