The Isle of Wight will be host to the final round of the Southern Cross Country Mountain Bike (XC MTB) Championships organised by the Wightlink-Wight Mountain team on Sunday (14th July). This will be the biggest MTB XC event ever held on the Island and will see upwards of 150 of the best riders from the South of England take on a new 5km purpose built course at the IOW MTB Centre at Cheverton Farm near Shorwell. As well as the Elite riders competing for the coveted trophies, there will be races throughout the day for all age groups from Under 10 to the Grand Vet 60+ category – there will be entry on the day for riders who make a last minute decision to race. Organisers Jerry and Julie Cooper say:
“We’ve worked hard to secure a round here on the Island and couldn’t have done it without the support of our sponsors, especially Wightlink, who have made it possible for mainland riders to travel to the Isle of Wight and the guys from Wight Mountain who have built the course. “It’s fantastic to be part of the premier mountain bike Series in the South of England this season, and it will be a great opportunity to showcase our local talent. Our team members have already won and placed in the previous rounds and are looking to do well again next week.
“Nick Earley, Nadia Lele and Juniors Ewan Cook and Alfie Haydon have put in solid performances in every round of the Series and most are standing in good stead to be on the Overall podiums – we’re especially excited about watching our fearless little shredder Finley Manser-Grundy, who will be celebrating his 6th Birthday on the day of the event, in action.” “The event is open to riders of all abilities and ages, so we’re hoping that the local cycling community will come along to have a go and also enjoy watching the experts in action. The team are proud supporters of Mountbatten and will make a donation from the entry fees, so the more entrants, the more cash we raise for this amazing charity”.
No boats cancelled this weekend then