"Bringing that West Country fat tyre feel to the fun and excitement of an XC race and dirt jumping... through the dust thrown up by the thrashing high speed cornering of the Bristol 12 riders the sun sets over a mellow Ashton Court tempered by beats from the DJ's decks."
This is what Bristol Bikefest organisers Paul Newman and Mike Beckingsale hope the 2003 event (Ashton Court, Bristol, 28/29 June)will be. Whether the weather will play ball remains to be seen, but it's a lovely image...
The event includes the third round of the Southern XC series and is an ambitious project aimed at making the race experience more fun. As well as the XC race, the weekend sees the official launch of the Timberland Trail, Britain's first "urban" (although you wouldn't know it to ride it) mountain bike trail with opening speeches followed by the inaugural convoy christening of the new trail.
This launch will the streamed live and a route review will be made available on the official Bikefest website www.bristolbikefest.com on Saturday, the day of the launch.
Saturday evening should be the highlight of the the event, featuring bands and DJs, both local and international. Hospitality will be provided by Mud Dock with help from Budvar. The evening's entertainments will really hot up, courtesy of Bad Ass Bikes, with the invited riders on the Dirt Jumping set to ignite the atmosphere. Riders on the Bristol 12 Enduro will have to ride through the marquee, so expect to be motivated by the spectators if you're competing.
A race entry form is available on the Bikefest site and camping will be available to racers at Ashton Court on both Friday and Saturday evenings.
