Legendary 24 hour race celebrates tenth anniversary with new title sponsorship

Anyone who was at the very first Mountain Mayhem (the first 24-hour mountain bike race in the UK) will be no doubt mildly alarmed to find that 2007 will be the event's tenth anniversary. Feeling old yet?

Fittingly, the tenth Mountain Mayhem looks set to be the biggest and best ever. The big news is the announcement that T-Mobile and Giant, already huge supporters of cycling, have signed up as joint title sponsors. That puts Mayhem properly in the big time - Giant is obviously a big player in the bike industry, but T-Mobile is properly massive, with 16 million customers in the UK and 80 million worldwide. Landing this kind of deal for a mountain bike event is something of a coup whichever way you look at it.

While we're running the numbers, here's a few more for you. T-Mobile Giant Mountain Mayhem anticipates over 450 teams and 2,500 participants, and with a prize fund of over £19,000 you can expect competition between top teams at the front of the pack. Mountain Mayhem has become about much more than just the racing, though, and the organisers expect over 10,000 spectators at what they describe, with considerable justification, as an "iconic annual UK mountain biking weekend".

Patrick Adams, partner in Pacific Edge Events Limited, organisers of the T-Mobile Giant Mountain Mayhem, commented on the new title sponsors: "We are thrilled and delighted to be working with T-Mobile and Giant, two brands that have such cycling heritage, especially now in 2007, our tenth anniversary year."

Toby Hester, T-Mobile UK Head of Sponsorship, said: "Mountain Mayhem is a fantastic annual festival that sees amateur cyclists competing alongside their heroes. It's an event that involves teamwork, personal achievement and family entertainment. T-Mobile has long-standing links with cycling across the globe. As a brand we want to be associated with the best team and the very best events and so Mountain Mayhem is an obvious place for us to be. We look forward to working closely with our co-title sponsor Giant and the event organisers to put on an outstanding weekend of riding."

Collette Clensy, Marketing Manager for Giant UK, said: "We have been associated with Mountain Mayhem since its dawn and it seems only fitting that we can now boast co-title sponsor alongside T-Mobile for this tenth anniversary year. Mountain Mayhem is the most exciting endurance race in the UK calendar with a following of devoted participants and supporters alike, whether attending to race, the demo weekend or just to soak up the vibe. We are over the moon to be able to bring this event to the enthusiasts for 2007."

Look out for further announcements of various themed events taking place over the weekend. For now, though, mark 22-24 June 2007 in your diary and head to www.mountainmayhem.org. Entry forms are now available - as ever, you'll be wanting to get in quick...