Dalby Forest will host first round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2010

The 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will make two visits to Britain next year, with the opening round of XC at Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire on 24/25 April, followed by the ninth visit to Fort William, Scotland for DH and 4X on 5/6 September.

Dalby Forest is an area of breathtaking natural beauty and thousands of spectators attending the events will benefit from its convenient location, strong transport links and a first class visitor facility. The competition will attract the best mountain bike riders from 24 countries as they compete on a challenging and purpose built technical course.

The bid to host the cross-country round was successful due to the combined commitment of British Cycling, Yorkshire Forward and UK Sport to deliver the event in a way which would benefit mountain biking in the long term and create a legacy for the discipline in Yorkshire and nationwide, helping inspire participation in the sport.

"Securing two rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2010 is another great development for cycle sport in the UK which comes just hours after the UCI announced Birmingham as the venue of the 2012 BMX World Championships," says British Cycling CEO Ian Drake.

"The UK is the only country to hold two separate rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2010 covering the three disciplines of cross country, downhill and four cross, sending a strong message to the mountain bike community that we are serious about mountain biking. Both events will present a great opportunity for fans to engage with mountain biking on their doorstep and will prompt further investment into world-class facilities, helping inspire new generations of riders."

Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward, played an integral part in securing the event to the region added: "Bringing high profile events like the World Mountain Bike World Cup is a fantastic way for us to showcase our region to the world and attract new investment. The visitor economy contributes over £6 billion to Yorkshire and Humber's economy every year, so it is vital that we use our natural assets - like the Dalby Forest - to grow this important industry and our regional economy. This is great news for the district and we hope it will be a catalyst to encourage more people to participate in both recreational and competitive mountain biking."

The rest of the stops on the 2010 calendar include the usual offerings such as Houffalize (Belgium), Offenburg (Germany) and Schladming (Austria). There's also other new venues to look forward to, including Val di Sole (Italy), Windham (New York) and of course Dalby Forest.

2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Calendar

• April 24-25 Dalby Forest, Great Britain (XC)
• May 1-2 Houffalize, Belgium (XC, 4X)
• May 15-16 Maribor, Slovenia (DH, 4X)
• May 22-23 Offenburg, Germany (XC)
• June 5-6 Fort William, Great Britain (DH, 4X)
• June 19-20 Schladming, Austria (DH/4X)
• July 24-25 Champery, Switzerland (XC, DH)
• July 31-August 1 Val di Sole, Italy (XC, DH, 4X)
• August 28-29 Windham, USA (XC, DH, 4X)