Every June, Nevis Range plays host to the Fort William round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. In 2010, this included both Downhill and 4x disciplines. Remarkably, the weather was hot & dry, resulting in a dry, dusty and fast track. Fort William is reckoned by many to be the best of the World Cup rounds, largeley because of the challenging and varied nature of the course coupled with a huge amount of support.
Rachel Atherton
Greg Minaar
Gee Atherton on his way to victory
Apparently you need to whip this corner in order to go fast!
The first time I went to Fort William was in 2008. I'd been following the racing all season but I had never attended a World Cup race before. The thing that struck me above all else was the fans. I could not believe the sheer number of fans who had travelled up to Nevis just to see their favourite racers. I started mountain biking in the early '90s and to me it was always a fringe sport. Seeing hordes of teenagers, families and the occasional 'super fan' (see below) really brought it home to me... Mountain Biking has grown up.
Proof that Mountain Biking has grown up... the sport has proper FANS!
