Fort William was the centre of the two-wheeled universe at the weekend as the Mountain Bike World Cup drew to a close.
Organiser Mike Jardine said the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) event was another success that was full of “amazing action and plenty of drama.”
The multi-award winning stage of the mountain biking world cup saw 250 riders from 25 nations tackle the course in front of 22,000 spectators in what was a sun-drenched weekend.
Frenchman Amaury Pierron from Commercial Racing raced to victory in the main men’s event for the first time.
In the women’s final, 22-year-old Londoner Tahnee Seagrave secured a massive eight second lead between herself and the rest of the field.
Mr Jardine added: ‘This weekend was filled with amazing action and plenty of drama – exactly what we’ve come to expect from the spiritual home of downhill racing.
“We welcomed an estimated 20,000 visitors to the Nevis Range over the course of the weekend who enjoyed the drama on-track and the festival atmosphere off-track in the pits and expo area.”
He added: “It’s incredible to see such a love for downhill racing from both participants and fans alike.”
The competition has been staged on the Nevis Range mountain bike trails since 2002 where it has won 32 awards.
The World Cup takes place over eight stages around the world. This year the second stage of the downhill event took place in Fort William. Over the weekend, over 250 elite riders from 25 different nations competed across the downhill and 4X divisions.
Last year it was named best in global series of mountain bike events by teams, riders, media, sponsors and the UCI – cycling’s international governing body. For riders it has a formidable reputation, but is also consistently voted by competitors as one of the best venues on the World Cup circuit.
Since the event began in 2000, more than £37 million has been raised towards improving the local economy.
