Only a little more than a week to go before the Bristol Kona Bikefest of the 2009 kicks off in Ashton Court, Bristol on the 6th June 2009.

Entries to the Kona Bristol Bikefest 2009 – 12hour event will close on Sunday (31st May)
The entries have been flying in over the last couple of weeks so that we will close the entry to the 12 hour event on Sunday (31st May). So if you haven’t got your entry in and want to be part of the Kona Bristol Bikefest then be quick and go onto our entry page to get all the details of how to enter the events. There will be no day entry for the 12 hour event.

The entry for the 6 hours and the new 3 hour novice event is still open and will remain open all the way to Sunday morning. Please note that there is a £ 5 day entry surcharge if you are entering on the day. So save yourself some money and get your entry in now. To enter the 6 or 3 hour event also go to our entry page and either download your entry form and send it through to us or enter via the new online entry.

Camping update – IMPORTANT!
If you have pre-booked your camping pitch then please check on the facilities page where you pitch is and on the directions page how to get to your designated campground. If you can’t remember your pitch number please check the riders list on the entries page. Please make sure that you go directly to your designated campground to avoid delays and parking problems. If you haven’t booked a camping pitch then please make your way directly to campground no 2. which is off the B 3129. See the facilities page for details/directions. As the B 3129 is running between the two campground please be extremely careful when crossing the road at all times!

Kona and Sombrio Clothing Factory Clearance at the Bristol BikeFest - Kona Stand
At this years BikeFest you will be able to pick yourself up a bargain. Paligap the distributors for Kona and Sombrio clothing will for the first time be selling previous years mountain bike clothing. By selling directly to customers Paligap will be able to offer 50% and more off shorts, jerseys, gloves and casual items in the ranges. Example of the saving: Sombrio Rev Shorts: SRP: £70 - BikeFest price: £35 HALF PRICE!!!

Kona Bristol BikeFest entrants will receive a further 10% discount - Each rider will have a 10% discount voucher in their sign on bag.

Signing On Times and race start
Saturday’s race registration will open at 5pm on Friday till 8pm, then Sat from 7:00am till 8:15am. For Sunday you can register from 7:30am till 9:15am on Sunday morning or during Saturday afternoon if you are around. The Saturday 12 hour race starts at 9:00am sharp and the Sunday 6 / 3 hour event starts at 10:00am sharp.

Long term weather
We know it is not the most trustworthy thing but the long term weather forecast is looking good. So with a little luck we will have anther perfect weekend for the Kona Bristol Bikefest like in the previews years.

Kids race
There will be a kids race held on the Saturday starting at 1:00pm. Classes are under seven and over seven. Parents can enter their children on the day before 12:30pm by coming to the race unit and registering on the line. The entry will be free of charge.

Loyalty gift – make a proper riding weekend out of it
We as organisers depend on riders being ‘loyal’ to our events and we like to show our appreciation by giving you a loyalty gift (worth more the £ 25) if you either enters both events over the Bristol (or Cheddar) weekend or if you enter an event at the Bristol Bikefest and an event at the Cheddar Bikefest on the 12-13th September 2009. Even if you have entered one event at the upcoming Bristol Bikefest already and you decide to enter the other one even as late as on the day you will still be entitled to the loyalty gift if you enter the 6 hour event now.

Event village
The event village is nice and packed again: Here the line-up so far: Kona, Ritchey, Sombrio, Saris, CycleOps, Litespeed, Merlin, Torq, Cannondale, Cube, Bionicon, ZeroG, Red Bull, Intense, Maverick, NeoGuard, Merida, Marin, Dodgy Gear, Upgrade, Lezyne, Chris King, Howies, Merion Wool, RAM Bikes, Yeti, Rolling Resistance, Andy Watsworth with his VO2 Max test rig and High5.

The course
The course is in super condition at the moment but we have the Ashton Court rangers as well as the Bristol Trail Group heading out on the 30th May for some last minute polishing off of the course. The majority of the work will focus on the final sections in Beggar Bush and maybe a little bit along the quarry trails to provide the riders with the typical Bristol Bikefest course of swoopy, well flowing single track. If you interested in getting involved then go over to the Bristol Trail Group website www.bristoltrailsgroup.com – there are lots of goodies to be had for your hard work!

Besides that we are 90% sure that the ‘much loved’ bridge at the top of the long climb can be turned by 90 degrease – making it a touch easier for everybody. Failing that we will be able to extend the ramp up to the top of the bridge by a few meters making the push to the top a lot easier.

Recycling
We looked into recycling facilities for the race but on top of the estate cost we can’t really afford it this year and we don’t want to increase entry fees really. So please try and take home as much of your recyclable waste as you can, bottles, cans, etc, we will of course have bins for the non recyclable stuff but as cyclist we think we should all make an effort.