Superb weather, intense yet fun loaded racing, fast – single track loaded course, laidback atmosphere and a good mountain biker party were the ingredients to another enjoyable Ritchey Bristol Bikefest that took place on the 9-10th June in Ashton Court, Bristol. Now in its fifth year the Ritchey Bristol Bikefest has clearly made its mark on the UK endurance scene.

The Bristol aftermath
More than 1000 riders in teams of two, four, eight and solo riders took part in the 12 hour event on Saturday and had a great day racing on super dry trails and in temperatures scratching on the 30 degree mark. The much loved course in Ashton Court was slightly extended adding a superb extra downhill bit but also demanding a little bit of extra climbing from the riders. The just over 9km long course, containing more than 50% of the finest singletrack the Southwest has to offer again spiced up by the much loved/hated ‘bridge’ was once again successfully conquered by the Kona UK team who won the team event with an impressive 26 laps. The ladies category was won by the Reading Evil Anne Gang who had a close battle with the Mud Honeys. The solo categories were dominated by recent TransScotland riders Paul Murrin, Matt Carr and Meggie Bichard. The event village was the biggest ever with displays from Kona, Ritchey, High5, Bionicon, Cannondale, Santa Cruz, ATB Sales, Extra UK, Pedro’s, Torq, Shred and Silverfish just to name a few. The day’s racing finished off with a great set from the Bikefest regulars Junction 27 mixed in with a few drinks from the Bikefest bar.

After a rather long night on Saturday and the hint of some possible rain (which after all ended up somewhere else in Bristol) Sunday morning saw an early start with the UK Single Speed Championships. 9am was the start time for the one geared brigade and with over 200 ‘part taking’ riders the SSUK was a rather impressive happening. All sorts of weird and wonderful bikes were raced around the course and with the obligatory pint after every lap the race certainly heated up toward the end – the odd food or rather beer fight was seen as well. After the SSUK came to a happy ending the 6 hour event could get going which saw more than 500 riders being tested by the hot and dusty conditions Bristol is starting to get a reputation for. The Kona UK team once again showed their class on the demanding course and managed the only ‘double’ of the weekend.

The general atmosphere of the weekend was yet again super friendly yet competitive with all the racers being extremely polite when overtaking. It shows that an event can be laid back without loosing its racy focus.
The photos are now up on www.photo-it.com and the results with individual lap times on www.timelaps.co.uk.

We would like to send a big thank you to our title sponsor Ritchey components and Kona Bikes who did a great job. The guys will continue with their support for 2008 (provisional date: 7-8th June 2008). A big thanks also goes out to Bob from High5, Pedro’s and Yucca media for their support.

Kona Cheddar Challenge and loyalty gift
With the Bristol event being ‘done and dusted’ our full attention is going towards the ‘rebirth’ of the old classic Cheddar Challenge, now called Kona Cheddar Bikefest, (www.cheddarbikefest.com). After the event was put on hold in 2006 we have joined forces with the old organiser and are bringing it back to life. The Kona Cheddar Bikefest will follow the same concept as the Bristol Bikefest with just slightly shortened riding times as the days are getting shorter. But besides the great riding, which especially the ‘older riders’ will remember with a smile on their faces from the good old days of Cheddar Challenge, there will be an expo area with lots of companies showing off their latest gear which is more than likely the newest 2008 stuff!! Trade stand enquiries please contact paul.bikefest@virgin.net.

Don’t forget that if you have ridden at the Bristol Bikefest that you will receive a loyalty gift worth more than £20 if you also enter the Kona Cheddar Bikefest event. You will also receive the loyalty gift if you decide to enter both days at the Kona Cheddar Bikefest. So maybe worth considering giving the 4 hour solo a go on Sunday once you have tackled the course for 8 hours on Saturday in a team of four or maybe the other way round. Please keep in mind that you can only receive one gift per rider. Don’t forget the Cheddar Bikefest is held at the Broadway House Camping Park (www.broadwayhouse.uk.com) which has special offers for the riders and first class facilities. Not to mention the excellent stationary caravans.

Entries are open now - please go to http://www.bike-fest.com/cheddar/index.php, click on ENTRIES and download the entry form. If you have entered the Ritchey Bristol Bikefest please make a note of that at the top of our entry as it will make administering the loyalty gift much easier.