It is less than a month to go now before the rebirth of the Cheddar Challenge in the form of the Kona Cheddar Bikefest will take place at the Broadway House venue in Cheddar on the 29th September 2007. Entries are flying in and preparations for the unofficial final of the UK mountain bike season are in full flow.

Entries:
There are still entries for both days available. The Saturday 8 hour relay event is extremely popular with the solo and pairs category getting close to the maximum numbers. So if you are in the running for a solo or a pairs place on the Saturday (29th September) make sure you get your entry in quickly. Sundays 4 hour relay event is also doing well but there might be a few entries for the late decided available on the day - more about that in the next update. To enter simply go to http://www.bike-fest.com/ and click on the Kona Cheddar Bikefest picture frame. For the latest update on the rider list/entry confirmation please go to: http://www.bike-fest.com/cheddar/entries.php.

Loyalty gift – don’t miss out:
Same as at the popular Ritchey Bristol Bikefest we have again paired up with our sponsor KONA bikes (www.konaworld.uk.com) to give every rider who is taking part in the Saturday and the Sunday event a ‘loyalty gift’ (worth more than £15) - so everybody who has already entered both events or who is going to will be rewarded when you sign on. It maybe worth considering giving the 4 hour solo a go once you have tackled the course on Saturday in a team of four or maybe the other way round. For all the Bristol Bikefest 2007 riders out there – don’t forget that our ‘loyalty gift’ offer applies also for taking part in the Bristol event and the Cheddar event in the same year. So if you enter at least one event at both Bikefests than you are in for a treat!

Trade village:
The Cheddar Challenge was always renown for the rather extensive trade village were lots of the exhibitors used the chance to show their latest gear. This year is going to be no different with already lots of brands having confirmed their presents. At the moment we have the following brands coming to the Kona Cheddar Bikefest: Kona, Saris, Cyclops, Sortimo, Ritchey, Pro-Tec, Canterbury, NoTubes, Xtreme Video, Tag a Long, Specialized, Torq, Giant, High5, Cube, Bionicon, Shred, Crank Brothers, Lizard Skins, Nite Rider, Merida, TF Tuned Shox, Cannondale / 88 Thumbprint Tuning, GT, Bad Ass Bikes, RAM, Embers Merino and Dodgy Gear. With still a few more weeks to go and with Eurobike now being done and gone we expect a few more to be added to this list. Watch this space. If you are not on this list and are interested in being part of the Cheddar Bikefest trade village please contact paul.bikefest@virgin.net for booking details.

Nite Rider charging stations and Crank Brother pedal servicing:
With the last few laps being run in the dark we obviously have a lighting sponsor: Nite Rider have taken on this important role and besides providing some great prizes for the night laps (more info about that in the next update) they are also have a Nite Rider lights charging station on site. For the ones who are in the market for a new light (and don’t forget we change from Summer Time which makes night riding time even longer J) the guys will have a selection of their latest super powerful demo lights available for test – make sure you be quick though when you arrive on site. Finally the guys from 2Pure offer their Crank Brothers pedals servicing at the event – this service is limited to 1 pair of pedals per rider.

Facilities:
Cheddar Challenge was always famous for its great facilities – being based at one of the best campgrounds in the country that is not really a surprise. The Kona Cheddar Bikefest is no different - you will find lots of 1st class showers, water points, bike washing facilities, toilets, power points for your caravan or motor home (please contact Broadway House on 01934 742610 for details) and to finish it all of you can get your own stationary caravan (again please contact Broadway House for details). There is a camping shop on site and the bar will be open on Friday and Saturday evening for some pre or post-event drinks.