What is the World Cup?
The Fort William World Cup is one of 12 events taking place in South Africa, Europe, Canada and Australia, from April to September.
At a World Cup, riders can compete as individuals, for factory teams or for their National Teams and there are few restrictions on entry other than a minimum standard of UCI points.
Although the Olympics (XCO only) and the World Championships medals are the best recognised titles in mountain biking, they are both one-off competitions, whereas the World Cup overall title is the best reflection of performance over a range of different courses through the season.
What disciplines?
The gravity disciplines of Downhill (DHI) and 4-Cross (4X) showcase amazing levels of speed, power and bike control.
Downhill is a high-speed descent down the Nevis Range course – a gruelling rock strewn ribbon of bike-smashing dirt that drops 525m in 2.7km. It’s rider against the clock – and the mountain. The current course record is 4 minutes 43 seconds.
4-Cross is gladiatorial in format and epic in scale. As soon as the start gate drops the 4 riders are powering down the jumps, berms and drop-offs, searching for the winning line and the passing move that will get them to the finish line first.
Fort William is the half-way point on the World Cup Tour for the Downhill and 4-Cross specialists.
Why no XCO World Cup?
Fort William has great Cross Country courses and was highly regarded as a Triple event (DHI, 4X and XCO) – but in 2009 the World Cup calendar has one less XCO event and Fort William was the one to go.
But there will be Cross Country action on the radical new XC Sprint course with some of the UK’s top riders racing on a new spectator friendly course. It also means we can use the Witch’s Trail XC course for a new World Cup Bike Test.
What about Trials?
Trials is an important part of the Fort William weekend. In 2007 at the World Championships, Trials was a medal event in the full programme. Prior to that, Fort William hosted a national Trials competition, The Scottish One Day Trial.
It’s a much liked and enjoyed part of the weekend, showcasing outrageous bike skills on amazing obstacles.
This year we’ll be running a round of the British Trials Championships on the Saturday, using some of the impressive sections from the World Championships.
Who is coming?
Pretty much everyone who is competing at the highest level will be there.
Famous names, Heroes from the magazines, Olympic, World and Commonwealth Champions, will be joined by the stars of the future as everyone battles for important World Cup points.
We expect about 400 competitors from around 30 nations.
Who can compete?
Anyone with a minimum of 20 UCI points (gained in other UCI registered races) can enter the DHI World Cup. In 4X, UCI points are not required.
All entries have to go through the national association, except in the case of competitors with UCI registered Trade Teams.
For British riders the full qualification criteria and application forms are found here.
World Cup application 2009 - click
Website:
Email:
Can I ride the World Cup courses?
Most of the Downhill course is open to the public, although there will be some sections only used for the World Cup.
The course is open for public riding from May 15th. It will be closed from Monday 1 June. It is hoped that the course will re-open after mid-day on Monday 8 June. This will depend on the amount of repair work required to the course following the World Cup.
Please check with Nevis Range for accurate opening times.
Telephone: 01397 705825
Website:
The Forestry Commission XC course is part of the extensive Witch's Trail network in the Leanachan Forest. It is also open to the public, but some sections will be used exclusively during the World Cup from Friday 5 June to Sunday 7 June. It will re-open on Monday 8 June.
The 4X course will be closed from Monday 1 June to Sunday 7 June. It will re-open on Monday 8 June.
What is Fort William’s history?
Ever since man first put a knobbly tyre on a bike, Scotland and Fort William were destined to deliver great mountain biking. Fantastic terrain, lots of natural trails and enlightened land access laws set the scene and then in 2001 the Forestry Commission started to develop some of the best single track trail centres in the World.
At the same time the Nevis Range ski area built a downhill trail under its mountain gondola system and hosted its first UCI Downhill World Cup and the first ever 4X World Cup in 2002. In 2003 it added a Cross Country World Cup and since then has become one of the classic events on the World Cup tour.
In 2007 it hosted the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships, the pinnacle of the mountain biking calendar.
Can I take my bike up the gondola?
Afraid not. The gondola and DH courses will be closed to the public from Monday 1 June to Sunday 7 June, so you’ll have to wait until around midday on Monday 8 June before you can take your bike up the gondola to use the Nevis Range tracks. The good news is there’ll be a new Red run to play on, in addition to the World Cup course.
Can I bring my dog?
You can but to be honest the World Cup is not the best place for dogs. The Village is very noisy with lots of people. You can take your dog in the Gondola but there may be sheep on the hill as well as riders hurtling down the track – so any dog should be kept on a lead at all times.
What about disabled access?
There are a limited number of disabled parking bays close to the main entrance. Wheelchair users can move about the Village, which is mostly flat - a mix of limestone chippings and tarmac – but the courses are all on rough, hilly terrain. Wheelchair access in the gondola is possible. A wheelchair only viewing platform is located on the right hand side of the Finish arena (looking up the hill).
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