After registration, a safety course walk and practice, some tasty local venison burgers set the riders in good stead for the racing to begin at 1pm. With competitive fields for all of the U10, U12, U14 & U16 boys and girls races, the level of riding was exceptionally high. After the first round riders knew their times to beat and most pushed it to the edges of their level and improved their times.

Have a look at the full race results.

Round 2 of the 2012 4X Pro Tour took place in Szczawno Zdroj, Poland on 5 May. The day began with practice on Saturday morning. The sun was shining brightly through blue skies and 30 degree temperatures got the day off to a perfect start. The fun began during qualifying. Late entries from the Mechura brothers meant that they went early in the qualification runs. The new format of reverse qualifying meant that Lucas Mechura set the early fastest time and then had to wait for the other big guns to do their runs. With 12 riders to go, the heavens opened. The horrendous conditions forced the commissaries to pause qualifying in case the lights were hit by the lightening. The top 12 seeded riders sheltered in the start hut and once the rain had eased 15 minutes later, the call was made to resume qualifying. The track had turned from dusty and high speed, into a sheet of glass, with it being near impossible to stand on the track. The times from the final 12 riders were all over the place as the riders slipped down the track. The biggest casualties were World Champion, Michal Prokop and Dutch rider Joost Wichman, who both crashed out of the seeding run and would not qualify for the main event. Even in these conditions, there was a very impressive ride from Tomas Slavik, who set the third fastest time!

With the rain was now set in for the night, it was heavy and going to make the track tough for all the riders. Scott Beaumont, Michal Mechura, Milan Mysik and Blake Carney suffered crashes on the slippery surface. In the second round there were more crashes and mistakes by Scott Roberts, Premek Tejchman and Nathan Parsons. With the weather eliminating some of the top riders by the quarter finals, the door was wide open for anyone to seize the opportunity.

The womens final was full of excitement as Katy Curd got off to a great start and lead the race through the first turn. Despite Celine Gros, the fastest qualifier, being hot on her rear wheel through turn 2, it wasn’t enough. Katy established a big lead, which she held to the finish line.

Katy Curd taking the win at Round 2 of the Pro Tour Series

In the men’s small final, Jacub Hnidak made a great start and led the race from start to finish to give him his best result ever at a world 4X event.

Tomas Slavik had been unbeaten all day and the mens final was no exception. Despite a fantastic challenge from Riha, who was right behind Tomas at the ‘S’ bends, it wasn’t enough to deter him from taking the win.

Despite the conditions, the night produced some awesome racing by all the riders and showed that no matter what the conditions are for 4X, the show always goes on.

The next round of the 4X ProTour will be held at Val Di Sole in Italy on June 2. Who is going to stop Tomas Slavik?

For the full race results and more information visit the Pro Tour Website.

The second round of the 4X Pro Tour is upon us as riders prepare to hit the Sunny Meadow 4X track this Saturday 5 May in Szczawno Zdroj, Poland.

The people of Szczawno take 4X very seriously, ensuring that the event is well advertised and promoted around the town. Best of all, local shops will close early on Saturday afternoon to make sure that everyone can get over to the 4X track to watch all the racing action.

The Sunny Meadow 4X track is in the centre of town where a lot of money and pride has been invested by the local mayor and race organiser Andzrej Skrzypczak. Due to this dedication, the track itself is a work of art. A fantastic start cabin covers the riders before they snap out of the gate and race on the fastest 4X track that the Pro Tour series will visit this year. High speed and huge jumps are the trait for this track and only the most focused riders will make it to the final.

The ones to watch…

In the mens race, Tomas Slavik was the clear winner of Round 1, winning every race to take the win ahead of Czech compatriot, Lucas Mechura. Jacub Riha was the fastest Qualifier in Round 1. Joost Wichman, Aiko Goehler, Felix Beckeman and Blake Carney will be looking to put a severe dent in the Czech dominance of the first round.

In the womens race, Round 1 winner Anneke Beerten will not be racing at round 2 due to some prior sponsor commitments. Celine Gros, Katy Curd or Lucia Oejtens are the battling it out to take the win in the second round.

You can watch all the racing action live on freecaster.

For more information, have a look at 4X Pro Tour website.

One of the top live draws in the country BOMBSKARE, Scotland’s 9-man ska juggernaut are not to be missed at Downhill Downtown in Fort William during the World Cup weekend.

BOMBSKARE are an ever-increasing fixture on the festival circuit, whenever a party needs starting, this band will light the fuse. With a broad fan base that stretches beyond the UK and way beyond the usual ska scene, they are popular with a true cross section of the population. From young to old, everyone enjoys BOMBSKARE’S combination of musical versatility, instrumental prowess and high-energy showmanship.

Firmly established as one of the top live prospects in the country, the band’s expertise and sense of fun has made every performance – from Shetland to London – truly special.

Keep up to date with Downhill Downtown through Facebook and Twitter, and get your tickets here.

Nevis Range is opening both the Orange DH and the Red 4X for you to play on this weekend, as well as offering some late season skiing and boarding. If you decide to head along to partake in some seriously fun riding, see if you can spot the diggers on site building a new major jump section on the Motorway.

After the weekend it’s all go as there’s a helicopter coming to drop some material for the tracks. The Red XC downhill will be open fully from Tuesday 1 May and the Orange downhill will be open fully from Saturday 5 May. These tracks will be open 7 days a week throughout the season for your enjoyment.

For all the latest information, check out the Nevis Range Website for more details.

A few of the Mini DH competitors eager to get going on the course at Nevis Range.

Photograph: William MacDonald Black Isle MTB

The course was the same Mini DH course that was used at the Fort William World Cup last year, but the trail fairies were busy with the spades on Saturday afternoon to add two new natural sections to the course, making some fresh challenges for the riders.

There was time for each rider to have 3 timed race runs on the course and with places being decided by tenths of a second this extra timed run made for some exciting racing.

Have a look at the full results of the Mini DH and for more information about the series, visit Scottish Cycling.

It’s the Year of Creative Scotland, and what better way to celebrate than to continue the adventures of the World Cup into the night. Downhill Downtown boasts a selection of the finest new and established artists in Scotland, who will be playing in The Nevis Centre on Friday and Saturday night during the World Cup weekend.

Bwani Junction play Downhill Downtown on Saturday 9 June. Photograph: Eoin Carey.

It kicks off with Stanley Odd on Friday 8 June, and continues on Saturday 9 with King Creosote, The Phantom Band, Admiral Fallow, Bwani Junction, The Little Kicks, and Homework. With more acts being confirmed as we speak, Downhill Downtown is hotting up to be the best party in Lochaber this year.

Ticket prices start at £6 for the Friday evening. Sound good? World Cup ticket holders get a promo code for discounted tickets to Downhill Downtown. Sound even better? Get your tickets here!

For full event details, have a look at www.downhilldowntown.com

Top 5 Results

Elite Men

1. SLAVIK Tomas CZE
2. MECHURA Lukas CZE
3. VAN VEGHEL Joey NLD
4. GÖHLER Aiko DEU
5. WICHMAN Joost NLD

Elite Women

1. BEERTEN Anneke NLD
2. CÉLINE Gros FRA
3. CURD Katy GBR
4. OETJEN Lucia CHE
5. HORRIDGE Emily GBR

Round 2 of the 4X Pro Tour is in Szczawno Zdroj, Poland on 5 May, where riders will gather on the Sunny Meadow 4X course.

For the latest information on 4X Pro Tour, visit the website.

Chris Roberts and Scott Beaumont have worked relentlessly over the winter months to create the five rounds, which are brewing much excitement. Talk of the 2012 4X Pro Tour has peaked over the last few weeks, with facebook interaction and frequent twitter posts by eager fans who are following the magazine interviews and promotion in the run up to the first round. With over 100 pre entries so far and the added option of registering at the event, the 2012 4X Pro Tour is set to be a huge success.

The Houffalize 4X track itself is classic. The favourites never have an advantage as the huge, loose berm corners, corkscrew bridge/tunnel, pro line and road drop at the finish make this unique track unpredictable.

The ones to watch

In the men’s race, Tomas Slavik and Joost Wichman will be the favourites. Slavik has already got his season off to a winning start last weekend at the first round of the Schwalbe British 4X Series. His reasons for racing in the UK early in the year – he wanted to be ready for round 1 of the 4X Pro Tour. Wichman has a new focus this year. As the team captain for the newly formed Rose Vaujany team, he will be looking to get his season started with a great result in Houffalize.

In the women’s race, World Champion Anneke Beerten will be racing in her rainbow jersey for the very first time since winning the World Championships in September last year. Her competition will surely come from Katy Curd, team mate to Joost Wichman. Katy has always shown promise with her racing, but 2012 looks like it could be her year.

Schedule

Friday:

Registration – 16.00 to 19.00

Practice – 20.00 to 21.15

Qualification – 21.30

Saturday:

Practice – 19.00 to 20.15

Race – 20.30

For more information on the race, visit the Houffalize and 4X Pro Tour website.

The series of regional mini downhill races take place this coming April and May, hosted by Scottish Cycling with the support of Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland. The best downhill riders aged between 8 and 16 will compete on mini downhill courses around the country, comprising of jumps, drops, roots, rocks, twists and turns with the podium places securing their slot in the final at Fort William on 9 June.

Mini downhill is just like the real thing but in miniature. The junior riders have smaller bikes and ride on shorter courses, but have all the passion, excitement and drama of racing. The Mini Downhill Series will provide young downhill riders their first taste of downhill mountain bike racing and with the start list for the Downhill at Fort William likely to include a total of 8 previous British Champions, they just might bump into one of their heroes!

Bob MacFarlane, Scottish Cycling’s National Development Manager said: ‘Scottish Cycling’s series will give young riders a chance to try downhill racing and we are delighted to give the finalists the chance to ride at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Fort William. This is an experience of a life time, as it is one of the main highlights in the mountain bike racing calendar, where the world’s best riders come to Scotland’s international level competition to race in front of huge crowds of cheering fans.’

Dates for the up and coming events are as follows:

• Fort William – 22nd April 2012

• Ae Forest – Date to be finalised

• Perth – 07th May 2012

• Newmilns – 12th May 2012

• Stirling – 13th May 2012

• TweedLove – 26th May 2012

• Mini Downhill Final – 09th June 2012

For more information or to register for one of the events visit Scottish Cycling.