The Glentress Seven
Saturday 2 June 2012
‘Aye, a brilliant day… an absolute blast, the course was pretty inspired…Two thumbs up!’ – Rider’s post on Singletrackworld.com
Held for the first time in 2011, the GT7 was an immediate success. A great course using some of forest’s best man-made and natural riding, combined with a fantastic event village and a very friendly atmosphere.
A seven hour mtb race for individuals and teams of two or three, with the emphasis on great trails and a ton of fun – the route will feature some fantastic trail riding, and normally unavailable sections of great singletrack. The event is aimed at all levels of mtb rider, and you can go as hard or easy if you like.
The idea is to complete as many laps as possible within the seven hours. The course is around 11km with 450m of up and down. The main descent is a total classic, but it’s only available for the day – a lot of the trails are closed again straight after the event.
If you’re not out on course, the event village and transition area will be rocking all day and full facilities will be available on site. There’s camping with Glentress Wigwams right next to the race arena too.
We’re fully commited to providing a fantastic day out at a top quality event, but here’s some comment from those who took part in 2011 (all posts on Singletrack).
‘The best mtb enduro course I have ridden… [including] races at Eastnor, Sandwell, Trentham, Catton Park, Kirroughtree and Nevis Range.’
‘The best mtb enduro course I have ridden and that’s comparing it to Wiggle enduro 6, SITS, Mountain Mayhem and various others.’
‘It’s personal but I loved the course. Plenty of technical interest and some tough climbs. This was no muddy field! Big thanks to the organisers and the super cheery marshals!’
‘Immense course – no let up – either up or down – loved it! Organisation was excellent – got to be definite for next year.’
Solo Entry
£40
Pair Entry
£70
Trio Entry
£100
The race starts at 10am on Saturday 2 June. Registration is possible earlier that morning or the evening before.
The Glentress 7 is taking place on Forestry Commission Scotland’s, 7stanes Glentress mountain bike trails.
Thanks to Glentress WigWams for their support. There is no course practice prior to the race.
There’s a wide choice of accommodation in the area.
Full event info and race details will be sent to entrants closer to the time of the event.
Ride for Asthma UK: Sign up when you enter online.
About the Glentress Seven
The Glentress Seven is TweedLove’s flagship endurance mountain bike event. As Glentress is frequently recognised as Britain’s best trail centre, this event aims to provide a great day’s riding and racing for everyone, with the emphasis on great trails and a friendly atmosphere.
Expect some nice climbs, fantastic singletrack, great descents and a whole lot of fun – you can go as hard, or easy, as you like.
TweedLove is a week of bike-related events in the Tweed Valley, with many miles of great riding to be done and some cracking social events all week.
A seven hour race – how it works
The aim is to complete as many laps as you can in the seven hour time limit. Teams ride in relay – there’s only one team member on the course at any one time. Timing is via an electronic chip which is worn round the ankle. When a rider crosses the timing mat at the end of a lap their time is recorded, and they then pass the chip onto the next team member and so on.
Riders can do as many laps as they want/can manage in the time. The transition/timing/ team change-over area is in the event village. The course is marked out all the way round and there are marshals at all key positions.
Riders can go as hard or easy as they like, and there’s always the lure of a nice cake and a bit of a social down at the event village.
How to get here
Glentress is situated between Peebles and Innerleithen on the A72, about 26 miles south of Edinburgh. It’s within easy reach of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, the Scottish central belt and the north of England. The postcode for the event village is EH45 8NB for sat navvers.
Accommodation and local facilities
The Tweed Valley is a beautiful and interesting place to visit any time. Please go to the TweedLove website for info and links to accommodation providers.
Parking
Exclusive competitor parking is in the lower car park area. You will be directed on arrival to a parking space. The event has prepaid all parking in advance to the Forestry Commission, so event staff will collect the normal £3 daily parking fee from you as you arrive. You’ll be given a parking pass which must be displayed in your car (on dashboard) at all times. FCS parking fees are invested in trail building and upkeep in Glentress.
Facilities
The event village will be in the Osprey car park unless otherwise notified. There’ll be a marquee, some stands and vendors, and other event village attractions. There are toilets here too. Showers, changing area and the main toilet block are located in the Glentress Peel buildings next to the event village.
Fresh drinking water will be available on site. A bike wash area will be available.
The Glentress Seven is held at Forestry Commission Scotland’s Glentress trail centre.
The event is supported by EventScotland, Scottish Borders Council and Alpine Bikes. Please see TweedLove website for other sponsors and supporters, to whom we’re very grateful!
