This may be Peaty’s last year on the world cup circuit, but that doesn’t mean he’s going out quietly. One of the biggest celebrations of the year will be in Sheffield during his Steel City Downhill race on Saturday 16th April. The lads have just sent out the info for this year and it looks like another classic, highlighting the importance of the Grassroots which has seen Steve do so well over the years.
Here’s all the info and hope to see you in the woods to call #lastorders with Peaty.
While Peaty may be calling last orders on world cup racing it doesn’t mean his competitive spirit has had time called! Far from it, when racing is in your blood, what can you do? You host everyone’s favourite biggest little race in your backyard and make sure that it’s better than ever for its sixth instalment. On April 16th Steve Peat and pals bring you Peaty’s Steel City Downhill 2016.
Last year 300 racers showed that a little bit of damp weather was not going to put them off; racing down a slippery but very fast trail in Sheffield’s Greno woods lined with over 3000 spectators’ offering their very own brand of Yorkshire motivation. Turning drizzle into steam and showing why they make it the only local race that feels like a world cup. With Peaty side-lined, last year Josh Bryceland stepped in and took the honours keeping the title in the Syndicate family. But this year the race for the top spot will be wide open, can the old man claim it back?
So what do we have in store for you this year?
For starters there’s the course…. From high up on our start ramp with adrenaline pumping, you’ll flow down over berms and jumps, past Greno’s answer to Hecklers Rock, ‘the Jolley Gap Jump’ with its very own bar too!; pick your way through the rocky heath, rail through the rollercoaster berm section before launching into the infamous crowd filled bomb hole and over the finish line. Ride Sheffield will be out in the weeks before the race to ensure that the course is primed to perfection and after a very fresh track last year its great to see that this year the rocks are back!
In and around the bomb hole there will be stalls to meet all your needs. These include local favourites and long-time supporters Bradfield Brewery who will be on hand to quench thirsts, Motoré Café and the Bean Machine will be providing a lift for the discerning coffee drinkers and if you needed more incentive to pedal harder; Whirlow Hall Farm Café will be providing us with a BBQ and Hog Roast and Streetfood Chef will be on hand to feed you with their award winning Burritos. If that’s not enough, Monster Energy will give you an extra lift with drinks and music.
Sheffield has an amazing local bike scene for lots of reasons; one of those is the local bike industry that has been a massive support to the race ever since the first race. Not only do they fill the finish arena, but provide us with fantastic prizes for race winners and for the MTB’ers dream raffle too. Signed up so far are:
- Hope
- 60sticks
- Resurrection Cycles
- TIG UK
- Wildlife Trust
- Expert bike repair
- Bike Garage
- JE James
- Sixth element wheels
- Hop Hideout
- Leighton Vans
- Joystick/35 Bikes
- Bike Rehab
- Polaris
Throw in a one of the best racer goodie bags around, just wait and see what we have for you this year; deck yourself out in our awesome hoodies and t-shirts with another unique design from Tado and sit back and enjoy this years racing
Peaty’s Steel City Downhill is synonymous with raising the bar for women’s DH racing in the UK; with consistently one of the biggest ever fields in UK downhill it’s all part of what makes it such a special race. So if you ever fancied giving racing a go, now is the time!
This year we are cutting down on the stress of entering and failing servers, we’re moving to a lottery based approach using the same system as the EWS through eventbrite. Entries will open just after midnight on the morning of Friday 11th March and be open until 23:30 on Sunday 13th . This should give you plenty of time to get your entry in for the lottery draw. Those lucky enough to get a place will receive an email with a link to payment and will have 24 hours to pay before their place is passed on to the next person on the list. Entry prices this year are £35 for adults and £30 for kids, a small increase to cover our increasing costs.
Entry site: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peatys-steel-city-dh-16th-april-2016-registration-22449231255
To keep up to date on all things Steel City you can visit Steelcitydh.com and follow us on Facebook or Twitter
The race is run as a not for profit event, with all funds raised from the race go directly back into the trails in Greno Woods and to support mountain bike projects around the city.
