Ticket sales for the Worlds are going through the roof, check out the latest news:TICKET SALES BEAT ALL RECORDS The Worlds In Fort William – Just The Ticket With less than 24 hours to go until the biggest, most important andthe best mountain bike event in the world begins in earnest,organisers of the 2007 UCI Mountain Mountain Bike & Trials WorldChampionships at Fort William ­ powered by Nissan Sports Adventure ­have today announced record breaking advance ticket sales for the event. Advance ticket sales for the Fort William World Championships havenow closed, meaning fans attending the Worlds at Fort William willnow be able to buy tickets on-site at the Nevis Range ticket officeonly. Lesley Beck, of event organisers Rare Management, said, ‘We aredelighted that so many people have committed early to watching theWorlds, suggesting that we are on track for a fantastic week, withmore people than ever enjoying the event in the UK’s premier mountainbiking venue.’ Sales for Friday’s competition are up a staggering 300% on last year,with almost 2000 day tickets now sold. Saturday and Sunday will alsosmash previous records, with sales up almost 40% overall on 2006. Marian Austin, Managing Director of Nevis Range, who are hosting theUCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships said, ‘We are verypleased at the level of advance sales for the event, however, thereare no more gondola tickets available for Sunday’s competition and wewould like to remind fans that the competition runs all week and willbe action-packed each day.’ The UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships is the firstever World Championships to be staged in the UK. More than 700 of theWorld’s top riders from almost 50 nations will compete for a total of19 World Championship titles across the four mountain bikedisciplines of Cross Country, Downhill, 4-Cross and Trials. The UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships are stagedannually and athletes ride for their country rather than for tradeteams or sponsors. www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk Ends Editor’s NotesThe 2007 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships at FortWilliam ­ powered by Nissan Sports Adventure ­ is the biggest, themost important and the best mountain bike event in the world. It isthe first ever World Championships to be staged in the UK with morethan 700 of the World’s top riders from over 50 nations expected tocompete for a total of 19 World Championship titles across the fourmountain bike disciplines of Cross Country, Downhill, 4-Cross andTrials. The UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships are stagedannually and athletes ride for their country rather than for tradeteams or sponsors, which is the norm at World Cups. Organisers areexpecting 40,000 mountain bike fans and outdoor enthusiasts todescend upon the idyllic highland setting to watch the most skilled,high octane, adrenaline fuelled mountain bike action ever seen in theUK.- www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk When:3-9 September 2007­ For programme details see www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk/programme.html Where:The 2007 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships will takeplace at Nevis Range Ski Area and Forestry Commission Scotland’sLeanachan Forest, Fort William on the slopes of Aonoch Mor – the 8thhighest mountain in Britain. Fort William is the largest town in thewest highlands of Scotland. The town is a major tourist centre withGlencoe just to the south, and its proximity to Ben Nevis ­ Britain’shighest mountain ­earns it the reputation of an important centre foroutdoor activities.- www.outdoorcapital.co.,uk Events:This is where all the mountain bike and trials disciplines cometogether. The Olympic discipline of Cross Country (XC) boasts some ofthe fittest athletes on the planet, whilst the Gravity disciplines ofDownhill (DH) and 4-Cross (4X) showcase amazing levels of speed,power and bike control. For the highest level of pure bike handlingskill and athleticism, the Trials (TR) competitors are the ones towatch. At Fort William you can see them all. Competing Nations & Athletes: Current rankings place Sam Hill (AUS) leads in front of Steve Peat(GBR) in the DH with Britain’s Gee Atherton and Marc Beaumont in 6thand 7th respectively. The top 20 is consolidated by no fewer than 6Brits, including Ruaridh Cunningham (18th) and Josh Bryceland (20th).In the Women’s DH Sabrina Jonnier (FRA) leads Tracy Moseley (GBR) andEmmeline Ragot (FRA) with Fionn Griffiths and Helen Gaskell lying 8thand 9th. There was a collective groan from DH fans when Steve Peat stuck hisfoot in a bunch of tree roots at the recent Nationals, causingdislocation and a full-on plaster cast. The good news is that Peatyis pretty indestructible and there is no way he’s going to miss FortWilliam. He’s now in an AirCast and training hard. Rachel Athertonwho broke her elbow in the first DH of the season is back on her bikeand should be OK for The Worlds. The 4X gladiators have also been battling at the top with Brian Lopeswell out in front and Gee Atherton (GBR) lying 4th and Scott Beaumont7th. Jill Kintner (USA) continues to lead, pushed hard by AnnekeBeerten (NED) and Britain’s Fionn Griffiths in 3rd. In XC the British news is not so good with Liam Killeen having topull out of the season and Oli Beckingsale also suffering in thelater races. Julien Absalon (FRA) continues to dominate the men’sWorld Cup with Russia’s Irina Kalentyeva leading the women’srankings. There will definitely be lots to cheer on the Witch’s Trailcourse in September with some strong British Junior and U-23performances expected and a recovered Oli back on form. The TR field will feature Daniel Comas Riera (ESP) and Marco Hosel(GER) lead the powerful Spanish and German teams, with Poland’s RafalKumorowski (POL) always a threat in the 20′. In 26′ it is the Frenchand Belgium teams that dominate with Vincent Hermance (FRA) and KennyBelaey (BEL) often fighting it out for top spot. Britain has a long tradition of bike trials, often linked with astrong motorcycle trials background in areas such as Yorkshire. DannyButler, Robert Poyser and Ben Savage are likely to lead the Britishattack on Trials glory. History of Mountain Bike Events at Fort William:The Nevis Range Ski Area and Forestry Commission Scotland’s LeanachanForest near Fort William – the venue for the 2007 World Championships- hosted the first ever Downhill and 4-Cross World Cup events to beheld in the UK in June 2002. The Cross Country discipline was addedto the 2003 programme of events, the first triple discipline WorldCup to be staged in the UK. It hosted a further three triplediscipline World Cups from 2003 to 2006 (including the first WorldCup Finals to be staged in the UK in 2005).

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