2010 Dates Announced For Award-Winning Fort William Mountain Bike World Cup

As the dust settles on this year's Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William, the UCI has announced that the Scottish Highlands has secured the event for a ninth year. The 2010 World Cup will take place on the 5th and 6th June, and once again feature downhill and four cross rounds of the series. Two rounds of the World Cup will be held in UK next year, with Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire staging the opening competition in the cross-country discipline on 24th and 25th April. This year’s Fort William event, held on 6th and 7th June, attracted a record attendance of more than 18,500 spectators as well hundreds of world-class riders to the Highlands, and generated an estimated £2.5 million* for the local economy. The 2010 announcement comes as the award-winning event picked up a further accolade for the 2008 World Cup, being voted the best mountain bike event in the world by the International Mountain Bike Trade Team Organisation (IMTTO) for the 4th year running. Mike Jardine of event organisers, Rare Management, said: "Everybody involved in the 2009 event is delighted to be welcoming back the Mountain Bike World Cup to Fort William. With huge crowds – visitor numbers were up by 25% on last year - and top biking action, we've had a fantastic year and we're already planning how to top it in 2010 so we can remain the number one event on the Mountain Bike calendar." Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, the national events agency, added: "2009 was another superb year of mountain biking at Fort William with record spectator numbers and a really electric atmosphere. As with any event it is crucial to build upon this success and, with plans already underway for welcoming the world cup back in 2010, there is no doubt that next year will be even bigger and better. "The Mountain Bike World Cup brings immense benefits to Fort William, the Highlands and indeed Scotland, filling bed nights, generating economic impact and positioning the country as a leading destination for mountain biking and for mountain bike tourism. EventScotland works hard to maintain the momentum from the World Cup from year to year by investing in an exciting portfolio of cycling events in Scotland which ensure the nation stays on top of its game and ahead of the competition." The UCI have announced the 2010 calendar as follows: April 24-25: Dalby Forest (England) - XC #1 May 1-2: Houffalize (Belgium) - XC #2, 4X #1 May 15-16: Maribor (Slovenia) - DH #1, 4X #2 May 22-23: Offenburg (Germany) - XC #3 June 5-6: Fort William (Scotland) - DH #2, 4X #3 June 19-20: Schladming (Austria) - DH #3, 4X #4 July 24-25: Champery (Switzerland) - XC/DH #4 July 31-Aug 1: Val Di Sole (Italy) - XC/DH/4X #5 August 28-29: Windham, NY (USA) - XC/DH/4X #6 August 31-Sept 5: World Championships, Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada)