Bristol Bikefest joins forces with UK24

The Bristol Bikefest is happy to announce their working together with UK24 - the UK club for solo endurance mountain bikers. UK24 Founder Rob Lee had this to say about joining forces with the Ritchey 12Hour Endurance Event - "I'm so excited that the team from Ritchey 12Hour Endurance Event are backing us.

They have such a great event with a history of supporting riders of all levels whilst simultaneously pushing the boundaries - who else would have been brave enough to give the UK riders a National 12Hour Championship when the powers that be seem so reluctant to commit to this rapidly growing branch of the sport?"

UK24 is a club whose main aim is to aid in the development of the UK long-distance race scene. This is hopefully achieved by providing the things that are currently missing from the scene - a UK ranking system for instance - and through promoting long distance events as a viable alternative to those distances already catered for by organisations such as British Cycling and the UCI.

The main reason to join UK24 is to get behind the branch of the sport you love and to put something back. Power in numbers to make things happen is the key for better events, better support, more sponsorship (both in terms of top riders support and how far down the rankings such support goes).

Members are listed on the club ranking table which gives them not only a position against other club members but also a relative UK ranking against all riders in their event in the country.

The Sunday (11th June 2006) event of the Bristol Bikefest the Ritchey UK/European 12Hour Solo Championships are now also the UK24 club Championships where points for the ranking can be gained and winners jerseys will be up for grabs. But that is not all – Bristol Bikefest is offering a special deal for everybody who is interested in becoming a member of the UK24 club. As an event special for the 2006 Ritchey 12Hour Solo Championships solo riders can enter the event and get a one year UK24 membership for the reduced price of £32. Normally both together would be £42 (£30 for the solo entry and £12 for the year long membership) so you save £10 and you support the growing sport of endurance racing.

To enter simply go onto the Ritchey 12Hour Endurance Event website www.bristolbikefest.com download both forms (event entry form and membership form) and send them through with your £32 cheque. If you are already a member of the UK24 club and you want to enter the Ritchey 12Hour Solo Championships please put your membership number on the top of the entry form and will get a reduced entry fee of £25 – so a £5 discount.

To find out more about the UK24 club go to www.uk24solo.com. For further details on the Ritchey 12Hour Endurance Event and entry forms for teams and solo riders go to www.bristolbikefest.com.

By Michael Wilkens