Saddle up for world biking conference

The World Mountain Bike Conference on Sustainability, which comes to Dumfries 12 – 15 May, is now open for registration, 170 years after Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the bike in the same place! It's the first time the conference will be held outside North America and it has already attracted interest from speakers and delegates from across the world. There's also an added incentive for those booking early. On 31st March, 100 names will be pulled out of the hat with each winner receiving £50 off their registration fee when they arrive in Dumfries. Fiona Murray, Forestry Commission Scotland's tourism manager said: "The conference is shaping up to be a world beating event and we are really pleased to have so many interesting speakers coming to share their experiences. "We are very keen to encourage those involved in biking from all over the world to the conference and to enjoy the biking events planned around the event. We are also wanting to attract businesses and landowners to the event as they can play a significant part on helping to develop mountain biking at home and abroad." Some highlights include: - Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) discussing environmental guidelines for bike parks; - The Kona-collaboration Bikes for Africa; - The United Nations Development Programme (Montenegro), on developing a poverty-stricken region for green adventure tourism; and - Alta Rezia, private sector collaboration in Switzerland and Italy. There will also be a number of public and private sector speakers and case studies from the UK, particularly from here in Scotland, voted the 'hottest place in the world to ride'. Alongside the conference is the inaugural Original Bicycle Festival, which aims to celebrate all kinds of bikes, providing a series of activities and events for locals and delegates alike to take part in. The conference and the festival feature in the programme of events for Homecoming Scotland 2009, as we celebrate one of the world’s greatest inventions. The full content and registration process is available on www.worldmountainbikeconference.com