A Scottish outdoor sports and visitor venue has hailed the backing of a company that has supplied it with a fleet of bikes and e-bikes as it gets back to business after the easing of some lockdown restrictions.
The Nevis Range Mountain Experience, host venue for the UK round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, has announced that its partnership with Trek Bikes will be extended for a year.
The news comes after the Fort William mountain resort reopened on July 15 after the Covid-19 outbreak forced lockdown closure.
Trek and Nevis Range worked together over the past year on a number of initiatives to encourage and develop mountain biking at all levels at Nevis Range in its continuing the journey towards being one of the world’s leading Trek mountain bike destinations .
The partners are keen to develop these projects further, with new initiatives and events scheduled to be announced in the coming months.
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Chris O’Brien, Nevis Range chief executive, said: “Despite all of the challenges and tough decisions we are having to make as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still a mood of cautious optimism amongst the team.
“Whilst many of our projects have been cancelled due to funding pressures and a catastrophic loss of revenue, we are continuing with our Blue Bike Track new blue graded, uplift accessible, trail and hope to have that open in May 2021.
“As lockdown restrictions have eased, the company’s trail building team have been able to get back to work on this exciting new project which will be a massively attractive new addition to the resort’s extensive network of mountain bike trails.
"The cross-country trail will allow less confident riders to head higher up Aonach Mor and enjoy views as far as the Isle of Skye.
“Last weekend saw over 50 volunteers turn out to help Nevis Range get ready to launch the new bike season, and with the upturn in demand for bikes that has been seen during lockdown I’m hoping we can see some of those new rides on our downhill tracks over this next few weeks."
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He said: "Bike season ticket sales and uplift day tickets are selling well, so here’s hoping for a fantastic, if shorter, summer season.
“Whilst we don’t yet know what racing may look like over the coming months, we do know that despite everything there will be more people riding our trails than ever before, and I really want to thank Trek for their continued support.”
The collaboration with Trek helps cement Scotland’s status as a centre of excellence in mountain biking and Nevis Range’s reputation as a world leading mountain bike downhill and cross-country trail centre and international event venue, the Scottish company said.
In the last year Trek has supplied Nevis Range with a fleet of mountain bikes, including a number of e-bikes.
The e-bikes, in particular, have been vital to the track maintenance team allowing them to quickly reach locations on tracks and trails that are inaccessible to larger vehicles, helping to improve trail maintenance and development on 60km of tracks and trails at the venue.
Above: Mikayla Parton. Picture: Nevis Range
Trek will continue to support Mikayla Parton, Nevis Range's sponsored downhill and enduro rider on the UK and international race circuit.
The investment, the value of which was not disclosed, will also be used in the design and development of new exciting downhill features and future trail design.
The trail centre’s Blue Bike Track, new Blue cross country downhill route, is due to open in May 2021.
Trek Bicycle, a global business involved in the design and manufacture of bicycles and related products, began in 1976 “with a mission to build the best bikes in the world”, and is headquartered in Wisconsin, US.
Jez Loftus, of Trek, said: “We’ve seen strong growth in demand since March and it continues. It’s put pressure on availability but we’re working hard to ensure we have enough bikes arriving in the months ahead.
“Its’s great to see so many people turning to cycling for exercise, health and transport. We believe it a simple solution for some of the world’s complex problems.
“Nevis Range are the perfect partner for Trek and there’s plenty more coming for 2020 and beyond.”
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