Frantic activity in the next week will turn the event site and the town into the centre of the mountain bike world from 3 to 9 September. 7oo of the world's best riders from 50 nations are entering their final preparation phase while mountain bike fans and outdoor enthusiasts are busy checking tickets, sorting out last minute accommodation and finalising travel arrangements.
The final XC piece in place Mark Hedderwick, the trail builder behind the trail centres at Laggan and Golspie and a large chunk of the new Witch's Trail World Championships course has just completed the final section of the Worlds Cross Country course. Located immediately after the start/ finish line and used on lap 2 onwards, it will give a testing technical challenge right in front of the grandstands. It's going to be interesting to see how everyone deals with the short rocky climbs after several laps and who will go for the direct line over the rock step instead of the longer easier route.
Peat Confirms Fort William Place Steve Peat's dislocated foot may have affected his final preparations for the Worlds in Fort William – but nothing is going to stop him competing on Sunday 9 September. His damaged foot is healing well – helped by the combined mental curing power of every fan wanting Steve to get that one elusive title missing from his mantelpiece.
Nissan Gear up for launch of The Worlds Nissan is gearing up for the start of the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships as headline sponsor for the first time. It is the first time the championships have been held in the UK and the first time the event has been sponsored by Nissan – under a new initiative, 'Nissan Sports Adventure'.
Nissan Sports Adventure sees the car-maker taking its promotion of adventure sports, including mountain biking, and an active outdoor lifestyle to the next stage. which attract a global television audience.
Nissan will be working with the UCI to develop mountain biking across all levels, particularly via the high profile World Championships
UCI president Pat McQuaid underlined the importance of the agreement between the international federation and Nissan.
'Mountain biking is a modern and dynamic discipline with an attractive image and enormous potential,' he said. 'The interest shown by a company like Nissan confirms this. Thanks to the joint efforts of Nissan and the ICU, everyone associated with mountain biking will see fantastic progress in the years to come.'
John Parslow, Nissan's 4x4 brand manager, added: 'Nissan has historically supported adventurous activity but now we are stepping up a gear and will really show the passion that we as a company hold for sports adventure and the environments in which they unfold.
'Through a calendar of events, activities and content we hope to inspire adventure spirited people throughout Europe – building the association between the Nissan brand, our naturally capable 4x4 range and adventure sports. Nissan becoming title sponsor for the World Championships really demonstrates this.'
