Mountain bike enthusiasts behind plans for a dedicated facility for the sport in Angus have pulled off a major coup to highlight the project.
As part of a major two-day FairCityEnduro event in Perth later this month, Angus Mountain Bike Trails Association (AMBTA) have secured the first Scottish screening of a big budget mountain biking movie as part of its world premiere tour.
Arrival, by Anthill and SecondBase films, showcases the talents of emerging extreme mountain bike athletes, film makers and photographers and aims to be a hit with adventure and extreme sports enthusiasts.
The association also hopes it will whet the appetite of existing enthusiasts and bring more interest to the scheme to create a trails facility near the Angus coast, which it aims to have up and running in time for next year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Earlier this summer, AMBTA and Angus Council awarded a £3,600 tender for a feasibility and design for the planned facility at Kinblethmont, on the outskirts of Arbroath.
The contract followed the Angus charity’s work with national cycling bodies Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS) and Scottish Cycling to improve cycling facilities.
The objective is to create a skills park for community and club use, with a mix of obstacles, trails, bumps and jumps to cater for all levels and abilities of rider.
Scott Francis from AMBTA said: “We’re delighted to have secured the screening rights to the film and we just hope the public and riders will come along and support the work we do.
“We are trying to raise funds to build a bike park in the Angus area and every last drop of money we raise will go to help build this much-needed facility for riders in Angus.
“The FairCityEnduro is going to be a fantastic event for the region, with something for everyone and we are very pleased to be partnering with the race organisers to make this screening happen.”
The double screening will also showcase Not Bad, made in New Zealand, which follows the exploits of the Trek Mountain Bike Team’s extreme riders.
The Scottish premier of Arrival will take place in Perth at the Loft nightclub on Saturday October 26 from 7.30pm as part of the two-day FairCityEnduro mountain bike race at the city’s South Inch.
Tickets and more information on the charity premiere and the FairCityEnduro are available from www.muckmedden.co.uk.
The event will feature a range of attractions over the two days, with Saturday activities including balance bike and junior cross-country competitions.
The main enduro event on Sunday features five time stages covering a total of 11.5miles.
Organisers of the event encourage fancy dress to add to the fun factor and spectators are also catered for with a shuttle bus between stages.
More Information on AMBTA is on their Facebook page.