After a break of many years from XC competition, I started going to XC races again in 2005 including the national events, then known as the National Points Series, which became the British Mountain Bike XC Series for 2007. The series under both titles was run by Martyn Salt of Inevent and supported by Trek and others, and was characterised by a wide variety of courses, spread over England and Wales mainly, with good facilities and a friendly atmosphere. It compared really well to the early to mid 1990s when I used to race, has been growing at around 15% per year in numbers terms, and had begun to attract top class riders from Europe and around the world, such as South African champion and top U-23 racer Burry Stander, pictured leading Oli Beckingsale at Thetford this year.
However, it is all change for 2008 - Trek will not be acting as a major sponsor, and British Cycling are seeking a new organiser to run the series, and to build upon the good work done by Inevent. BC made the announcement seeking new organisers a while ago, since when there has been no news whatsoever. There are no British national series races listed on the UCI calendar for 2008 (not even dates with venue TBC) and the final cut-off point for inclusion in the UCI calendar is approaching fast.
It would be a disaster for XC racing in the UK if the national series went backwards, with no UCI points and/or a step backwards in organisation etc. I hope for the sake of the sport that there will be some news soon, and good news at that.
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