ONE of Britain's most challenging mountain bike events is on course to attract a record entry after being wiped off the calendar by foot-and-mouth last year.
The Exmoor Explorer is being run over two scenic but demanding courses on Sunday, August 4, and riders from all over Britain are already registering to take part.
This will be the fourth year the event has been staged, as a way of introducing cyclists to the delights of responsible mountain biking through the national park.
It offers access to some of the most spectacular scenery in England but is most definitely not a race. The event starts at 10 a.m. from Minehead rugby club and competitors have until 6 p.m. to finish their chosen course.
This year there are 23-mile and 40-mile options, mapped out by organisers Somerset cycling club Team Zoyland in consultation with Exmoor National Park and National Trust officials.
Each has a midpoint halt at Porlock Village Hall where refreshments will be supplied.
More than 400 riders competed the last time the Exmoor Explorer was held, in 2000, and organisers' spokesman Steve Crossman said he expected last year's cancellation to have fuelled, rather than diminished, interest this year.
"Those people who have competed in the past have found it a brilliant way to discover countryside which they never knew existed," he said.
"Exmoor offers some of the finest mountain biking in the country. The Explorer is intented to demonstrate how it can be enjoyed without impinging on the enjoyment of other park users or the rights of landowners."
Proceeds from the event will be shared between the Youth Hostels Association, the Exmoor Paths Partnership and the Dave Rayner Foundation for the Promotion of Excellence in Cycling — and unicycles enter free!
In conjunction with the event a series of less challenging family rides will be organised with Porlock Village Hall as the starting point.
Families will be using quiet lanes to Bossington Beach or Porlock Weir as a way of encouraging young cyclists to start eventing.
These rides are open to all and free, although contributions for the Youth Hostels Association will be welcomed.