All three London 2012 Mountain Bike medallists will return to the Olympic course at Hadleigh Park to have a rerun race this Sunday, July 31st.

The event is called Hadleigh Park International and it’s happening this weekend. The 2012 Olympic race was a classic race full of speed and drama where the Hadleigh track did its job perfectly.

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The course remains virtually unchanged since 2012. There’s been a new Start/Finish lint straight pout in recently but that’s about it.

The event is free to watch. The park and ride scheme will also be free.

Marco Fontana, Nino Schurter and Jaroslav Kulhavy – bronze, silver and gold medallists respectively – will be using the event as one of their final races before Rio 2016 next month.

Julien Absalon will be there too. Absalon had something of a total ‘mare at the London 2012 race so the fact that he’ll be there will mean no one will be taking their race lightly. Absalon will have a point to prove.

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After the 2012 Olympics Hadleigh Park was developed as part of the Olympic Legacy program, and has become a popular public country park with mountain biking tracks mixed in there.

It has hosted regional and national mountain bike events, including the National Championships, but this will be by far the biggest race to grace the venue since the Olympics itself.

Indeed, the Hadleigh Park International will be the biggest cross-country mountain bike event in the UK since 2012.

Unlike the Olympic Games where riders and teams were segregated from the public, at Hadleigh Park International spectators will be able to see the team areas and interact with the riders.

There will be opportunities to get autographs and all-important selfies, as well as seeing the racers in action on the track.

The weekend also includes a round of the UCI Junior Series which is the primary international competition for 17 and 18 year olds, and Youth racers will also have the opportunity to ride at an international event.

www.hadleighparkinternational.co.uk

Event Schedule

Saturday 30th July:
1100 Youth Girls Race, followed by award ceremony.
1200 Youth Boys Race, followed by award ceremony.

Sunday 31st July:
1000 Men Juniors Race, followed by award ceremony.
1200 Women Elite Race, followed by award ceremony.
1202 Women Juniors Race, followed by award ceremony.
1400 Men Elite Race, followed by award ceremony.