GS Henley has a small but active group of cross country mountain bike riders and racers who regularly ride the trails of Swinley Forest or Crowthorne Woods and compete in local races run by Gorrick (www.gorrick.com), Southern XC (www.eventrexuk.co.uk) and XC Rampage (www.xcrampage.com).
Some also travel further afield to trails in Wales and to race in events like the Mountain Bike Marathon Series (www.mtb-marathon.co.uk) and Brighton Big Dog (www.brightonbigdog.com), and some have competed in overseas events including the Andalucia Bike Race (www.andaluciabikerace.com) and La Ruta de los Conquistadores (www.adventurerace.com).
Cross country mountain biking is a fantastic way to develop fitness and riding skills away from traffic on some beautiful trails, and it is also a great complement to hours spent on the road bike. Events tend to be more relaxed and inclusive than racing on the road and they are surprisingly safer than a lot of road races too.
For more information contact: mountainbike@gshenley.com