The Eliminator Head2Head MTB Weekender returns to Fife this month. On Saturday July 25 and Sunday 26 the hillsides, forests and the barley fields of Parkhill Farm, Newburgh, will again play host to the
Muckmedden Event, which includes a head-to-head mountain biking race through a barley field.
The weekend extends to other two-wheel events, with bike racing for all ages, mobile bike park, pumptrack, on-site camping pitches, real ale bar, food, live music and storytelling sessions.
What is the MTB Eliminator?
The Eliminator Head2Head MTB Race pitches Downhill Speed Merchants against XC whippets and Enduro specialists in a head-to-head downhill battle. The race consists of three sections:
- The Bear, an open hillside slalom
- The Fairmer’s Forest, forest singletrack,
- Crazy Crops, a dual slalom course through a handlebar-high barley field.
Event organiser Aaron Gray said: “I don’t know of any other downhill track that you could pitch an XC rider on a hardtail against a downhiller on a DH bike and either could win. That’s the beauty of The Eliminator for me.”
After a full day of uplifted practice on the Saturday, The Eliminator riders will post two timed seeding runs to determine who they will race against in Sunday’s Eliminator tournament. In the elimination heats on Sunday, pairs of riders race on parallel trails and the first to cross the line progresses to the next round.
If a rider loses, they can still progress to the grand final by winning their next races. However, if a rider loses a second race they are eliminated and can then compete in various other competitions taking place over the weekend, such as a Dual Slalom Eliminator and the Pumptrack Challenge.
Craig Falconer, overall winner of The Eliminator in 2013, said: “The Eliminator is one of the most diverse races I’ve ever done. It’s great for huckers on their downhill bikes to line up against the whippets on their carbon 29ers. I loved every bit of it and can’t wait to do it again this year.”
For full details or to enter see Eliminator.