British Mountain Bike Championships 2009
Britain's biggest domestic mountain bike races of the year, the British Mountain Bike Championships visit Innerleithen for cross country and downhill and Redhill for fourcross.
RACE REPORTS
Downhill
Gee Atherton and Tracy Moseley are the 2009 British Downhill Champions after a thrilling race at Innerleithen where changing course conditions dictated the weekends racing.
Cross Country
Liam Killeen and Sue Clarke are the 2009 British Cross Country Champions, claiming their titles on a tough Innerleithen course. Nestled in the bosom of the Tweed valley, a hilly seven kilometre lap characteristic of Scottish racing separated the best from the rest over a weekend of changeable weather which defined the terrain and the racing.
Fourcross:
The fourcross National Championships were held two weeks previous - if you missed the action read all about a wet and wild race where Scott Beaumont, Charlie Phillips and Bernard Kerr were the big winners taking home the stripey jumpers. We've got all the action including a full report and photography from Luke Webber and Andy Dunwoody.
PREVIEWS AND PRE-RACE INFO
Weather Updates and Tyre Opinions
Luke Webber is live at the course every day, keeping you updated with the latest weather and opinions on tyre choice. As the racers arrive on track we'll canvass their opinions, too.
Dirtschool's Chris Ball shows us the 2009 British Downhill Championship course at Innerleithen - British Cycling's Luke Webber slides his way down the track at downhill racing's premier domestic event.
XC Courseride
Dirtschool's Andy Barlow shows us the 2009 British XC Championship course around Innerleithen - British Cycling's Luke Webber endorses a seven kilometre loop which will test the best at cross country racing's premier domestic event.
Interview: Brand New Sue
A favourite for the women's XC title at this weekends National Championships, Sue Clarke has made a big impact on the British mountain bike scene in 2009, challenging for podiums in the National XC Series and becoming the number one British rider in the UCI Rankings - currently sitting 56th in the World. To some Clarke is a new name to the world of XC racing, but as Luke Webber discovers the brand new Sue is a mountain biker with more than a little history.
Ever wondered what the National Championships looked like when men were men and bikes had no suspension? We've been digging through the archives to find some amazing videos thanks to Youtube including footage from the first ever National Championships held in 1989 in Aviemore, the 1993 and 1995 competitions and results from the past two decades.
Preview:
If you want to see Britain's Olympian cross country and world-beating downhill racers in 2009 then there's only one chance - the National Championships at Innerleithen this weekend. Read Luke Webber's preview now and keep it locked to British Cycling Online for all the latest news live from the race throughout the week.