BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is getting ready to complete the final stage of its Glentress Masterplan programme as the UCI team clears the last of the 2023 Cycling World Championship infrastructure.
Car parks have started to reopen and access is returning to normal. This will coincide with FLS starting work on the final stage of its £6 million investment in the masterplan development.
Final stage works include the construction of a new mountain bike skills park, work around the gateway building, final linkage of several of the new trails and the installation of short skills loops of various grades.
In parallel, over the next few weeks, the temporary UCI event-specific trails and features will be removed.
Construction work will also resume on Forest Holidays’ 56 environmentally sensitive holiday cabins.
John Dougan, FLS’ south region manager, said: “The UCI 2023 Cycling World Championship events in the Tweed Valley were a great success and helped to put the name Glentress and the wider Borders in front of a millions-strong global TV audience and herald the beginning of a new exciting chapter for Glentress.
“The success of the event was in no small part thanks to what had already been achieved over the last 18 months in terms of delivering the Masterplan, which has already significantly improved the offering for visitors and reinvigorated this amazing attraction, increasing the range of its appeal and further enhancing its value to the area.
“Although the Championships are now over, we’re not resting on our laurels and are looking to add the finishing touches that we couldn’t complete before the event was held. Once fully completed, our regular – and hopefully many new – visitors will soon find a destination that lives up to their expectations and offers something for everyone.”
The final stage works will complete the Masterplan legacy of high-quality infrastructure and trails that can be sustainably managed into the future and meet the broad range of needs of the recreational visitors.
Trails and features that were built especially for the UCI events, although fit for the purpose of challenging the skills of high-level professional / elite athletes, were designed to be used on a temporary basis.
They do not meet the design requirements or build standards needed for the sustainable trails featured in the Masterplan and will be deconstructed and repurposed or recycled.
FLS is looking to offer two ‘sandbox’ areas that could accommodate temporary features for future events and is seeking retrospective planning permission to make permanent the start / finish line that will further enhance Glentress’ appeal to large-scale event organisers.
Read more: London Edinburgh London 2025 route released
The Phase 3 masterplan works and the cabin build will be completed in 2024.
Across six days of UCI events at Glentress there were approximately 30,000 visits.
Following on from this economic boost to the area, it is anticipated that – every year – the revamped Glentress will help draw more than 300,000 visitors to the area and inject around £1 million into the local economy.
