Muckmedden Events, organisers of the upcoming Cream o’ the Croft Mountain Bike Festival (15 – 17 June 2018), supported by EventScotland – part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, have revealed the eight stage course for the 2018 Cream o’ the Croft Enduro (COTC2018), a 25km, mountain bike enduro race with 1000m of descent. The signature event at the popular family friendly weekend festival will be staged on Perthshire’s award winning Comrie Croft Trails on Saturday 16 June.

 

In a bid to find the true ‘Cream o’ the Croft’, this year’s course ditches the quirky Hill Climb and Pumptrack stages in favour of more gravity-fuelled stages, including a brand-new black-graded downhill trail which will officially launch at the three-day festival.

 

Race organiser Aaron Gray said: “The 2018 COTC Enduro offers a unique opportunity to ride the Comrie Croft Trails in a totally different way and I know the riders will be as amazed as I was when they see the new stages!

 

“Comrie Croft Bikes have done an unbelievable job over the winter opening up a number of new trails and link sections to make this year’s course, without doubt, the best by far. Now that the new trails are rideable, I’ve managed to ride all eight stages back-to-back and I’m astonished by how well the guys at Comrie Croft Bikes have connected everything up. They’ve used every inch of the growing trail network and have used their imagination to create some new linking sections, resulting in some truly monumental descents!

 

“As fun as it was, we decided to ditch the quirkier stages from previous years and opt for a more ‘traditional’ Enduro format by squeezing in as many quality descents as we can find! We couldn’t ditch the Dual Slalom stage though, so riders can still look forward to some thrilling Head2Head racing with their mates at the end of the day.”

 

Once again there will be ample opportunity for younger riders to get their race faces on across the Cream o’ the Croft weekend in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018. The young, budding world champions, aged 6 to 13 years, can take to the trails in the Mini Enduro on Sunday 17 June. Featuring contactless chip-timing just like the main Enduro, upcoming riders can test their mettle on five timed stages on some of Comrie Croft’s mellower trails. Parents and guardians are welcome to chaperone kids on the trails if they wish, which is great for building confidence in both parent and child. A perfect introduction to multi-stage Mountain Bike racing for young riders!

 

Toddler specialists DG Cycling will be running Balance Bike and Pedal Bike races throughout the day for under 6’s.  Better still festival entry is free for under 6’s and includes race entry.

 

Road cyclists have also been catered for at Cream o’ the Croft 2018. They can look forward to the new ‘Breadalbane 160’, a 160km (100 mile) Audax road ride (a non-competitive, time-limited long distance ride out). With an Audax UK AAA (Audax Altitude Awards) certification, this is sure to be a challenging but rewarding day on Highland Perthshire’s most iconic roads with some stunning views to cherish en route.

 

For more information about Cream o’ the Croft Mountain Bike Festival and to purchase festival passes and race entries go to https://www.muckmedden.co.uk/our-events/cream-o-the-croft/

 

Ends

Media contact:

Paddy Cuthbert | Littlehouse Media | E: [email protected] | M: +44 (0)7913 951717

Please contact Paddy Cuthbert if you would like to arrange to attend either The Cream o’ the Croft for an event feature.

Cream o’ the Croft Images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4n3eep8ynjrmw9a/AAD5kIakhQbD_te-NERayVnda?dl=0. Please credit photographers where indicated.

 

Image attached – Please credit Ian Potter

 

 

Notes to Editors:

 

Approximate 2018 COTC Enduro course stats

8 stages

20 – 25km length

850 – 1000m descent

Trail grade – Blue grade to Black grade and everything in between

 

Other points of note

• Organisers are using Si Air+ contactless timing system so rider don’t have to dib-in and out of stages anymore.
• Enduro – Saturday 16 June from 9.30am – open to riders 12 and upwards. Riders will receive an email on the week of the race telling them how they can pre-book starting waves. They can also do this at the festival.
• Mini Enduro – Sunday 17 June from 11am – Riders (6 to 13) leave in waves of ten riders every five minutes (eldest to youngest).
• Comrie Croft Trails were recently awarded IBikeRide’s Scottish Trail Centre of the Year.

 

 

Cream o’ the Croft Mountain Bike Festival

Cream o’ the Croft Mountain Bike Festival – ‘Scotland’s Mountain Bike Festival’ – makes a much-anticipated return to Comrie Croft, Braincroft, by Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland PH7 4JZ – situated between Crieff and Comrie on the A85 – from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 June 2018.

 

All attendees at Cream o’ the Croft must purchase either a Festival Pass or a Race Entry which includes all* activities and entertainment. *Excludes additional bike races and camping. If you’re looking to stay overnight, you also need a camping pass (unless you’ve paid for an accommodation upgrade). Age restrictions apply. See event homepage for full details, race rules and formats.

 

Cream o’ the Croft 2018 is supported by EventScotland – part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate

 

To celebrate the 2018 event programme a new and highly entertaining Cream o’ the Croft promotional video, filmed at the venue with the Beast from the East taking a lead role, has been released – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-B1zyZUAds

 

Cream o’ the Croft is not only a festival of mountain bike racing for all ages, it is also a music festival with camping and fun activities and a gourmet food and drink festival, all crammed into one unbelievable family-friendly entertainment weekend; and its all within an hour’s drive of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Perth.

 

Aaron Gray of Muckmedden Events, organisers of Cream o’ the Croft, said: “Cream o’ the Croft is a weekend festival of fun and frolics for all the family both on and off the bike. It is based largely around the four great tenets of mountain biking, the great outdoors, music and ‘consumption of deliciousness’. Add in to the mix an award-winning campsite, hostel and mountain bike trail centre, beautiful surroundings, family friendliness and great activities for all ages, and you get the rough idea of what to expect.”

 

Road cyclists have also been catered for at Cream o’ the Croft 2018. They can look forward to the new ‘Breadalbane 160’, a 160km (100 mile) Audax road ride (a non-competitive, time-limited long distance ride out). With an Audax UK AAA (Audax Altitude Awards) certification, this is sure to be a challenging but rewarding day on Highland Perthshire’s most iconic roads with some stunning views to cherish en route.

 

In celebration of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, Muckmedden Events have also scheduled a number of exciting opportunities to get local young people involved at both of their bike festivals this year. https://littlehousemedia.co.uk/2018/05/23/young-people-invited-to-collaborate-in-muckin-good-summer-festivals/

 

Festival organisers, Muckmedden Events, are promising the best edition of the festival yet with new events, activities and entertainment for all the family – on and off the bike, all shoehorned into the already fun-packed line-up festival goers have enjoyed in previous years.

 

Highlights of Cream o’ the Croft Mountain Bike Festival include:

Biking

• Pumptrack Challenge & Bunny Hop competition
• “The Breadalbane 160” – a brand-new Audax road ride which will showcase the very best roads and views of Highland Perthshire. https://db.tt/AcH7snU55m
• COTC Enduro – Multi-stage Enduro (age 12+) using every inch of trail on offer in a bid to find the “Cream o’ the Croft”
• Toddler Bike Racing and open Sessions – (in)famous Toddler Bike Racing (under 6)
• Monster Balance Bike Challenge #yoyp2018 – https://www.muckmedden.co.uk/event/monsterbb/
• Mini Enduro – (age 6-13) – small version of the big race

 

Gourmet Food and drink

Cream o’ the Croft has always been about showcasing the best locally-sourced food and drink too, so once again Comrie delicatessen Hansen’s Kitchen and Comrie Croft’s own Tea Garden will team up with many of Scotland’s finest food and drinks producers to serve up all manner of delicious locally-sourced edibles over the three days. Title sponsors Black Isle Brewery will ensure beer lovers are well catered for by serving up an assortment of organic craft ales at the bar, to complement an array of local spirits and fresh juices.

 

Cream o’ the Croft Velo Village

The event Velo Village will include stalls and bike related activities for festival goers to participate in and enjoy. There will be lots of ‘non-bikey’ stuff too, for little and big kids alike, with an emphasis on hands-on fun for everyone. Giant Water Slide, Petting Zoo, Bushcraft, Funky Mountain, Circus Workshops, live music and a silent disco, etc.

 

For little and big kids

• Remake Craft Workshops – Make cool stuff from household waste
• Smoothie Bikes – Make a fruit smoothie using your own pedal power!
• Giant Waterslide
• Mechanical Rodeo Bull – Age 8+
• Magical Fairy Trail – Kids follow clues around the fairy forest to get a prize at the end.
• Bouncy Castle
• Face Painting, Henna Tattoos & Hair Feathers
• The Funky Mountain – For 6 +. Conquer a family friendly obstacle course that has you climbing, crawling and running on all fours, all while being blasted by funky coloured powder. An hour of fantastic fun.
• Nature Stories and Craft Workshop – Sit down for a nature-based story and then venture into the woods to find natural materials to make some of the characters from the book.
• Adventure Circus Workshops and circus show – Learn circus skills such as ribbons, juggling and trapeze and then marvel at the pros in action!
• Active Glen Quad Pods – A train of two-wheeled pods, towed behind a Quad bike.
• Active Glen Segways – Off-road Segway tours around Comrie Croft.

 

Health and Wellbeing

• The Kilted Coaches talk about mindset principles that promote good health, followed by a Q&A session
• Yoga Taster Sessions
• Swedish Massage and Remedial and Sports Massage
• Guided Trail/Hill Running – A selection of guided trail runs leaving from Comrie Croft.
• Pedal Powered Cinema (showing This Way Up, a film about mountain bike guide Andy McKenna’s life coping with Multiple Sclerosis)

 

Live Music

• Steel Band Workshop – Saltire Steel Band (Crieff High School) bring some Caribbean sunshine to COTC by providing live music on the Low Meadow. Learn how to play the steel drum in the steel band workshop sessions!
• Chitterybite Ceilidh – Family Ceilidh in the Hay Barn
• The Bullet Holes (TBC) – Comrie-based country rockers with swag.
• Banjo Lounge 4 – Old skool hip-hop with a touch of tweed.
• Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 – Colourful, playful, bonkers Scottish headliners!
• Silent Knights Silent Disco – DJ’s battle on wireless headphones! Those without headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to no sound at all!

Event Organiser:

Muckmedden Events – http://www.muckmedden.co.uk

 

Partners and supporters 

• Comrie Croft http://www.comriecroft.com/
• Perth and Kinross Council https://my.pkc.gov.uk/
• EventScotland eventscotland.org/

 

About EventScotland

EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org. Follow EventScotland on Twitter @EventScotNews.

 

EventScotland is a team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, the national tourism organisation which markets Scotland as a tourism destination across the world, gives support to the tourism industry and brings sustainable tourism growth to Scotland. For more information about VisitScotland see www.visitscotland.org or for consumer information on Scotland as a visitor destination see www.visitscotland.com.

 

Cream o’ the Croft Sponsors:

 

TITLE

• Black Isle Brewery https://www.blackislebrewery.com/

GOLD

• Comrie Croft Bikes –http://www.comriecroftbikes.co.uk/
• Fibrax – http://fibrax.org/
• Ultimate Sports Engineering http://www.ultimatesportsengineering.com/
• Progression Bikes https://www.progressionbikesscotland.com/
• MSC Tires) https://terraventure.co.uk/msctires/

SILVER

• The Famous Grouse Experience https://thefamousgrouse.com/
• Frog Bikes https://www.frogbikes.com/
• Craigdon Mountain Sports Perth http://www.craigdonmountainsportsperth.com/
• Highland Coffees http://www.highlandcoffees.co.uk/
• Haglofs http://www.haglofs.com/gb/en-gb/

BRONZE

• Horizon Watches http://www.horizonwatches.co.uk/
• Silent Knights http://www.silent-knights.co.uk/
• The Cycle Jersey http://www.thecyclejersey.com/
• Wigwam Socks https://www.wigwam.com/
• SOLE https://secure.yoursole.com/us/
• BQI Insurance bqigroup.com/bqi-insurance/

 

About Year of Young People 2018

In 2018, Scotland puts its young people in the spotlight, celebrating their talents, contributions and creating new opportunities for them to shine. The Year of Young People 2018 is a year-long programme of events and activities that will give young people in Scotland the opportunity to show the world what they are made of. Both Cream o’ the Croft and The Eliminator Mountain Bike Festivals are part of the YOYP18 Partner Event Programme and organisers are keen to create new opportunities for young people living in the local communities whilst showcasing their many talents on a national stage. For more information on Year of Young People 2018 and the event programme go to: http://yoyp2018.scot/

 

• The Scottish Government’s themed year for 2018 is the Year of Young People, following the Year of Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.

 

• A global first, YoYP 2018 is a platform for young people aged eight to 26 years old to have their voices heard on social issues and their talents celebrated.

 

• A year-long programme of events and festivals are taking place across the whole of the country for all ages to enjoy, led by EventScotland part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate. More information at www.visitscotland.com/yoyp2018

 

• Local authorities, schools, youth groups and organisations are running their own YoYP 2018 activity. Search #YOYP2018 on Twitter for the latest news.

 

• Young people co-designed the Year. A group of young leaders, Communic18, lead on all key decision making. More than 500 Ambassadors based across every local authority are championing activity.

 

• The Year is delivered in partnership between the Scottish Government, EventScotland, Young Scot, Scottish Youth Parliament, Children in Scotland, YouthLink Scotland and Creative Scotland.

 

• Scottish Government activity focuses on six themes chosen by young people: culture, education, participation, health and wellbeing, equality and discrimination, and enterprise and regeneration.

 

• More information can be found at yoyp2018.scot, searching @YOYP2018 #YOYP2018 on Twitter or by emailing [email protected]