Event News: Mildenhall Cycling Festival

Mildenhall Cycling Festival (grass track racing) being held Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th August

Event News: Mildenhall Cycling Festival

Andy Leveton (SES Racing) will be looking to retain his Men’s National 400m Grass-Track Handicap title this weekend at the Mildenhall Cycling Festival. The British Cycling Academy Sprint Coach is likely to face stiff competition from team-mate Tom White and Laurence Lisher (Cinnamon Cafe-Contour Cycles) who finished second and fourth respectively, when he beat them in last year’s Championship held at Plomesgate Cycling Club’s track-meeting.

Leveton is no stranger to the outdoor hard & grass tracks, as well as the indoor ones, having honed his cycling skills in East Anglia growing up in Hertfordshire. He’ll need to be at his best though as eight of the riders, from the strong field of 15 men, pushed him all the way in the heats last time out. He will also be one of the favourites in the penultimate round of the National Endurance League, in the 5km scratch race. There will also be events for Women and Juveniles on both days (Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th August) starting at 1pm.

The Festival is located in nearby West Row with its wonderful facilities set in a peaceful and tranquil rural setting around the Village Hall, where refreshments will be provided from over the two-days. It is just under three miles from Mildenhall which can be reached very safely by cycle using the tarmacked Wamil Way bridleway. The whole event begins at 9.30am on Saturday when a full field of 50 riders will set off at one-minute intervals in the Fenland Flyer Gravel Time-Trial.

The riders, aged 16 and over, will be racing individually against the clock over an 18 km course of almost entirely off-road consisting of farm tracks, droves, by-ways and a small section of minor road. This is a unique type of course that only the Fens can offer. On Sunday morning the Mildenhall Mad Madison Cyclo-Cross returns to the line-up, with pairs of riders aged 16 and over racing alternate laps. There will be the more traditional Cyclo-Cross events for children under 16 with Youth (12-15), Under 12 and Under 9 categories on a shortened course.

Also on Sunday, will be the Cycle Jumble from a car boot, with sellers this year having to pre-book their pitch. On both days there will be skills events for children. Local cycle retailer KL Cycles, will be on site offering cycle repairs, as well as spares and clothing. Although camping on site will unfortunately not be available, West Row has three campsites and the organisers are very much encouraging regular visitors to previous events to still come and spend the weekend in Suffolk cycling and at the Mini-Fest.

The Festival and its predecessor the Cycling Rally, have always attracted many up and coming names from the world of cycling and in addition to Victoria Pendleton, there have been Laura Kenny CBE, welsh starlet Nicole Cooke MBE, Ben Swift, Jason Kenny OBE and Steve Burke MBE before they went onto international acclaim.

Further details of the Festival are available at www.mildenhallfestival.bike