The first ever Coquetdale Classic Enduro Race brought mountain bikers to Rothbury from all over the UK during the August Bank Holiday weekend
The Coquet Classic(Image: Dave Price)
A Northumberland village was “so alive” as it hosted its first mountain biking event which took place on the Bank Holiday Weekend. The normally sleepy village of Rothbury hosted the first ever Coquet Classic Enduro Race on Saturday August 23, with mountain bikers coming to Northumberland from all over the UK.
Riders had no practice before taking on 32km loop, which had 1,100 metres of elevation. Wallsend-born five-time SuperEnduro World Champion Billy Bolt, who has been instrumental in bringing the Red Bull Tyne Ride to Newcastle Quayside, was one of 350 riders who took to the hills around Rothbury.
Coun Steven Bridgett, who represents the Rothbury ward and was a marshal for the event, said that the event had been a “huge success” for the area. Businesses throughout the town have reported an increase in takings compared with a normal weekend, with many riders staying in local hotels and B&Bs.
Coun Bridgett said: “It was fantastic to see the village so alive as marshals moved between stages, transferring from Simonside in the morning to Old Rothbury and Carriage Drive in the afternoon.”
Film producer Tommy Wilkinson organised the event alongside friends Andy Carman, Phil Stephenson and Simon McClurey. He said the quartet had spent a “decent proportion” of their spare time and taken holiday from work to make the Coquet Classic, but it had all been worth it.
Tommy told ChronicleLive: “There’s always been mountain biking here but it’s been on an unofficial level. It has been quite established but nobody really knows about it.”
The Coquet Classic(Image: HiJinks Photography)
The 38-year-old added that the event was first proposed in 2019 but had a “very hard no”. However, the landscape in the Simonside Hills, where much of the action took place, was reshaped by Storm Arwen and the group revisited their proposal.
Tommy, who lives in Rothbury, said he had received good feedback from those who live in the village. He said: “I think what started out as an experiment has seemingly been quite a successful one so that’s great.
“We had over 100 volunteers helping which is amazing for a village of 2,100 people. We’ve had people up there in the evenings, on the weekends, and people during the event weekend helping for free all week beforehand so I think that was another big reason there was a latent want for it in the community.
“Our primary customer is the village, and without having them on board it doesn’t really happen. As long as they’re happy it’ll bring a benefit to it so we’ll try and deliver it in future.”
(Image: Coquet Classic)
Coun Bridgett is optimistic that the event could bring benefits to Rothbury for years to come. He said: “This event is proof that large-scale sporting activities can work hand-in-hand with protecting our unique landscape.
“Next year, I’m encouraging them to go big or go home – with 600 riders, local sponsorship, and perhaps even designated viewing areas for locals to cheer on competitors and witness some truly daring downhill action! Our valley is uniquely positioned to build a thriving off-road biking tourism industry.
“With the success of the Coquet Classic now alongside the well-established Naughty Northumbrian at Kidland Forest, all that’s needed is the right investment and collaboration. There’s no reason we couldn’t rival anywhere else in the North of England, and even offer a key stop-off for riders travelling between England and Scotland, where off-road tourism is already thriving.”