Keswick Mountain Festival has announced details of a new mountain biking sportive for 2016.
Keswick Rocks is the latest addition to the programme and is the 10th sporting event scheduled to take place during this year’s festival.
Organisers have also unveiled new routes for some races and a quality guarantee for competitors in all of its cycling, trail running, swimming and triathlon events, as they gear up to ensure that the 10th Keswick Mountain Festival is the biggest yet.
The 2016 Keswick Mountain Festival will run from Thursday 19 until Sunday 22 May, with its main base being the Festival Village on Crow Park in Keswick, open from Friday 20th.
All of the sporting events will take place on the Saturday and Sunday, and will start and finish in the Festival Village, offering excellent vantage points for spectators.
The timetable has been designed to give athletes opportunities to take part in several sports over the weekend.
Keswick Rocks will start at 9:30am on Sunday 22 May and riders will follow a challenging 43km route that promises gradual climbs, exhilarating descents and some panoramic views.
Participants can expect to spend around six hours in the saddle and will be rewarded with a ride that traverses the flanks of two great Lakeland fells in Skiddaw and Blencathra, and an ascent of Keswick’s own mini-mountain, Latrigg.
All participants will receive a t-shirt, finisher’s medal, live music ticket for a night of their choice, as well as access to a pasta party on the Saturday evening, and free MOMA porridge on the morning of the event.
Entry into Keswick Rocks costs £37.50, but KMF is offering a 20% discount for riders who sign up by the end of February.
Keswick Mountain Festival has also improved other aspects of the sporting events programme.
The long and short triathlons incorporate new run routes, and the 5k trail run also has a new route.
In addition, the festival recently announced the addition of a 3k open water swimming event in Derwentwater.
The popularity of the KMF sports programme has grown quickly in recent years and in 2015, over 2,000 people took part in the events.
The 2016 festival is presenting an even bigger schedule with greater capacity and numbers of participants are expected to rise again, bringing new visitors and income to the local area in early summer.
Lucy Scrase, Keswick Mountain Festival sporting director, said: “We are determined to make sure that the 10th Keswick Mountain Festival is very special indeed and our plans for the sporting events really put the spotlight on that.
"It’s about time Keswick had its own mountain bike event, so we’ve created one and it will give riders an exciting taste of some amazing landscapes.
"And everywhere else in the schedule, we’ve introduced additions and improvements that will make a visit to Keswick in May more enjoyable than ever for participants and spectators alike.”