Feature

Coe: Essex a better Olympic mountain bike venue than Wales

By Mark Appleton

During a visit to Wales, London's Olympic organising committee (LOCOG) chairman Sebastian Coe has reaffirmed to Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan that Essex remains the preferred choice of venue for the 2012 Games' mountain biking event.

The pair had face-to-face discussions earlier this week while Lord Coe was in Cardiff to meet Welsh Assembly members and to promote the Games in local schools. The First Minister used the occasion to press the case for the mountain biking competition to be hosted by the Principality, which in recent years has used the sport as a means to help the regeneration of areas affected by the loss of traditional industries.

The Welsh Heritage Minister, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, is also believed to have added his voice to that of the First Minister during a meeting with Lord Coe. BikeRadar understands that the LOCOG chairman indicated that should a suitable venue not be found in Essex, Wales would be in the frame to host the event along with other parts of the UK.

In January the UCI rejected LOCOG’s proposal to use Essex’s Weald Park on the basis that the proposed course was simply not challenging enough. 

Many observers remain puzzled by the apparent insistence that the event goes to one of the flattest counties in Britain, which at its highest point is just 147m, and which has little in the way of mountain biking heritage. LOCOG says: “Essex has been a great partner for us, and our priority is to explore all the opportunities we can within Essex given it's proximity to the Olympic Park.”

Essex County Council is known to be in discussion with the Salvation Army, the owner of land adjacent to the county’s Hadleigh Castle which has been identified as a possible site for the event. The Council has quantified the financial benefits of the hosting the event at £139 million and appears determined to ensure that the money does not go elsewhere. 

User Comments

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  • Here's what a real course looks like. How about they employ Glen Jacobs?

    http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/steep-rocky-trails-await-world-cup-riders-18158#post_comments

  • I think the Olympics should showcase the best that the UK has to offer. I'm from Essex, and grew up mountain biking there, and sure, there are some good trails but they're not even close to what the Olympic standard should be. Wales is the real deal, it already has world class facilities. I'm sure the mountains there will look far more spectacular than Hadleigh castle to the millions of fans that will be watching. Essex already has it's fair share of jokes anyway.

  • So, the highest point in Essex is 147 metres above sea level ? Ok, so maybe that's unimportant for the cross country event, but it's going to make for a cracking downhill event isn't it ? What are they going to do, spend millions digging a huge pit in order to host the finish ?

    This is another situation of political decisions being made by individuals who know nothing about the subject..

    I've signed the petition, although I couldn't care less where it's held so long at it's in a recognised hot bed of mountain biking. I'll also be signing another petition of sorts, at the next general election.........

  • i cant beleive that the southern focused olympics has yet another scalp albeit minor when compared to other sports. This was another fantastic opportunity to spend taxpayers cash away from the billions already being ploughed into the SouthEast and the over developed ness down there. I find it very difficult to beleive that a total of 147M height of climbing is considered world class (i walk that back home from the pub every fri night) and i live in a area not really considered in the same vein as Wales, Lakes, Peak district, Yorks moors to name but a few. Brilliant nice one Seb in conning the entire country to fund a spending spree in the SE (like it needed another)

  • You would like to think that the mountain biking would be in an area known for it, North Wales, South Wales, North of England or Scotland. But this decision does not surprise me at all. This whole Olympic bid seems to be a flight o fancy for few individuals (and a few specific locations) and not about improving / deveolping talent in GB. Billions are being spent on hosting the Olympics, draining funding from other areas.

    We should have left any other country host it and spend a fraction of the money saved on developing sport in GB, both in terms of top end athletes and just getting people to participate. By 2012 there will chaos that will bring embarressment to GB.

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