London 2012 Olympic mountain bike course – First impressions We ride Essex's controversial Hadleigh Farm racetrack Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Whatsapp Share on Reddit Email to a friend By James Costley-White Published: March 21, 2011 at 5:53 pm Test riding the London 2012 Olympic mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm in Essex LOCOG Test riding the London 2012 Olympic mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm in Essex LOCOG British team riders with Lord Coe at the mountain bike venue LOCOG Riders gather at the start line James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com View of the site from the top of the hill James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Lord Coe meets staff and volunteers from the Salvation Army, who own the Hadleigh Farm site James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Pro riders David Fletcher, Katy Winton, Kenta Gallagher, Lily Matthews and Liam Killeen line up on the start line James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Lord Coe thanks all those involved in the construction of the course for their hard work James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Want to watch the Olympic mountain biking? You’ll need to apply for tickets James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Lord Coe and Stephen Castle from Essex County Castle prepare for a quick lap of the start/finish arena James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com And they’re off! James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com The open nature of the site should be great for spectators James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Lord Coe shows the competitive spirit you need to win four Olympic medals as he sprints for the line James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com David Fletcher takes the middle line on the first rocky drop James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com David Fletcher takes the middle line on the first rocky drop James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com David Fletcher takes the middle line on the first rocky drop James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com All the obstacles have a choice of lines to spice up the racing James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Kenta Gallagher takes on the bigger ‘A’ line James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com Kenta Gallagher takes on the bigger ‘A’ line James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com The course builders have made the most of a compact space, packing in lots of climbs and descents James Costley-White/BikeRadar.com