Gripping time at bike festival
ORGANISERS of a mountain biking festival are pleased after an “outstanding weekend”.
The Northern Grip festival, on July 8-9, took place at Stubbylee Park and Lee Quarry in Bacup.
Organiser David Agnew said: “We had a fantastic weekend and around 350 cyclists enjoyed the festival.
“The cyclists came across lots of surprises as they went along the trails. First we had a New Orleans-style band who were playing 90s dance covers as the riders went past. On Sunday we had a local band, Stacksteads, who played in a unique area of the quarry for an hour.”
There was plenty on offer for punters, with trade stalls, bike clinics and a Q&A session with mountain bike experts.
Organisers were keen to show off all aspects of the Valley area, with local brewers Northern Whisper setting up a pop-up bar. David said: “We had people from all over the country, including some from as far away as the Isle of Wight and Berkshire. They’ve already said they want to come back here and explore the area more for themselves, which is exactly what we wanted.
“We’ve had great feedback and it’s been really good for local people to see the quarry in a completely new context.”
Coun Andy MacNae, Rossendale council’s cabinet member for regener- ation, hailed the event a success.
He said: “I was delighted to see the Northern Grip go so well. There was a buzz around Bacup and the organisers have put on a superb festival which had something for everyone – not just serious mountain bikers.
“Such events show Rossendale has a unique sports offer – as the organisers of Northern Grip have said – there is nowhere else in the world like Lee Quarry. We want to attract more events like this one which bring people across the country here and show we are the Adrenaline Valley.”