THE official opening of a new mountain bike riding area in Gawton, near Gulworthy, is being held this Saturday (April 11).

The new area has been built for the Woodlandriders mountain bike club based in Tavistock, one of the biggest downhill mountain biking clubs in the South West.

The mountain bike area has been built to cater for intermediate to expert level mountain bikers seeking the ultimate downhill gravity thrill ride.

Each of the three new tracks provide their own challenges, whether through speed, gradient, technical difficulty or in some cases all three.

The tracks have been built over the last year by renowned world cup mountain biker and track designer Rowan Sorrel, with financial backing from a lottery grant, obtained by the Tamar Valley mining heritage project.

At the opening there will be a host of several major mountain bike manufacturers, who will have demo bikes available for testing.

Also confirmed to attend are international freeride star Chris Smith and successful local downhill racer Ash Mullane.

This will be the only day of the year that non-club members will be able to come and ride at Gawton. Normally there will be a charge of £5 per day or £25 per year, or £15 for under 16s.

To join the club visit http://www.woodlandriders.com">www.woodlandriders.com or drop into Dartmoor cycles near Morrisons in Tavistock.