This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Mountain Bike World Cup
11/09/2005
The Mountain Bike World Cup Finals took place in Fort William today, coinciding with the launch of VisitScotland's Mountain Bike Guide.
Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson presented the winner of the Men's Downhill with his prize at the event which attracted more than 450 world-class riders from more than 35 countries, together with more than 20,000 spectators.
The competition is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious events in the mountain biking calendar, and will help raise the profile of Fort William as a destination for adventure sports.
Tourism, Culture & Sport Minister Patricia Ferguson said:
"Mountain biking is thriving in Scotland. Thousands of Scots take part in the sport all over the country and many more travel to Scotland to ride our top class trails. I'm sure that VisitScotland's excellent new guide will entice even more mountain bikers here to test themselves on some of the best biking experiences in the world.
"We are a small country with big ambitions and securing the Mountain Bike World Cup and the World Mountain Bike Championships in 2007 - the year Scotland celebrates Highland culture - shows we are realising those ambitions.
"Scotland is a prime location for major events and I want us to build on this success as we prepare our bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014."
A spokesperson for VisitScotland said: "This is a very interesting and potentially lucrative area within the adventure sports niche.
"We're building on Scotland's increasing image as the adventure capital of Europe. That takes in everything from white water rafting to caving. If there's not going to be as much snow for skiing this is going to be a massively important new area.
"Our mountain bike facilities are some of the best on earth. The spin-off of competitions like these is that you raise the profile of Scotland, and its ability to attract and deliver world-class events. That way you get repeat business and that is the way to grow tourism revenues."