On Saturday 17th July, mountain bikers gathered in Kielder for the third round of The Bike Place Marathon Series. Two laps of around 26kms was the order of the day, but following a week of almost continuous rain, the event name The Hot Trod seemed a little out of context.

However, the sun did shine for most of the day, and the route laid out by the organisers whilst proving to be demanding was popular with most of the riders. Using parts of the Lonesome Pine and Bloody Bush trails inter linked with forest roads and a few off piste sections was just the mix they were hoping for.