Inverness Royal Academy’s mountain bike skills course begins to take shape and should be open by the start of 2025
Work is continuing at Inverness Royal Academy’s mountain bike skills course which is beginning to take shape with it set to be open by the start of 2025, maybe even sooner.
Ronan Taylor of ‘Raylors Trail Design’ from the Black Isle is leading the project and heavy machinery was spotted on site in September converting an existing path and grass banking area into a coaching area for off-road biking.
The cost of the work is at least £40,000 and the project was among the first of nine to receive investment from the £8 million Cycling Facilities Fund distributed by the Scottish Government and SportScotland.
The Mountain Bike Skills Loop project received £40,000 towards the work, with Highland Council also funding it, but the local authority has been reluctant to reveal how much it is paying despite being asked several days ago.
The over 600 metres course will feature three separate tracks including jumps, drop-offs and berms, rollers and rock gardens, to improve riders skills and balance.
In a post online, Councillor Duncan Macpherson pointed out that the academy serves a catchment area including areas of multiple deprivation while the school and community sports hub sought to address a lack of cycling activity locally.
He said: “A number of pupils didn’t have access to bikes or a safe environment to learn skills and gain confidence.
“They were especially keen to target inactive young people from surrounding areas of deprivation, providing them with cycling opportunities and bike maintenance drop-in sessions.”
He added: “In October 2018, the school was funded £2,000 from the Cycling Friendly Secondary Schools fund towards the purchase of a fleet of bikes and to stock their old PE store, now a bike workshop, with maintenance equipment.
“The school started 1:1 cycling activities, successfully renovated the bike shed and has been running family-focused Dr Bike sessions.”
That, he said, has resulted in 16 per cent of pupils now cycling to school while PE teacher, Jane Chisholm says that the longer-term aim is to “embed cycling and maintenance into the curriculum to make it sustainable and drive forward a culture of cycling in the school community.”
