By Tom Degun

Sebastian_Coe_on_Hadleigh_Farm_courseMay 24 - Four sections of the London 2012 Olympic mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm in Essex have been named Rabbit Hole, Leap of Faith, Deanes Drop and The Breathtaker following a schools competition.


The competition was run as part of the London 2012 Get Set programme while the newly named sections on the five kilometre course will be ridden for the first time at a pre-Olympic test event on July 31.

The London 2012 Olympic mountain biking events will take place at Hadleigh Farm on August 11 and 12, 2012, with ticket prices ranging from £20 ($28) to £45 ($63).

The Leap of Faith was named by Baddow Junior School and is a section at the south of the course with a steep drop through a wooded area while Deanes Drop was named by the Deanes School in Thundersley, and will see the riders tackle a winding, rocky descent followed by a long right-hander.

Hadleigh_Farm_school_win_competition_to_name_part_of_courseThe Breathtaker was named by the local Hadleigh Junior School and is a long, steep climb up a grassy valley while The Rabbit Hole, named by Chelmer Valley High School, is a crossover tunnel section.

Chelmer Valley student Ed Humphreys said: "The cyclists have to go over the top, go round the corner and then come back through.

"So I came up with the name 'rabbit hole' because that's what a rabbit would do.

"It feels a great privilege to have that name seen across the world and I'm really pleased about it."

Teacher Suzanne Mycock added: "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"The Olympics won't come back again in their lifetime, let alone mine.

"It's just brilliant that our students can get involved."

As part of their prize, all four schools will also get a guided tour of the Olympic Park in Stratford.

Meanwhile police have warned all mountain bikers to stay off the new Olympic course for their own safety.

The elite course, which cost £800,000 ($1.2 million), is considered one of the most challenging in the world and has been fenced off to the public.

There are also signs to warn people that it would be very dangerous for anyone to try to break onto the course and ride it.

PC Chris Bramhill, from the police cycle team, said: "We don't want anyone getting injured in the run up to the Olympics and we will be patrolling the area at regular intervals."

There are ongoing discussions over plans to turn the venue into a far easier mountain bike course following London 2012, which would be eligible for the public to use.

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