Location: Birches Valley, Rugeley

Sports: Mountain bike

Mountain bikers are set to tackle Birches Valley in Cannock Chase Forest in a bid to be crowned Commonwealth Games champion in 2022.

A total of 2,000 tickets are expected to be available for the event, which is scheduled to be held on August 3.

Situated in Staffordshire, Cannock Chase is the northernmost venue for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Home to two established waymarked trails, called “Follow the Dog” and the “Monkey Trail”, Birches Valley is known as a prime location for mountain biking.

The site is managed by Forestry England and is the base for Cannock Chase Cycle Centre. 

A new off-road cycling trail will be created ahead of the Games as part of a £900,000 ($1.25 million/€1 million) legacy project that bids to encourage residents to be active outdoors.

Sport England, British Cycling and local councils have injected money into the scheme which will also see the creation of a “bike play trail” aimed at helping youngsters develop their mountain biking skills.