These events do include a bit of pedalling hard, but we will be following up with a closer look at the Mountain Bike Gravity calendar soon for the more descending inclined.
All the opportunities listed below will appear on the British Cycling calendar here in due course, where entries can be submitted in advance.
For the Bairns:
Similar to the Short Track discipline that Charlie Aldridge excels in, dirt crits, or mini-short track races, are fun off-road races with flowing courses without any difficult technical features. The courses are short, so riders get to do multiple laps and are rarely far from sight, making it excellent for spectators (parents or guardians).
Faster riders can test themselves against each other in physical and tactical racing, whilst less experienced riders can challenge themselves to improve each lap.
Dirt Crits often take place on midweek evenings, look out for these ones which will be on the British Cycling calendar soon:
- Glentress Dirt Crit Series, Peebles:
- Edinburgh RC Go Ride Dirt Crit, Edinburgh:
- Saturday 26th April
- Falkirk Junior BC Dirt Crit Series, Callander Estate, Falkirk:
- Round 1 – Friday 2nd May
- Round 2 – Friday 16th May
- Round 3 – Friday 30th May
- Round 4 – Friday 13th June
- Glasgow Riderz Parklife Dirt Crit Series, Pollok Park, Glasgow:
- Round 1 – Thursday 22nd May
- Round 2 – Thursday 5th June
- Round 3 – Thursday 19th June
Further Dirt Crits to be confirmed in North, North East and South West Scotland soon.
2025 Scottish MTB Cross Country Series (SXC)
The SXC series offers racing opportunities for many different levels of rider, including novice racers
For 2025, young riders in the Under 12, Under 10, and Under 8 categories will have the exciting opportunity to race twice at each event!
First up, all riders will take part in a heat, giving them a chance to find their speed, refine their lines, and get a feel for the course. After the heats, riders will be split into two finals based on their results—the top half will progress to the A Final, while the bottom half will race in the B Final.
This new format ensures close, competitive, and fun racing, with riders matched against others of similar ability. It’s all about skill development, exciting competition, and, most importantly, having a great time on the trails. The under 12’s will race a different course to the under 10’s/ 8’s aiming to provide a step towards racing the full length XC course.
In addition to the exciting new format for the wee ones, Short Track will be introduced for older competitors into the SXC for the first time on the Saturday afternoon. This will provide fast and exciting 20 minute races for Open and Female categories from under 14 up to senior riders. The courses will be more flowing than the Sunday races with less technical features and a focus on tactical racing, as well as also being ideal for the first time racer.
The main SXC event takes place on the Sunday, with full length courses and more technical features. Changes to the timetable for 2025 mean the races will be less congested allowing more “space to race” for beginners to experienced racers. The SXC is a super friendly series and taster races are included in the programme and although it is demanding, any regular mountain bike rider with reasonable skills will enjoy taking part. Full series info and dates can be found on the website.
Other XC events
There are a couple of other unique MTB XC events that offer fun exciting racing for all abilities:
- Chatelherault XC, Hamilton: 27th April
- Crombie MTB XC, Crombie: 27th July
- Scottish School’s Mountain Bike Championships, Comrie Croft: 23rd September TBC
Gravel
Gravel events have been sneaking onto the Scottish Cycling calendar for a couple of years, and for the first time they are becoming fully part of the family.
If you love a physical off-road challenge, without any technical features, this could be the discipline for you. There are all sorts of exciting event formats over different distances. Some to look out for are:
- Trailblazer Gravel TT, Miltondruff: 1st March
- Crits at Turbine 53, Whitelee Windfarm:
- Round 1 4th June,
- Round 2 2nd July,
- Round 3 6th August
- Grand Old Duke, Aberfoyle: 14th/15th June
- Grinduro Scotland, Kingussie: 18th July
- Dunblane Gravel Race, Dunblane: 10th August
- Scottish National Gravel Championships: 16th August