Dalby Bike Barn opens with mini cycle expo on Saturday 13 October

Dalby Forest has been growing in stature as a cycling venue in the last couple of years. It's hosted a round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup twice in the last three years, as well as a Tour of Britain stage, and the area has a fine reputation for quiet and scenic road riding. And now there's a new trail centre opening, the Dalby Bike Barn, which is a joint venture between the CTC, locally-based PACE Cycles and the Forestry Commission. The new centre will be open to the public on Saturday 13 October, and there'll be plenty of opportunities to get out riding, both on- and off-road.

Running from 10am – 5pm, the Open Day will feature bike and kit demos. as well as free taster sessions of a brand new range of group rides and MTB skills development. PACE will be offering hire and sale of bikes from their range, and there's a fully equipped workshop where qualified cycle technicians are on hand to fix and service bikes.

If that all sounds a bit dirt-based for you, or you want to do a mix of riding, then there's ample opportunity to use the Bike Barn as a base for some fantastic road excursions too. CTC Cycling Development Officer for Dalby Mike Hawtin said: "Dalby forest not only has world class mountain biking on offer, but also boasts a wide range of roads and quiet lanes for road cyclists. The main thoroughfare takes you on 10 miles of uninterrupted smooth winding tarmac through the forest. The road climbs and drops through the Dalby landscape and the climb up to the Adderstone field reaches a tough 15% gradient."

Also running at the Open Day will be Dalby 13, a mini northern cycle expo introducing the very latest 2013 road and off-road bikes, clothing and accessories. Fox, Lezyne, 661, Lapierre, DTSwiss, SRAM, Exposure, Scott, Teva Shimano, Maxxis, Osprey, The North Face, Santa Cruz, and of course, PACE. There will be discounts on equipment and bikes and the people behind the brands are on hand for a chat as well.

Pre-registering for taster sessions is advised. Visit the website (www.dalbybikebarn.co.uk) to view taster programme and book your session by emailing dalby [at] ctc.org.uk