Eastgate 8 Main Site

The Eastgate 8 is an action packed 8 hour cross country mountain bike race set in the heart of the beautiful Wear valley. This is the location of a sneak attack from the notorious Black Douglas.  After fighting bravely at Bannockburn and managing to capture Berwick he again upended the English by passing unnoticed into the English camp and slaughtering some 300 men before disappearing once again into the night.  You wouldn’t think such an isolated location would house this rich and diverse history.  It is on the slops of Eastgate farm that you’ll find the site for the race.  This is outlined below:

First of all you arrive from the A689.  This is the main road through the valley and can be accessed from east, west, north and south.  This then gets you on to a farm track which was once used to access the quarry that can be found above the site.  AS you reach the entrance of the quarry all vehicles will bear left and head to the main pits area.  These are denoted by PITS 1 and PITS 2 on the picture but really that entire field, including the bits to the left of TIMING could be used.  Here you will find ample space to set your area out however you wish.

The timing area will be the first thing you meet before hitting the pit area.  This is so that you can clock through a lap and know it is complete before making adjustments, taking on food or having a rest.  The route is purposefully designed so that everyone will be near their own vehicle when passing through.  When setting off on a new lap you just continue on the course to the east and after a little dip you hook left and tackle a steep climb to get your legs going once again.  Although it’s short, a nice big cog at the back would be very helpful.

Our high quality cross country endurance mountain bike races for 2025 consist of the Eastgate 8 on 24th May and the Chiller 24 on 8th Nov.