A TRAILBLAZING Scottish mountain bike festival is to end with the closure of Scotland’s only full-time bike event business.
TweedLove founder Neil Dalgleish has announced that “after several difficult years” he can no longer keep it afloat.
Set up 15 years ago, Borders-based TweedLove created Scotland’s first home-grown bike festival, produced the country’s biggest enduro race series and ran the UK’s biggest children’s cycling events.
It is estimated that TweedLove, which grew into one of the UK’s biggest cycling festivals, contributed an annual £750,000 towards the local economy each year and attracted thousands of visitors to the region, now recognised as a leading cycling destination in Scotland.
However, Dalgleish said: “Costs have risen 30% since Covid, bike industry sponsorship is a fraction of what it used to be and public-sector support for events like ours is generally sporadic and minimal – despite the number of visitors we attract to this part of Scotland.
“The bottom line is we can’t afford the salaries to attract or retain all the staff we need to do what we do.”
As a result, he said the remaining races this year would be the last unless “anyone has any realistic proposals for how TweedLove can return”.
Dalgleish added that at a conservative estimate, more than 70,000 people had taken part in TweedLove events, with an army of volunteers recruited to help out.
“TweedLove’s ethos was always about accessibility and wider participation – bike events for the many, not the few, to borrow a phrase,” he said.
“Our races became the most popular in the UK and we did everything we could to make the courses, the vibes and the organisation the best there was.
“I’ll have a lifetime of pride in what we achieved, both as a micro-business punching way above our weight, and as a catalyst for the positive changes we’ve seen in the Tweed Valley.
“But having spent 15 years literally subsidising the whole operation, I just can’t see how I can – or maybe more accurately, how I can afford to – take TweedLove forward.”
Dalgleish paid tribute to all the people who helped make TweedLove such a “unique and positive creation, and of course to all the riders who took part and made all the races such a blast – we’ll definitely miss you”.
While entry numbers largely bucked the trend of dwindling participation, Dalgleish said it didn’t balance the “negative” elements.
The news has been greeted with dismay on social media, with comments emphasising the economic boost the events have brought to the Scottish Borders.
Innerleithen and District Community Council member Andy Weir, of mountain bike tuition and guiding company Ridelines, said: “I can’t quite take in the impact of this right now as TweedLove has always been a significant part of Ridelines MTB’s schedule.
“I’ll seriously miss TweedLove and it will leave a big empty space for me personally.
“I know I’m not alone in feeling this and many more people will feel the same when they realise it’s gone.”
Mountain biker Chris Bryant added: “It has both created opportunities for racing and inspired participation at all levels. The local businesses have benefitted from people seeking skills sessions or even a good sleep and a pizza – the economic and health-related impact has been incredibly positive.
“TweedLove Festival was amazing – a real bonus to the industry and the local area.”
