Belfast Lord Mayor Christina Black jumped on her bike and popped on her helmet to open the primary official mountain bike path in Cave Hill Nation Park yesterday.
Developed in partnership with Cavehill Mountain Bike Membership, ‘The Center’ path is a pilot undertaking aimed toward showcasing the park as a first-class customer attraction for outside actions.
It additionally gives mountain bike fans with a managed and maintained facility to get pleasure from all year long.
Working from the highest of the mountain down by way of the scenic surrounds of the park, The Center affords mountain bikers an thrilling problem, with its many jumps, drops and berms.
Ms Black stated: “The brand new mountain bike path is a superb addition to the numerous totally different outside actions that may be loved in our metropolis.
“Cave Hill Nation Park is such a preferred location with locals and vacationers and I've little doubt the brand new path will open the doorways to a good greater viewers of tourists.”
She added: “I need to congratulate and thank all of these concerned within the improvement of the path and encourage mountain bike fans to return alongside and benefit from the challenges on supply.”
The path was constructed by hand, utilizing pure supplies to greatest protect the native surroundings and shield biodiversity within the park.
Bern McClure, chairman of the Cavehill Mountain Bike Membership, which constructed and can preserve The Center path, stated it “units a brand new customary as an alpine-inspired, all-season, difficult downhill pure path on the slopes of the enduring Cave Hill”.
“I pay specific credit score to the revolutionary partnership between the bike membership and Belfast Metropolis Council, which made all this attainable.”
Mr McClure added: “We're greatly surprised by the improbable optimistic suggestions we’re getting from everybody who rides the path.”
New signage has been erected all through Cave Hill Nation Park to make sure walkers, cyclists, runners and vacationers can get pleasure from all the outside facilitates safely.