Shimano announced as headline sponsor of British Downhill Series

Shimano can today announce that it is to be the official headline sponsor of British Cycling's National Downhill Mountainbike Series, which kicks off tomorrow in Scotland. 

British Cycling's National Downhill Mountainbike Series (commonly abbreviated to BDS) is one of the biggest competitions in the global downhill calendar and will see Shimano as the headline sponsor for all six rounds of this iconic series. The Shimano name is always extremely prominent on the trails as it is the component brand of choice for many athletes but it is back as a headline sponsor after taking that slot last in 2014.

As part of the sponsorship, Shimano will be offering its expert tech support at each of the weekend-long rounds, which will see some of the best downhill riders in the world take to the trails over the course of six months. 

The British Downhill Series has a significant reputation as a world-class event, made up of six rounds, kicking off on 2nd April in the Ae Forest in Scotland, finishing up on 18th September in Llangollen in Wales. 

Mark Greshon, Shimano brand manager at Madison, said: “We are really excited to be the headline sponsor for this year’s BDS, it is such a massive event for mountain biking in the UK so we want to be as involved as we can. It is also a great time to catch-up with riders to see what they make of our products.”

Shimano’s headline sponsorship will sit alongside its sister company PRO, which is sponsoring the Tharsis 9.8 Senior Men’s Category and Speed Trap for 2016. The PRO Speed Trap will see four PRO flags that will signal to riders that they need to hit top speed as they pass through – the winner of the PRO Speed Trap will earn £100 cash spot prize.

Keep an eye out for Shimano components on lots of the competitor’s bikes as the BDS kicks off this weekend in the Ae Forest in Scotland, as well as the Shimano tech support guys who keep the riders moving on the mountain.