Stepping Stanes have organised a Family Ride here at Ae forest on 29th May. Parents and children of all ages and abilities are welcome to join in. There will be some coaching, some games, some racing and a whole lot of fun, you take part in what you want to and watch the rest! Interested ... grab the kids and your bikes and meet everyone at Ae Cafe, 11am on the 29th.

What a great weekend that was! Big congrats to all the riders and well done to Nico Vouilloz for scooping the fastest time of the day. Some interesting battles going on with the paired starts. Local D&G riders Euan McConnell (motocross racer) and Mark Wilcox (coach/downhill racer) were paired and a tightly fought battle ensued with Euan taking the honours! Mark did get a blow out on the last stage right enough and both lads finished in the top 25. If you want to see the full results go to the Avalanche Cup website. We also have some great photos on our facebook page.

BUCS Mountain Bike Champs at Ae Forest

Ae Bike Shop & Cafe would like to congratulate all the participants at this years BUCS MTB Champs. It was a great weekend and we hope you all had a brilliant time here at Ae. Well done to all the prize winners and we hope to see to many of you guys back up or down here at Ae in the not too distant future. You'll always be made welcome here at the UK's friendliest trail centre.

Ae Crazy Ass Challenge ... Sunday 10th January!

Right first up, we know there's snow, we know there's ice ... it's winter, get over it!! Get out there and enjoy the challenge nature has given us. Embrace it and stick two fingers up to those who refuse to venture outdoors by blitzing a short course at Ae Forest this Sunday 10th January.

It's not an official race with official prizes, it's simply a challenge laid down to encourage bikers to get back on their bikes and have a laugh at the same time! However there will be a massively kind donation of £50 for the first man or woman back to Ae Bike Shop & Cafe. The winner can give this to their favourite charity or buy a round of drinks at their local, whatever!

So, I hear you ask, how do I go about winning £50? Here's your 4 Step plan: 

1. Line up on the road outside Ae Bike Shop & Cafe at midday on Sunday 10th January.
2. When you hear the hooter of Ae go off, step on your pedals and make like a Husky along the trails.
3. Make your way with a bike (ride it, push it, carry it ... we don't care) along the frozen road and up to the top of the snow covered push up track on the red route, turn round the marker and make your way back as quickly as you can to Ae Bike Shop & Cafe via the Omega Man section of the red route.
4. Collect your £50 if your first back, if not get into the cafe, grab a coffee, hot chocolate, beer, whatever and enjoy the after challenge party!

As a desert dwelling mammal and member of the mongoose family would say ... "Simples"!

Are you man enough or would you rather sit in the house watching Eastenders and moaning about how cold it is? The decision is yours but £50 goes a long way to lining your pockets at this time of year! Grab your bike and head to Ae this Sunday.

Remember there is a risk of injury however Dumfries has a fantastic A & E.

Respect to the Snow & Ice Gods ... we salute you !!!!

New Year Steak Pie - 1st January 2010

Come along to Ae on the 1st January 2010 and shake off the excesses of Christmas & New Year with a ride followed by a delicious Steak Pie Lunch for only £6.95.

Ae Bike Shop & Cafe will be open from 11am onwards, come and join the fun ... families, non bikers, everyones welcome at Ae!

A Cracker of an Event rounds off Youth Series!

Heathhall forest near Dumfries played host to the third and final round of the 2009 South of Scotland Youth Cyclocross Series.

With the first two rounds suffering from torrential rain and high winds it was a welcome but extremely cold change to find this event being held under cloudless skies.

This final round of the series was the 'Christmas Cracker' organised by SteppingStanes youth cycling club, and which provided the perfect opportunity for the club to showcase and test out their newly purchased event timing system.

Before the racing got underway young racers and club volunteers took some time to smile for the cameras as local press came to record this exciting development, and to thank the support and generosity of the funding partners. (7Stanes, SWestrans, Dumfries & Galloway Council, and the Holywood Trust.)

Once the photocall was out of the way the serious business of bike racing took centre stage and it seemed that the cold weather didn't put people off with over 40 young riders lining up to compete in their relevant age categories from all over Scotland.

Well done to Ae's Nicole Gray who came 3rd in the Under 10's girls race.

For further details on the event or if you want to know more about the south of Scotlands cycling youth development visit the Stepping Stanes website.

Curry Night at Ae - Friday 13th November

You'll be able to enjoy a fantastic Curry at Ae Cafe on Friday 13th November.

Stay tuned for details coming soon.

Halloween Bash and Lights Demo on 30th October.

Ae Blog ... keep updated with the latest news on the new Blog, the Ae Downhill Zone!