Vandalism led to the cancellation of the Manx 100 mountain bike challenge on Sunday.

A large number of the route arrows were removed and others were purposefully pointed in the wrong direction.

The signs, which were screwed into wooden posts, were tampered with twice in two days.

Organisers have since said the event will not be rescheduled after a social ride was done around some of the course instead.

Scott Morgan, one of the organisers of the event, was disappointed after having to make the decision following months of planning.

The Onchan resident said: ’It’s a real shame. We would like to do it next year, so we’ll sit down with DEFA and start looking at how we marshal the event and get more security.

’The whole marking around the course is in excess of 60 hours just on the 100km course between three of us, and that’s just in the lead up - it takes hundreds of hours preparing for an event like this.

’There’s a massive amount of work, it’s such a big job.’

He explained they noticed the signs had been moved when checking the course on Thursday evening.

Mr Morgan said: ’We got reports that signs were not in the right place so out of curiosity we checked them.

’Hours were spent on Thursday re-arrowing.

’We just thought, after the second time it happened, if we take the time to put them out again, all they’re going to do is come back behind us and do it again.’

The 43-year-old added: ’Whoever this was, they knew where they were going, that’s what’s become apparent to us.

’This was done very systematically and it’s a lot of effort that’s gone into it.’

Some arrows had been moved to point down dangerous tracks.

’There are some tracks that go downhill and we’re not on the right bikes for that or wearing the right protective gear that most competitors ride with,’ Mr Morgan continued. ’That could have led to serious injury.

’If someone had gone off route, they could have had a serious accident, even potential death, it just begs the question about what they were trying to achieve.’

He explained he had heard of similar occurrences happening in other prominent events in the island and that the team had lost signs in previous years at Ballaugh.

’We have heard of this sort of thing happening at other events but it’s limited compared to this, this is unprecedented, it’s a different level.’

The Manx 100 attracted six visitors from the UK, with only five coming to the island ultimately following the event cancellation.

A social ride was put on instead by the organisers.

Mr Morgan said: ’We felt that the guys who’d come over, we should really take them out.

’As it happened the whole northern section was fine, the guys loved it.

’We heard plenty of people still went out and did their event, with them being local they know where they’re going.’