The End to End Mountain Bike Challenge will have a different feel to it this year with a new sponsor and the introduction of a class for e-bikes.

Now in its 22nd year, the ever-popular Manx Mountain Bike Club event will be sponsored by established local bicycle emporium, Bikestyle.

The company is in the process of completely refurbishing the Market Hall on Douglas quayside and will relocate there this autumn.

Bikestyle set-up business in Buck’s Road shortly before the first End to End in 1996.

Co-founder and driving force behind the shop, Gavin Quayle, has always supported local events - the extremely popular SAS handicap road races are quite simply known as the ’Bikestyle’ events, and the company has also sponsored the 10-mile time trial league as as well as supporting local triathlons and other mountain bike events.

It supports leading mountain bikers, Ross Thorley, Kirree Quayle and Danny Curtis, and Gavin jumped at the chance to back the End to End when he heard that Manx Telecom’s association with the annual event was coming to an end.

’It fits perfectly into our remit and hopefully the timing will be perfect for the opening of our new premises at Market Hall,’ he said.

His company has agreed an initial deal for four years to cover the mountain bike event which - in parallel to Bikestyle - has grown from strength to strength over the last two decades.

Registration for the September 9 event will take place in the North Quay premises on the Friday and Saturday afternoon/evening, and Gavin hopes that in future years it will provide the focal point and hub to the End to End.

’Obviously, the course goes nowhere near Douglas, but the plan in future is to organise fun events for youths and families on the eve of the big race, perhaps even a criterium for the roadies. Going forward, it would transform the weekend into a mini-festival on the quayside for on and off-roaders.’

The big news this year is the introduction of a separate race for electric bikes in the End to End.

The race will start from St John’s at 11.45am and cover the southern half of the route to Port Erin.

’E-bikes in general have come a long way in recent years and I estimate that around 20 per cent of the total number of bikes we sell nowadays are electric. The bikes are so much sleeker and more rideable than they were. It’s no wonder they are so popular.

’It will be interesting to see how their introduction to the E2E will develop over the coming years.’

Similar to recent years, youth riders will also race from St John’s to Port Erin, making three races in total.

The main race will start from the Point of Ayre in waves (based on previous results), and again take in the initial coastal stretch to Smeale, first introduced last year.

The remainder of the course remains much the same, with a road section to Ballaugh, a climb through Ballaugh plantation, linking with Druidale, Slieau Dhoo and Brandywell cottage, traversing the middle hills to the central valley via Glion Gill.

Total entries for the 2018 Bikestyle End to End Challenge are around 300 at the moment, but they are certain to rise rapidly as the cut-off approaches at midnight on Sunday, August 26.

It costs £43 to enter the full End to End Challenge (under-18s £20); while the Half Challenge (including e-bikes) from St John’s to Port Erin is £33 for adult and £20 for juniors. Included in the entry fee is a special E2E event tee shirt.

Go to //my6.raceresult.com/90086/registration?lang=en for more details.