Guiyang, in south central China, is a city with a dream to become World-class. Not in manufacturing or economics, but in mountain biking. With their sights on a World Cup bid, last month the city held the second Guiyang Invitational MTB Tournament, a weekend of assorted cross country racing for selected riders from around the World. Riders were treated to closed roads through the city, a tough course and spectacular Chinese hospitality. British riders included XCRacer's very own Mel Alexander and Maxine Filby, and international jet-setter/obscure-place-to-race-a-bike specialist, Rab Wardell. Fabian Giger was the winner in the men's race and World and Olympic Champion, Julie Bresset, showed her fine post-injury form with a win in the women's race. 

Houffalize (a.k.a. Houffa) is a typical town of the Belgian Ardenne - the roads are shockingly bad, the buildings are rustic/rusting and barrel-shaped pensioners stand in their doorways smoking and looking as if they want to kill you. 

On the plus side, it is a cross country mountain biking institution. The World Cup has come to Houffalize more than I can count on my fingers, and Belgacom Cups and regional races have also caused road closures and chaos in the town since well before those pensioners became incapable of smiling. The course has been reincarnated on several occasions over the years to include different sections of the obscenely steep hillsides, people's back gardens - namely the fosse d'outhe - and the main street. Last year's World Cup visited Houffa for round two - Schurter, with his usual technical prowess, decided that the descent to the finish line was not steep enough and cut straight across the corners, and Britain's Annie Last won the first ever World Cup Eliminator race.