Excellent progress is being made on the London 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike venue, with some of the course's key features now complete.

The venue at Hadleigh Farm, Essex, covers a 550 acre site, encompassing farmland owned by the Salvation Army and the adjacent Country Park.

The course is situated on open hillside - a new concept for Mountain Bike events, which are typically held in forested areas. It has been designed to provide a physical and technical challenge for the world's leading Mountain Bike riders in 2012, with rock formations and gradients on multiple climbs and descents.

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Spectators will have superb views of the compact 5km circuit, with a large part of the course visible from many places.

The course is being delivered by Essex County Council in partnership with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). Construction began in July 2010, and work is on schedule to be completed in advance of a test event in summer 2011. The London 2012 Olympic Mountain Biking events are scheduled to take place 11 and 12 August 2012.

A plan is being developed for use of the venue after the Games.

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Organising Committee Chair, said: "Hadleigh Farm is a stunning venue, in line with our concept of a compact Games and it will have an excellent legacy.

"I am very grateful to Essex County Council and to the Salvation Army for their hard work in making this venue happen. The course is shaping up to be a challenging one with multiple climbs and descents. I believe that the Mountain Bike competition will be one of the most exciting events at the London 2012 Olympic Games."

(CD/GK)