The third round of the SCHWALBE MTB Series takes us to last years new addition to the series – Abergavenny/Crickhowell, the gateway to Wales. Abergavenny/Crickhowell is only 20miles from the English border yet is famous for its quality riding and breathtaking countryside. The Abergavenny/Crickhowell round will explore some fantastic with stunning views of the Brecon Beacons. 

Don’t forget! For 2013 we are changing the running order of the activities over the weekend. The MTB Marathon will be run on the Saturday followed by the Road Sportive on the traditional sportive day Sunday. In between we will have some live music and our events bar open to relax after the long day mountain biking.

SCHWALBE MTB Marathon – Abergavenny/Chrickhowell 3rd August 2013:

The three mountain bike routes, will be offering the riders a fantastic mix of open hill, forestry paths and of course, miles of single-track. Starting off by travelling north you climb steadily through the Mynydd Du forestry and onward past Gwyne Fawr Resevoir making your way to the summit of the Black Mountains (713m), after taking in one of the most stunning views in Wales you then descend on what must be one of the longest single track descents in Wales, being 11Km long. After a short climb the descending continues through the foresty, crossing the outward course and then climbing back through the forest to Pen y Gadair Fawr (715m). From here you start your second single track fest, this one being only 10km long! After a short spell on the road there is the third and final climb of the day, over the Sugarloaf Mountain and back to basecamp.

The route will cover three different courses: 

Middle marathon – approx. 78km course 
Half marathon – approx. 50km course 
Mini marathon – approx. 30km course 

Start time:

The MTB Marathon will start at approx. 10.00am on Saturday 3rd August (Chrickhowell Showground).

Registration opens:

Friday: 6.00pm – 9.00pm (MTB Marathon)
Saturday: 7.00am – 9.00am (MTB Marathon)
Sunday: 7.00am – 9.30am (Road Sportive)

Entry fee:

£35, £30 (for Mini Marathon) or £20 (for Mini Marathon if under 16 years old) or reduced price of £50 if you take part in the discounted ‘weekend ticket’. The ‘weekend ticket’ includes entry tom the MTB Marathon and Road Sportive over the same event weekend / for the same person.   
  
We have also added a family ticket to the events for 2013. Kids (12-15 years old) ride for free if they are accompanied by a paying adult (one child per adult). The family ticket is available for the MINI and HALF marathons.

For a full list of entry fees, visit the entry page.

SCHWALBE Road Sportive – Abergavenny/Chrickhowell 4th August 2013:

On top of the usual marathon action this round of the series will feature once again a round of the SCHWALBE Road Sportive on the Sunday of the event weekend (4th August). Around 400-500 riders will opt for either one of the two fantastic but demanding sportives on offer. John, excited by this location will be going all out and will no doubt have some ‘proper’ climbs up his sleeve to turn what may appear to be a gentle stroll into a real challenge. These routes will take you through some stunning valleys and over a couple of memorable mountains. The routes start by travelling north along the Llanthoney valley through the black mountains over Hay Bluff, here you will see stunning views of the Wye valley and the picturesque town of Hay on Wye. Then after descending down and following the Wye Valley you travel west towards Brecon where you’ll join the Usk Valley and follow the Monmouth canal to Llangynidr and the second big climb of the day over Llangynidr Mountain overlooking the Heads of the Valleys. From here you descend steeply down the notorious descent off the Blorenge to the Usk valley, meandering back towards Abergavenny. Both routes are also likely to be popular and bring in a lot of pre-entries. So get your entry in quick. For more information, visit the event homepage or go straight to the entry page to secure your entry. 

Start time:

The SCHWALBE Road Sportive will have an open start between 8.30am – 9.30am on Sunday the 4th August 2013 at the Abergavenny location (Cwrt-y-Gollen, Glangrwyney, Abergavenny. NP8 1ES).  

Distance:

The sportives will have two distances to choose from: 
standard sportive: approx 55 mile course
classic sportive: 90 mile course

Registration opens:

Friday: 6.00pm – 9.00pm (MTB Marathon)
Saturday: 7.00am – 9.00am (MTB Marathon)
Sunday: 7.00am – 9.30am (Road Sportive) 

Entry fee:

£27 or reduced price of £50 if you take part in the discounted ‘weekend ticket’. The ‘weekend ticket’ includes entry tom the MTB Marathon and Road Sportive over the same event weekend / for the same person.   

Tea, coffee and cake will be served at the finish line of the sportive.

Campground:

Camping will be available (included in the entry fee) from Friday night through to Monday morning at the Abergavenny location (Cwrt-y-Gollen, Glangrwyney, Abergavenny. NP8 1ES – near this postcode). It will be signposted from Friday afternoon onwards.  

Don’t forget our event photographer Jon Brooke will be at the event taking photographs of you all! The photos will be up on www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk to view and purchase a few days after each event.

To enter the event(s), visit the entry page.