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2007   > REVIEW   2006   > REVIEW   > ELBNO - SM   > RHAYADER   > BUILTH WELLS   > BAD GOISERN   > SELKIRK   > RUTHIN   2005   > REVIEW   > ELBNO - SM   > RHAYADER   > BUILTH WELLS   > BAD GOISERN   > SELKIRK   > RUTHIN   2004   > REVIEW   > RHAYADER   > BUILTH WELLS   > BAD GOISERN   > SELKIRK   > RUTHIN   2003   > REVIEW   > RHAYADER   > BUILTH WELLS   > RUTHIN   NEWS...   16.05.08 NEWS before the Ruthin Round HERE>>   25.04.08 Latest News from the first round.HERE>>   17.04.08 Report from the first round HERE>>   10.04.08 Latest News before the first event of 2008.HERE>>   29.03.08 Website updated - New Season is HERE>>   31.01.08 Online Entry now OPEN. MORE>>   28.12.07 Website updated - Entry facilities coming soon.   19.09.07 7 down, NONE to go….at least not this year. MORE>>   Foot-And-Mouth - Please clean your gear: MORE>>   04.09.07 Ruthin News. MORE>>   Merida on holiday 2008 – win a mountain bike trip in Austria MORE>>   12.08.07 6 down, ONLY 1 to go. MORE>>   20.07.07 Selkirk here we come MORE>>   12.07.07 4 down, 2 to go (3 including the Austria round) MORE>>   06.07.07 Latest Builth Wells Summer Marathon update MORE>>   27.06.07 Latest News... MORE>>   16.06.07 MERIDA OUTSIDER UPDATES WITH COURSE PROFILES. MORE>>   07.06.07 Latest News... MORE>>   17.05.07 …2 down 5 to go. After last year’s rather muddy May event in Rhayader the first dip into English marathon territory was another one to remember. MORE>>   08.05.07 It is only a few days now before the 1st ever English round MORE>>   01.05.07 It feels that the season is truly here MORE>>   17.04.07 ELBNO and SPRING MARATHON MORE>>   10.04.07 ELBNO / Spring Marathon – LAST UPDATE MORE>>   23.03.07 ELBNO . MORE>>   23.03.07 Chain Reaction Cycles voucher - make sure you enter early! MORE>>   23.03.07 Aviemore round – the Outsider. MORE>>   23.03.07 Penrith round – Cumbria Bikefest MORE>>   23.03.07 Salzkammergut Trophy 2007. MORE>>   13.03.07 The Outsider event and line-up ... MORE>>   22.02.07 Latest NEWS. MORE>>   19.12.06 NEWS 2007 Entry form available to download….... MORE>>   'CycleActive price draw - winner revealed!.... MORE>>   23.10.06 NEWS The Outsider - New Event….... MORE>>   The 2006 mountain bike season is heading towards its deserved winter break which inevitably means that the 2007 season is creeping up on us. .... MORE>>   26.09.06 We have just got back from our 2007 planning excursion to Scotland . .... MORE>>   14.09.06 NEWS Update: Merida Ruthin…only a couple of days to go….... MORE>>   25.08.06 Well done everybody who took part in the first ever Merida TransWales ’06. What a week! I am sure it will take us all a while to recover from this adventure. .... MORE>>   09.08.06 NEWS Update:Merida TransWales ’06…only a couple of days to go….... MORE>>   02.08.06 NEWS Four down one to go! We have just returned from the event in Selkirk and we can only agree with the all comments we have had that it has once again been a superb event for everybody.... MORE>>   26.07.06 NEWS Update: It’s the last week before the Scottish round of the Merida 100 MTB Marathon in Selkirk opens its doors.... MORE>>   11.07.06 NEWS Update:…was it hot or what? This year seams to be the year of extremes... MORE>>   22.06.06 NEWS Update: The last weekend before this year’s summer marathon in Builth Wells is upon us.... MORE>>   News update 15.06.06 Less than three weeks to go before we will welcome everybody at the ‘summer’ event of the Merida 100 Series... MORE>>   01.06.06 2nd Round Rhayader Event... MORE>>   1st Round of the Merida 100 MTB Marathon Series 2006 in Builth Wells 8-9th April... MORE>>   20 Reasons why you... should ride a Mreida 100 1 No faffing with maps: just point and play... MORE>>   Vertebrate Graphics, MTB Guidebooks...MORE>>   MTB-Marathon Jersey NOW IN STOCK..MORE>>	2005           Builth Wells Event Review The original and best underlines its heritage with the longest and toughest ever MTB-Marathon course. The Merida 100 circus returned to Builth Wells last year for a second time but the birthplace of the MTB Marathon Series showed no signs of becoming over the hill and retiring from the limelight to draw its fat tyre pension. Instead, it upped the stakes to produce one of the very toughest rounds the series has ever seen with a completely different set of courses to the earlier ELBNO/Spring Marathons. John had been working hard to add in some fresh singletrack for Builth regulars, the majority of which lay on the longer courses in the forests. Unfortunately the weather threw a last minute stiff link into the plan by dropping a brief but heavy drenching of rain on the Saturday night. Despite the sun’s best efforts on the Sunday, some of the new trails just couldn’t dry out and the already challenging proposition of the full 100km became considerably harder going. “I thought people would find it really too tough,” Mike revealed openly, “and that we would get a fair amount of negative response complaining about how hard it was. But we didn’t. The riders all said it was a toughie but they appreciated the challenge of it. But,” he continued, “we will be reigning it in this year so it’s not such a monster.” As ever with Builth, the 50km route took in a huge slice of open moor land with a smattering of forest trails and some big ring pedal to the metal sections, whilst the cream of the forest trails were the preserve of the longer 70 and 100km options. But all 1,100 riders shared the crescendo of the final descent back into Builth which, for the regulars, is the carrot on the stick with it’s fast opening gambit off the top of the moor before it steepens into shrouded singletrack that eventually twists its way home. “The thought of the last descent kept me going through all the hard sections in the first half,” revealed Matthew Wyatt of his 100km ride. But Builth wasn’t simply the preserve of veteran marathoners: there were plenty of first timers earning their first Merida 100 stripes too. “I’ve attended several similar events over the last couple of years but never a Merida 100,” Andrew told the team afterwards. “It was fantastic; the food stops were truly motivating as well as essential, the pasta was lovely, the campsite and facilities were better than one could hope for and the t-shirt was a bonus. The ride was great, with more challenging sections than other similar events which served to wake me up. I didn’t get a massage but hey, you can’t have everything!” Both parties agree that Builth was indeed “a monster”, and despite John’s concern that the damp conditions coupled with the distance had made it “too hard” riders doggedly fought their way through it all and succeeded in taming the beast for all its intrinsic reward: “Although I came in about eleventh from last,” said Martin Zepler, “I couldn’t stop grinning on my journey home!” Yes, Builth in 2005 was bloody hard but for some, like Peter Turnbull, that’s exactly how you seem to like it: Builth was “a ‘proper’ enduro: a testing course with lots of variety. I know I will be back for more of the same next year.” His sentiment echoed by many others, including Jay and Maddie Horton: “Despite all of our moaning and groaning, we’ll see you at the next one!” Builth is still the Daddy and still takes its seat at the head of the Merida 100 table with enough vitality left in it to give its offspring a serious run for their money. Both one of the biggest and most definitely the toughest events of last year, 2006 looks set to lay the scene for a re-match for many marathoners with unfinished business. The weather is at the whim of the gods but with John and the team determined to produce a weatherproof but challenging alternative to the behemoth of last year, the odds are looking good for those scores to be settled. With the all-new mini-marathon lined up and much more besides, Builth will have something to offer both the die hard and the novice marathoners in equal measure.   2005		Merida Bikes TransWales '08 The 7 day MTB stage challenge. Check the full story and the results on www.mtbtransuk.co.uk Join our Mailing List: Enter your email address:   Confirm your email address: Privacy Statement Request the 2008 season Merida Marathon Guide Book (available early Spring): Please Email us your FULL POSTAL ADDRESS and POSTCODE. CLICK HERE Merida Bikes MTB Marathon Series will go abroad: Read MORE>>
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