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NEWS... |
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03.08.10 Selkirk event report HERE>> |
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28.07.10 Selkirk Event News HERE>> |
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06.07.10 Grassington event report HERE>> |
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30.06.10 News update before the Yorkshire round HERE>> |
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24.06.10 IMPORTANT NEWS from the Grassington Round HERE>> |
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25.05.10 News and Photos from the Builth Marathon HERE>> |
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21.05.10 News from the Builth event showground HERE>> |
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19.05.10 Only a couple of days before the Builth event, latest HERE>> |
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26.04.10 Youtube videos and more from the first event HERE>> |
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19.04.10 News report from the first of this years Marathons HERE>> |
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09.04.10 News from the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells...HERE>> |
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06.04.10 Only a couple of days to go before the first event of 2010 - latest event news HERE>> |
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26.03.10 Only a couple of weeks to go before the 1st event of the 2010 season will kick off at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells...HERE>> |
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15.03.10 Temperatures are still low but there is no denying that spring is trying its best to break through. And with spring approaching the 1st round of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport can’t be far away. In fact we are talking only four weeks from now. HERE>> |
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10.02.10 For 2010 the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series is being supported by Mercedes-Benz and the Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport van. This versatile vehicle delivers on style without compromising practicality. The Vito Sport will be on site at the event, showing off its assets and why it’s got the mountain bikers’ seal of approval.HERE>> |
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2009 News HERE>> |
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2008 News HERE>> |
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2005 |
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Rhayader Event Review
The May bank holiday packed with glorious weather, testing trails,
and one sadistic bog
After two consecutive years opening the Merida 100 Series, Rhayader
became number two in the series of six. Despite this apparent demotion,
the strengths that have made this one of the most relaxed and enjoyable
of all the rounds was back in spades and its lure became no less appealing
to the 900 strong riders and their entourages over the May bank holiday
weekend.
Saturday dawned with strong winds and occasional drizzle, and although
the weather gods weren’t smiling, their wrath was exhausted
come Sunday. The sun shafted out from under the horizon and remained
for the whole day and, to the relief of everyone, the sporadic showers
of the previous year were nowhere to be seen.
The heavily re-worked courses (50,70 and 95km) all but eliminated
the melee of bottle necks that caused a kerfuffle of the opening of
2004’s event. John and Clive Powell had instead routed the first
section over a sustained climb to help string the field out, over
which Nick Craig, Britain’s first ever and current reigning
National Mountain Bike Marathon Champion, led the field out to get
things off to a smooth start.
The 50km route was, by John’s own admission, “Quite unusual,”
as it was “practically all singletrack,” with a large
proportion of it being of the forested and swoopy variety; enough
to sate even the most gluttonous singletrack muncher’s appetite
as, bar the round in Selkirk, Rhayader has more forest trails than
any of the other Merida 100s. John and Clive’s hard work had
evidently paid off with riders reporting that was the best Merida
event they’ve ever attended: “The course was fantastic,”
Damian said afterwards, “there was some great up hill fire track
and some of the best technical singletrack I’ve ever ridden.
Thank you and a good effort on the course design. I can’t wait
for the next round!”
All the courses alike remained largely dry thanks to the good weather
during the week leading up to the event, ensuring that the Saturday’s
rain was soaked up rather than turning the trail into treacle. However,
that didn’t stop an errant bog laying waste to the unwary as
front wheel after front wheel plunged into the camouflaged depths
to stall the bike and send the unfortunate riders flying dead sailor,
superman and – in some cases – super granny every which
way.
Bikemagic.com’s very own David Arthur was one of the unfortunate
many to have been scuppered in this way, a fact that Mike Davis, his
editor, couldn’t help but take glee in as he posted a tongue
in cheek technique piece on going over the bars on the site. This
included ‘The Somersault’, ‘Going Down With The
Ship’, the very Zen ‘Tuck and Roll’, ‘Running
Away’ and Dave’s very own ‘Classic Spontaneous Frontal
Aerial Dismount’. As Mike wrote, “It’s not so much
‘body English’, more ‘body Gibberish’...”
For those left behind at the event village, time travel and galaxies
far, far away were being offered courtesy of What Mountain Bike magazine’s
humble cinema. Although the appeal of Michael J. Fox in Back to the
Future didn’t hold as much sway for Richard Burnham’s
girlfriend as “sitting in the sun watching the lycra go past
at the finish!” But with the sun booming down upon the event
village and the rugby club looking like a festival field with sunbathers,
riders and bikes spread out over the grass soaking up the atmosphere,
the stresses and strains of the office and everyday life were a million
miles away. “The course, weather, and riders at Rhayader were
absolutely brilliant, if not classic,” continued Richard, “The
riding was what mountain biking is about.”
Rhayader has forged itself a truly special niche on the Merida 100
calendar: held over the May bank holiday weekend and blessed with
bright and Alpine fresh skies and warm sun for two consecutive years,
it allows riders to relax in a beautiful setting amidst the hills
surrounding Rhayader as a backdrop to the campsite, and the opportunity
for a truly relaxing mountain biking break in this beautiful part
of mid-Wales. Couple all this with one of the best-regarded courses
of the series and you’ve got yourself the essence of Rhayader.
As Kim Mills says, “These events are great but I spend all my
time day dreaming about the next one!” And that’s the
greatest praise anyone could level.
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2005 |
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