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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
       
  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.
  2005

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Merida Bikes TransWales '08
The 7 day MTB stage challenge.
Check the full story and the results on www.mtbtransuk.co.uk

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