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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>>
 


















  2006
       
  2006 Review: Builth Wells Summer Marathon

The Jewel In The Crown

From one extreme to the other, the sun comes out to play with a vengeance whilst Builth sees its greatest courses ever…

Following on from the muddy attrition of Rhayader where India’s full quota of monsoon rains had fallen in the lead up just one month before, the 2006 Merida Bikes MTB Marathon homecoming to Builth Wells for the Summer Marathon could not have been more blisteringly different. Builth was the recipient of scorching hot sunshine that guaranteed buff and scarily fast trail conditions. The 2006 series definitely swung from one extreme to the other.

Set in the beautiful and unspoilt landscape of mid-Wales on the banks of the winding river Wye, Builth Wells is the spiritual home of the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon Series with a long standing and unbroken pedigree. Set amidst rolling and broiling hills peppered with woodlands and blanketed by open moor land, preening valleys and a landscape shaped by majestically ancient and on-going geological processes, Builth is right on the doorstep of some of the highest quality trails in the UK. Having already hosted the ELBNO and Spring Marathon season opener earlier in April, the main event Summer Marathon – together with its full compliment of 25, 50, 75 and 100km marathon distances – was about to unleash nothing less than the very best trails that Merida Bikes MTB Marathon main-man and course designer extraordinaire, John Lloyd, could muster.

The introduction of the new 25km Mini Marathon, CycleActive’s skills tuition for both adults and children alike, the full-fat events village swollen to capacity, the Saturday Pedro’s Spin warm-up rides, and the focus on entertainments for non-riders – including the screening of the football World Cup matches courtesy of the 42in Merida Bikes MTB Marathon plasma screen TV – led to the campsite swelling significantly with 1,100 riders and many more non-riding entourages making a full weekend of it; it has also led to many parent and child as well as family entrants tackling the 25km Mini Marathon on the Sunday which, in our book, was truly a great sight to behold. The Merida Bikes MTB Marathon family is growing like never before and mountain biking families have definitely arrived. Welcome to the fold.

Sunday itself saw temperatures in excess of 30°C much to the delight of the ice cream lady in the event village who was making a killing. But the heat brought a double edged sword to bear on proceedings: the dry and quick running trails led to great riding with many riders chomping at the bit to squeeze out every last mph of speed from both themselves and their steeds, whilst the unforgiving heat remained unrepentant with many riders suffering under its ferocious onslaught. But the good news was that there was very little black top on the courses: John had done a fine job of maximising the dirt, throwing in lashings of singletrack, Garbanzo descents, and doing his utmost to lay on unforgettable trails for the pedal happy marathoners. “It was amazing,”’ said one rider who had travelled as far a field as the Isle of Mann, “With very little tarmac or fire roads, this was a magnificent feat of applied local knowledge and access negotiation – as an event organiser myself I know how long that can take. The course was truly superb and contained so many absolute gems along the way. Brilliant!”

If Budweiser is the King of Beers then Builth Wells is without doubt the King of MTB Marathons: even after seven years and eleven mountain bike marathons it continues to come up trumps, surprising both virgin and veteran Builth Wells marathoners alike time and time again. With John ever on the hunt for great trails to put together for the greatest mountain bike marathon courses, and co-organiser Mike rounding out the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon experience for all at the event village, then Builth looks set to build on it’s already rock steady foundations in 2007 and beyond. Go to http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/builth_wells.php to see what aces they have up their sleeves for this coming season.

  2006

competition image


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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