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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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2006 |
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2006 Review: Rhayader Marathon
Rhayader’s End of Days
The second longest running venue of the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon
Series sings its swan song
Next to Builth Wells, Rhayader has been the second home of the Merida
Bikes MTB Marathons but the 2006 instalment would be both its fifth
birthday and its last: despite this, its three day bank-holiday schedule
of back-to-back mountain biking over the 27th-29th May 2006 would
not – despite the best efforts of the weather – be a poor
relation to the highs that had gone before, attracting riders from
far afield as south west Scotland. After all, Rhayader still had some
quality fire in its belly.
The much-loved singletrackalicious 50km route was joined by the full
compliment of marathon distances, including the new 25km Mini Marathon,
to showcase the full 25, 50, 75 and 100km marathons for the first
time in 2006. These, together with the addition of the ever-popular
Pedros Spin rides on both the Saturday and the bank holiday Monday,
were all joined by the ever smiling, ever helpful coaches from CycleActive,
the UK’s leading mountain bike holiday and training company
(see www.cycleactive.co.uk). CycleActive offered both their very popular
Trials To Trails sessions and Skills Development Rides together with
a drop-in Bike Set Up Clinic on the Saturday to help riders brush
up on their skills and make any final set up adjustments to their
steeds before the big push the next day, followed by their own Junior
Skills Track and Sessions on the Sunday for the younger bikers to
earn their Merida Bikes MTB Marathon stripes.
However, the weather in the lead up to the event weekend had been
chucking more moisture onto the land than a whale sees in its lifetime:
but, aside from the usual route planning contingencies that John Lloyd
makes together with Clive Powell, Rhayader’s course designer
(www.clivepowell-mtb.co.uk, tel. 01597 811343), there is little that
can be done to ensure that the natural trail networks that the Merida
Bikes MTB Marathons rely on stay in tip-top condition. But still,
the Merida bike giveaway and the signature Merida Bikes MTB Marathon
Pasta Party helped brighten proceedings up, and the vast number of
on-the-day entries that brought the total to a best ever Rhayader
turn out of 1,150 riders meant that the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon
riders are resolutely hardy souls: “I enjoyed being part of
an 1,150 bike field,” Alan Lewis told the team once his SPDs
had dried out. “Yes the course was a grueller and I only did
the 50km, but isn't that part of the challenge?” After all,
where would British mountain biking be without a little mud?
Still, to the relief of all, the weather broke on the Sunday morning
with sunshine beaming down from above, helping to buoy spirits for
the trails that lay in wait and to ensure that Rhayader’s traditional
festival-like atmosphere was back in force for the duration. And at
10am the riding all kicked off under the mottled rays of sunshine.
The riding was unequivocally tough by anyone’s standards, and
despite the sun poking its nose out, its rays did little to dry out
the trails. With slip sliding wheels, squirrelly singletrack and Teflon
coated climbs, the challenge was both physical and technical: merely
staying on-course and on-bike was a supreme test of mettle at times,
yet riders were still completing the distance and, in some cases,
making it harder work for their admirably perverse selves: “It
was my second Merida Bikes MTB Marathon as I rode the 50km at Selkirk
last year,” said David Fulton, “I had a great time but
was not fit enough so put in a bit more effort over the winter and
finished an hour quicker at Rhayader this year, on a singlespeed!”
But despite the trench warfare waged on the trails surrounding Rhayader,
2006’s event was still a great success and stands as testament
to the ‘can do’ and good time attitudes of you, the Merida
Bikes MTB Marathon marathoners. It may not have been glorious, hardpack
baking sunshine, but Rhayader’s swan song last year proved that
no matter what, the event has what it takes: great atmosphere and
great riding that both conspire to make great memories for the riders.
For 2007 it will be sorely missed, but is replaced by the first ever
English round of the Merida Bikes MTB Marathons in Penrith, Cumbria
as part of The Cumbria Bike Festival, that will undoubtedly build
on Rhayader’s fine foundations. Go to http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/cumbria.php
for more.
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2006 |
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