Photos from each event can be found at www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk

Welcome to the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series 2012 powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport

The 13th season of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series (CRC MTB Marathon Series) is here and will once again offer a broad range of courses and locations to all you MTB Marathon enthusiasts, novices and intermediates alike. So whatever your skill or fitness level, we will have the right course length and level of difficulty for your ability with the choice of course length to progress over time – while enabling you to experience and discover challenging and exciting mountain biking terrain across the UK.

For over a decade now, the CRC MTB Marathon Series have consisted of five different events starting in mid-April with the traditional Exposure Light Big Night Out (ELBNO) Night Marathon and going all the way through the summer bringing the series to an end around mid-September with the final round in Ruthin. The 2012 series will stick to this well proven format while adding a few interesting changes to the line-up.

The biggest news for 2012 is the introduction of a new venue in Abergavenny Wales. Besides the main MTB Marathons we will also host two ELBNO events and the Vitus Road Sportives.

What is going to happen in 2012 and how it is going to happen:

First of all, here is the complete date and venue line-up for the 2012 season:

Builth Wells {BUILTH PAGE} - Wales
7th April 2012 - Exposure Light Big Night Out (Night Marathon)
8th April 2012 - Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon

Selkirk {SELKIRK PAGE} - Scotland
19th May 2012 - Vitus Road Sportives
20th May 2012 - Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon - & UK Marathon Championships

Marshbrook {MARSHBROOK PAGE} – England (Shropshire)
14th July 2012 - Vitus Road Sportives
15th July 2012 - Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon

Abergavenny {ABERGAVENNY PAGE} - Wales
4th August 2012 - Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon
5th August 2012 - Vitus Road Sportives
(Please note that the MTB Marathon is running on Saturday!)

Ruthin {RUTHIN PAGE} - Wales
15th September 2012 - Vitus Road Sportives & Exposure Light Big Night Out (Night Marathon)
16th September 2012 - Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon

The marathon and ELBNO event fee is only £32 with the mini marathon coming in at £27 or merely £22 if you are younger than 16 years. The sportives are £27. The entry fee includes the ride, free camping and parking, mega pasta party (main MTB marathons only), post-event refreshments (ELBNO and sportives only), finisher present, service stations (food and technical support) around the course and bike wash facilities.

If you enter online (online entry hosted by CRC), you can take advantage of the 5% discount on any product purchased whilst entering online. To enter the event(s), visit the entry page.

The event concept:
As in previous years most events will have four different courses to choose from so that every rider can find a suitable challenge. The exception to this rule are the ELBNO and Road Sportive weekends where there is one course length on Saturday and three or four different lengths on Sunday.

Mini Marathon - is approx 25 - 30km and is the first step into the world of MTB Marathons. The courses are not just shorter than their bigger brothers but also less technically challenging making them ideal for beginners, families who want to ride together and younger riders.

Half Marathon – is approx 40 – 50km and is the next step up in terms of distance and technical level from the mini marathon. Here you will come across some of the more technically difficult parts of the courses.

Middle Marathon – is approx 60 - 75km and sits between the half and the full marathon offering riders the next step up from the half or a good alternative if the full marathon is just a little long and tough on the day. You will find most of the challenging climbs and descents on this course.

Full Marathon – is approx 80 – 100km and is a real challenge for man and machine. This is how it all started more than ten years ago. You will be facing lots of climbing and descending as well as 4 – 8 hours in the saddle of your trusted steed.

All the courses on offer are ‘one loop’ affairs. You will all start together at the event village as a mass start and follow a pace car for a few miles so that you can find your place in the pecking order. The courses are run primarily off-road, completely marked so that no navigation is needed. Certain sections are marshalled for extra safety and we have medical cover out on course in case something goes wrong. On top of that you can find service stations (food and technical support) at regular intervals. The events are non-competitive, we don’t give out prizes, and instead we give out lots of spot prizes provided by our sponsors throughout the day.

With a selection of distances at the five events you will find the perfect setup to progress from the mini all the way to the long course over the year. A tough job but possible! If you feel that you could do with some extra riding tips to help you with your goals or polish up your skills, join one of the CycleActive classes on the Saturday and put your newly learned skills into practice on Sunday. So come along and get involved!
Besides the aforesaid four standard marathons we also have two other big events planned throughout the series.

Exposure Lights Big Night Out Night Marathon: is around 40 – 50km and the course is specifically chosen for night riding. It follows the same principle as the standard marathons; only difference is that it is run at night. If you are thinking of doing the double (night marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday) then don’t worry about doing the same course twice – you won’t.

Vitus Road Sportive: offers two distances, a 40 - 50mile long standard or the approx 80 - 100mile long classic sportive. These will run on the Saturday. Be prepared for some long and challenging climbs, some fast rolling roads and some of the most breathtaking scenery the areas have to offer. See our sportive website www.roadsportive.co.uk for further details.

So make sure you don’t miss out on the UK’s biggest MTB Marathons series - a year of mountain bike marathons, night marathons and Road Sportives are waiting for you!

And don’t forget our event photographer Jon Brooke will be attending taking photographs of you all! The photos will be up on www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk to view and purchase a few days after each event.

MTB Marathon Newsletter: gives riders and everyone who is interested in last minute updates, important information on the upcoming events and special offers from our sponsors. So if you are not already on the database make sure that you subscribe to it via the newsletter box on the top right.

If you would like to find out more about the general marathon concept, how to enter the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport or find out facts and figures on the five events, event specific training plan as well as lots of technical and diet information, please visit the following pages:

• How to enter & entry fees
• Further details about the events
• Local information
• Training plan
• Diet advice
• Technical advice
• Useful information – FAQs & 15 Commandments
• Event organisers contact information

We will keep updating the site with the latest news, further course details and anything marathon related throughout the season so make sure you keep coming back to check out what’s new.