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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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2003 |
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Ruthin Event Review
Originally the third and final round of the 2003 Marathon series was
scheduled to be held in Corwen, but some unforeseen complications
with the course put a hefty tree trunk into the spokes of the event
and forced a last minute change. Being the resourceful chaps the Marathon
team is, the alternative venue of Ruthin was quickly secured and a
cracker of a course over the Cwydian Range of hills became the payoff
for all the hard work.The Clwydian Range of hills is one of five designated
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales, and is definitely one
of the UK’s best-kept secrets.
The riding here is simply fantastic, with oodles of curvaceously gorgeous
singletrack lacing the length and breadth of the hills, providing
literally hundreds of kilometres of trails, the hills proved like
a sweet shop overloading the sense of the inner child of the marathon
team who were literally spoilt for choice as where to run the course
over this fantastic terrain.
The Clwydians are a 35km long chain of hills running from Prestatyn
to Llandegla, rising to 554 metres above sea level at its highest
point. Comprised of a surprisingly varied landscape, the Clwydians
boast open heather moor land on their higher ridges, contrasting markedly
to the patchwork of small hedged fields and coppices of the lower
slopes. In places, limestone rock split through the turf into the
daylight framed in attractive wooded escarpments and river valleys,
making the flavour of the Clwydians truly diverse and a truly fitting
venue for the climax of the UK’s inaugural mountain bike marathon
series.
Preliminary reports of the Ruthin course were that it was by far
and away the best course out of the entire series - with almost
40% singletrack making up the course, an enthusiastic John Lloyd
reported back to marathon HQ that,
“It’s the best course out of the three events this year.”
With this going out on press releases it was a rather enticing proposition
for many, and fair to say that the carrot was well and truly dangled.
It proved so effective that for the first time pre-entries for the
event had to be closed early as they filled up thick and fast, with
a total of 1,000 pre-entries filled, prompting co-organiser Mike
Wilkens to say,
“We expected around 500 people for the last event in the series
and were gob smacked that three weeks before the event we reached
the 1,000 person mark and with more entries coming in.”
The addition of Saturday night entertainments in the form of Clocktower
Circus group helped create a great, informal atmosphere with a good
laugh and a slice of healthy entertainment, magic and comedy. The
younger non-biking nippers were also catered for with the addition
of a circus skills school on hand to keep both the young and young
at heart from getting bored as they pitted themselves against the
force of gravity to master unicycling, juggling, acrobatics and
the art of general clowning about (although many parents were adamant
that they were all masters already).
By the time the event village was up and running with riders rolling
off the road and into the town, the rains had taken their toll and
made the taxing course that little bit harder. But what the hey,
this is mountain bike marathon riding after all, and riders bitted
their teeth and honked, hauled ass, and doggedly hammered their
way around the 90km and 50km routes. The star celebrity rider who
braved the hard course alongside both veteran and virgin marathonists
alike was none other than the Guru, Keith Bontrager himself. Keith
had flown in all the way from the States early to catch a round
of the marathon on his Cross bike before going for broke in the
classic Three Peaks cyclo-cross event. He got round the course all
in one piece astride his own Bontrager Cross bike, a little beat
up but holding it all together:
“I could ride almost all of it but it beat me up as it’s
a rigid bike: and trying to ride fast over bumps I’m just
not in condition for that, and as it was about 65 miles I don’t
think I could’ve taken much more!”
And after seven hours, forty-three minutes and thirty-six minutes
riding time the last rider completed the Ruthin course to bring
the first full MTB Marathon series in the UK to a successful close.
There’d been plenty of huffing and puffing, some gorgeous
riding in the fantastic Welsh countryside and some very good people
to share it all with. And according to Mike Forey,
“Ruthin was a great ride! The toughest, most enjoyable I’ve
ever done.”
This year tho’, it’s all set to get even better...
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2003 |
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