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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: Bad Goisern, Austria
Marathon
The Continental Marathon
The third Merida Bikes MTB Marathon ‘On Holiday’ returns
to Austria’s largest mountain bike marathon event
The Ninth Salzkammergut Trophy (www.salzkammergut-trophy.at) staged
in Bad Goisern, Austria over 13th-16th July 2006 saw the third Merida
Bikes MTB Marathon ‘On Holiday’ event as a contingent
of British Merida Bikes MTB Marathon riders made the pilgrimage to
the prestigious international event to join 2,222 competitors taking
part from a total of 25 countries.
Bad Goisern itself is a small Alpine town 40 miles from Salzburg,
nestled amidst breathtaking mountain scenery in the stunning Hallstatt-Dachstein-Salzkammergut
UNESCO World Heritage Region. The picture-postcard town, flanked by
sky scratching peaks and mirror sharp mountain lakes, has played host
to both the inaugural UCI World Marathon Championships in 2004, which
saw Merida’s Olympic Champions Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesja claim
gold, and also the opening round of the UCI Marathon World Cup in
2005. Its pedigree speaks for itself: it is one of Europe’s
greatest and toughest mountain bike marathon events, and the Merida
Bikes MTB Marathon spirit was adding to this truly cosmopolitan melting
pot.
The event itself saw a prize purse of 20,000 Euros spread amongst
a selection of marathon distances ranging from 53km and 101km, and
beyond to the truly epic 200km ‘Servus die Wadln’, which
loosely translated means ‘hello calves’ in reference to
the grueling strain on the legs required to complete the testing course.
But on the Salzkammergut Trophy any distance is truly a tough proposition,
with the 101km course again being based on the testing World Championship
and World Cup courses, with 3,387m of vertical equating to more than
double the climbing of any of the other Merida Bikes MTB Marathons.
The toughness itself is tempered somewhat by the absolutely flawless
beauty of the area/
The riding itself was utterly Alpine and the organisers again did
their best to showcase both the trails, in a typically Continental
manner, together with the centrepiece scenery of the area. The atmosphere
continued its long held tradition of seeing Austrian locals with beer
in hand, cheering and supporting each and every rider passing through,
adding something truly special to the riders’ experiences of
continental marathon riding. Yes, things are done differently over
the other side of the English Channel, but the passion for bikes and
biking remains the same and the Salzkammergut Trophy is one of the
best places that this passion can be truly experienced. Or, as Mike
put it on his visit to the event, “It’s a beer festival
with bikes!”
The now characteristic ‘Slow Motion Rating’ competition,
which is intended to give the average Joe riders something to fight
for, was again held. It sees the combined finishing times of the team
members of the three ‘slowest’ teams to complete the courses
added up, the ‘winners’ of which get to stagger away with
assorted prizes including Deuter hydropacks and VDO computers. Two
years ago, the assorted members of the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon team
came close to the podium at sixth in this prestigious competition,
a feat that proved just too difficult to replicate this year as a
Slovakian team, Team Slovak Snail Highlanders, scooped the top spot
out of 35 entered teams with a cumulative time of just 382 hours in
the saddle. With a little training and much beer consumption, it’s
a title that the Merida Bikes MTB Marathon team feels confident of
securing. One day. Perhaps.
The 101km event was won by Austrian Wieltschnig Silvio in a time of
4hrs 35mins and 12secs with the first woman coming home an hour later.
The epic 200km was won by Austrian Stefan Kogler in an incredible
time of 10hrs 15mins and 40secs with the first woman, former European
Champion Andrea Huser of Switzerland, coming home in 12hrs 56mins
20secs.
The event continued to build on its reputation as a truly special
experience with its undeniably continental stylings: but the window
onto our European neighbours’ mountain biking ways is, when
framed by the Alps, an eye opening and inspirational experience that
speaks volumes over the gulf of bicycle culture between us and them,
and of the amazing popularity of bike sports and bike riding over
there. Ken Livingstone, we’ve still got a long way to go, but
with events like the Merida Bikes MTB Marathons we’re getting
ever closer. As Cycling Plus magazine states, ‘Cycling’s
a drug and we’re pedaling it’… To find out more
about this year’s trip to the Salzkammergut Trophy go to http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/bad_goisern.php
or log onto www.salzkammergut-trophy.at.
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2006 |
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