 |
|
|
|
| |
NEWS... |
| |
03.08.10 Selkirk event report HERE>> |
| |
28.07.10 Selkirk Event News HERE>> |
| |
06.07.10 Grassington event report HERE>> |
| |
30.06.10 News update before the Yorkshire round HERE>> |
| |
24.06.10 IMPORTANT NEWS from the Grassington Round HERE>> |
| |
25.05.10 News and Photos from the Builth Marathon HERE>> |
| |
21.05.10 News from the Builth event showground HERE>> |
| |
19.05.10 Only a couple of days before the Builth event, latest HERE>> |
| |
26.04.10 Youtube videos and more from the first event HERE>> |
| |
19.04.10 News report from the first of this years Marathons HERE>> |
| |
09.04.10 News from the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells...HERE>> |
| |
06.04.10 Only a couple of days to go before the first event of 2010 - latest event news HERE>> |
| |
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>> |
| |
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>> |
| |
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>> |
| |
2009 News HERE>> |
| |
2008 News HERE>> |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
2006 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
2006 Review: Selkirk Marathon
A League Of Its Own
Selkirk is the greatest snapshot of British mountain biking, with
both full-on technical man made trails melded with ancient natural
terrain and incredible views, Selkirk has it all in spades…
Three years has passed since Selkirk burst onto the national mountain
bike consciousness as part of the Merida Bikes MTB Marathons, and
there’s no sign of it giving up its mantle as the best mountain
bike course in the country, ever, ever, ever. Period. It’s still
#1, so why try harder? Well, quite simply, in 2005 we were only getting
started…
Scotland won IMBA’s (International Mountain Bike Association)
People’s Choice Award as a Global Superstar last year: the 7Stanes
network in the Tweed Valley, where Selkirk is situated, includes both
Glentress and Innerleithen, of whose trails trail builder and the
Merida Bikes MTB Marathons man on the ground, Pete Laing, made full
use of. Folding in natural trail alongside the cream of the world’s
purpose built, technical singletrack, Pete managed to produce yet
another undeniably world class course and actually improved on what
had gone before. The lure of which had hooked 1,200 riders, of which
almost 700 were down for the undeniably tough full distance, all of
whom were chomping at the bit to be unleashed onto the singletrack.
Alongside the regular event village exhibitors that include Merida,
Extra, Schwalbe, Pedro’s, Hayes, Ergon, High5, CycleActive and
What Mountain Bike magazine bringing along their mountain bike cinema
once more, pedal meisters Crank Brothers and also Ziggg standby bivvy
bags and personal shelters, together with the guys from ‘Café
To You’ who helped get everybody in the mood on Sunday with
their great coffees, all helped make the Selkirk event village one
of the biggest of the series. Perfect for helping riders while away
the hours or help stricken folks in need of last minute spares or
to help polish up on their technical skills: an important exercise
for many riders who have not experienced the true nature of the Selkirk
beast before.
With lung, arm and leg busting climbs Selkirk makes you work for your
gravity rewards, peppered as they are with gob smacking views of the
Scottish borders but when they come it’s literally like being
shown the exit door from purgatory that mainlines you straight to
Nirvana. Fast, rolling singletrack with centrifugal berms, gnadgery
rock sections, timber bridges, drop offs and snaking, sinewy trail
that lasts forever and rewards both fitness and finesse with Zen-like
flow are de-rigeur. “The course is absolutely phenomenal,”
Jamie Kennedy said afterwards, “I did not realise what people
meant by 'singletrack heaven' until Sunday.”
“Having done three Ruthins, my partner and I opted for Selkirk
50km this year,” explained Emma Glaisher, a ‘Female Veteran
of Extremely Slow Speed’ as she describes herself, of her ride.
“Wow, a big leap upwards in terms of technical riding and sheer
slog. On the way round I swore I would never, ever ride a mountain
bike again. By the time I finished I was grinning from ear to ear:
the beautiful last moorland climb to 3 Brethren and the fabulous descent
that just went on and on, made up for all the misery earlier!”
This is what the riding at Selkirk is all about. It’s also the
reason why the mountain bike press and personalities rate it so highly:
testament to the trail building skills of the Tweed Valley trail builders,
but also to the course designing skills of Pete Laing himself. It
was always a risk to uproot the Merida Bikes MTB Marathons from their
native home of Wales to transplant them to Scotland but, with thousands
of riders all raving about the riding, it’s one that’s
paid off big time, and one that has ensured that Selkirk is most definitely
on the ‘must do’ list for any self respecting mountain
bike marathoner. If you only ever do one Merida Bikes MTB Marathon
then make sure it’s Selkirk.
To find out what’s in store for this year’s Selkirk marathon
go to http://www.mtb-marathon.co.uk/events/selkirk.php
and prepare yourself for the ride of your life.
|
|
|
| |
2006 |
|
|
|
