Placeholder

MSC Descent-Gear NPS Round 5 – The Final

by 1

Pic by Scott Cartwright.
Pic by Scott Cartwright.

The final round of the MSC / Descent-Gear NPS is back at Rheola in South Wales. Last time around Marc Beaumont took home a gold medal and the National Champions jersey. Who will it be who takes home the series trophies, kindly provided from Hope Technology?

The course has been revamped as has the pit area and there is now a brand new finish arena. Rheola was described by Rob Warner as Fort William with trees. It’s a rider’s dream with a super fast open section up top, ruts and roots in the middle and then it gets tight and dirty at the bottom.

Parking and spectating is always free, a caterer will be onsite to keep you fed and watered. The Monster Energy team will be there with their sound system, Monster Wig-Wam and be fuelling up the riders with over 2,000 cans of the green stuff. Tim Flooks will be there from TF Tuned to keep the suspension working.

Directions:

Head up the M4 to Swansea, continue to Junction 43. Take the A465, continue past Resolven. Take the first Glyn Neath turn (by MacDonalds). Take the next left (after Macdonalds) which is the B4242 (the old A465). Drive down this road for about a mile and the entrance to the venue is on the right opposite a layby. Alternatively, you can get on the A465 halfway between Newport and Monmouth and drive past Abergavenny and Merthyr along the ‘Heads of the Valleys’ Road. It’s a nice drive if you know it and would avoid and football or rugby traffic down Cardiff if there is anything on.

Pic by Scott Cartwright.
Pic by Scott Cartwright.

Good camping at Dare Valley Country Park Tel: 01685 874672 or Dan yRogoff Showcaves 01639 730284

Local accommodation:

Drwfs Nesaf 01639 720 035
Craig y Dinas 01639 720 378
Forresters House 01639 720 250
Old Bakehouse, Glynneath 01639 720 375

The Postcode your looking for is SA11 4DU, this is the lane at the bottom of the course, if you go past the Snack van its just on your right.

Grid Reference is: SN 848 051  – Thanks to Jamie Todd from Extreme Medical for this vital info.

PARKING IS LIMITED SO LISTEN UP:

Rheola is a nightmare for parking. Therefore we need everyone to use a bit of common sense and park nice and tightly.

Main pit area: Reserved for teams and officials, please don’t park here unless you are supposed to.

Fire road: All cars to park here on the left hand side only. Anyone parking on the right may block emergency vehicle access and therefore would stop racing and practise.

Small car park on the right: Strictly for motor homes and converted vans only.

CAMPING:

No camping onsite we’re afraid.

Singletrack Weekly Word

Sports Newsletter of the Year finalist at the Publisher Newsletter Awards 2024. Find out why our newsletter is different and give it a go.

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

More posts from Ben

Comments Closed