Final round of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series 2011

Mike has news of the final round of the CRC MTB Marathon series, taking place in the picturesque town of Ruthin:

Only a week to go before the last event of the 2011 season kicks off at the Rugby Club in Ruthin, North Wales. The 17th and 18th of September are the two days when the  Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series powered by  Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport will take place starting things off with the   “http://www.exposurelights.com/” Exposure Lights Big Night Out Night Marathon at approx. 7.30pm on Saturday (17th September) evening. 

EXPOSURE LIGHTS BIG NIGHT OUT night marathon – 17th September 2011

Now in it’s 6th year, the innovative Exposure Lights Big Night is the largest mass start MTB night marathon, attracting 250+ riders to the start line. Following the introduction of the September ELBNO in 2010 this year will again be the unofficial start of the night racing season. The 1st ELBNO in 2011 which took part in Builth Wells and was blessed with perfect night riding weather and fantastic trail conditions – the 2nd round in Ruthin will hopefully follow in the same footsteps. We expect the Ruthin round to be equally popular at a time of year when riders have “found their legs” and will relish the challenge for a “double whammy” weekend ride.

The Exposure Lights Big Night out will be approx. 42km long with approx. 1,350m of climbing. Leading from Ruthin, the route goes out on the usual return route of the marathon, gently climbing through Bathafarn Farm and continuing to climb off road till it crosses the A494 by The Clwyd Gate Motel. The route continues off road to the forestry on Moel Famau, here the track alternates between forest track and single-track right through the woods, finally exiting the forestry and descending Frith Mountain.

After a spot of tarmac through the Village of Cilcain, the route climbs back onto Moel Famau, on single and dual tracks across the moorland. Here the route crosses the Offa’s Dyke Path then descends rapidly all the way to Gellifor, from here its tarmac and bridleways back to Ruthin.

With the ride being run almost entirely in darkness please make sure that you have enough burn time to complete the course. The average time at the ELBNO in April was around 3 hours – so make sure you are prepared for that.

Exposure Lights will be on site showing off their latest 2012 products range and Chain Reaction Cycles will have some great offers on some Exposure Lights like for example the super popular and versatile Joystick which will go the whole distance without any problems. All lights will be fully charged and ready for action on the night.

Going back to the good old ELBNO tradition every rider will be rewarded with the unique ELBNO T-shirt when crossing the finish line as well as a free helping of coffee, tea and cake to warm up again and get some strength back in your legs for the following day marathon.

For further details on the Exposure Lights Big Night Out Night Marathon please go to the event page or straight to the  entry page.

CRC Spring Marathon – 18th September 2011

Following the ELBNO night marathon will be the final round of the Chain Reaction Cycles MTB Marathon Series powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport. We will have once more 4 different courses on offer – starting with the 29km long (900m of climbing) mini marathon which is ideal for beginners and families, followed by the popular half marathon (55km and 1,900m of climbing). On from there we will have the 70km long middle distance (2,350m of climbing) with the full marathon (80km, 2,900m of climbing) sitting at the top. 

The Ruthin course heading out onto the Clwydian Hills, is a varied course using all the best there is to ride in the area. Fast flowing single -tracks linked by lots of interesting bridleways and technical forestry sections.

The course climbs up onto both Moel Arthur and Moel Famau, with spectacular views of the surrounding Clwydians and North Wales coast.

To find out more about the upcoming round in Ruthin round (17-18th September 2011) please go to the Ruthin event pages on our website or if you haven’t entered yet go directly to the entry page to secure your entry. 

Enter now and save yourself some money

Entries have been coming in thick and fast over the last few weeks but don’t worry, there are still places left. If you haven’t entered yet make sure that you either download an entry form from our website or go directly to the Chain Reaction Cycles hosted online entry. If you enter online via the CRC website you will be given a 5% discount on your next product purchase. For all the details please go to our  entry page on the MTB-Marathon website.

Here you can choose between or the good old paper download entry. 

We will have day entries available but there is a £ 5 surcharge if you enter on site on the Friday, Saturday or Sunday of the event weekend. So better enter now and save yourself some money. If are interested in riding both events than you can save even more by booking the ‘weekend pass’ which gives you the ELBNO night marathon and the day marathon for a reduced price of £ 47.

Time Table for the weekend
Registration – Saturday from 12pm (noon) – 8pm
Start ELBNO – Saturday approx. 7.30pm
Registration – Sunday from 7 – 9am
Start – Sunday 10am

Directions / event location
The event village, the camping and the start/finish of the sportive as well as the MTB marathon is based at the Rugby Club in Ruthin. (click here for a map of the location). The event will be signposted from Friday lunchtime onwards. It doesn’t matter where you are coming from as you will easily find your way to the event village. The event will be open from Friday afternoon until Monday morning. For the GPS users out there the postcode is LL15 2AA. If you are still looking for a B+B or a Hotel please find the details for the local Tourist Information on our  Local Info page.