Fi Spotswood gives her report from the Exmoor edition of the Scott MTB Marathon.
The Exmoor edition of the Scott mountain bike marathon series was a day out that epitomised old school, ‘proper’ mountain biking; the days before it was All About The Bike, when you didn’t know what was coming and you just had to suck it up and pedal. The route, starting just outside Minehead, was varied from the gun. There were fast road sections (ok not many of those), rocky climbs, fast singletrack, gnarly rock gardens and teeth-rattling traverses. Exmoor? Tick! We saw it all.
Maybe it was the bright sunshine, cool breeze and clear sea views across to South Wales from the bracken-lined trails of the moor tops, but the atmosphere amongst riders was epic as we silently winched in solidarity up the climbs. The feed station was just below Dunkery Beacon, at the heart of a range of trails spidering outwards in all directions. It was manned by the Cycle-Tech crew, filling bottles before you could catch your breath to ask, and encouraging you on your way. Up, up again for a short hard climb to the honeypot peak before sailing down, hopping the water bars and rattling through the rocks.
The route clung to Dunkery and climbed and looped all around it in various patterns depending on the length of your ride; 25, 45 or the full 65. The planner had prioritised variation and Serious Fun, and despite the distance (and, for some, over five hours of saddle time), there was a palpable post-ride party atmosphere at the event village. As we pedalled away, back to our van, we could hear the fading cacophony of the sunbaked riders as they consumed coffee, cake, bobble hats and stories.
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