Then why not try Mountain bike orienteering. I have been doing it for a few years now and will be setting out my own event on March the 19th near to Monmouth in SE Wales. Would be great to see some new faces from STW come along and give it a try.

Being early in the season there will be a fair few road miles linking together woodland tracks, greenlanes and the odd muddy bridleway. Ideal bike choice for the area would be a fast hardtail or an XC/gravel bike, though any bike is fine and there will be someone there on an Orange 5, another on a fat bike and almost certainly a few E-bikes (which have their own class). Entry is not expensive and includes food post-event in the village hall HQ.

Basic format. You get an A3 sized 1:25K map extract (approx 10x7km) with 25 check points of various points value scattered across the map. When you get the map you will have 3.5 hours to visit as many checkpoints as you can. You can choose any route you wish (using ROWs) and do as many or as few CPs as you want, so long as you are back within the time limit, otherwise time penalties will be added to your score.

Further info and online entry is possible using the following link. Entry on the day is also possible but please drop me an email in advance if you are thinking of coming as we may need to print more maps

Hope to see you there

Mark

http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/details.php?event_id=872

Well done for putting an event on Mark.

I used to do a few MBO events in the now deceased North East series, and then the North Yorkshire series, but can no longer justify the travelling to myself.

They were always good fun, wide variety of riders as you say, and good value – entry was about £10 or £12 for a day entry which I think is a bargain.

I hope people support yours.

Looks great, and an area i’d like to ride in more…shame i’ve other commitments that weekend. Hope the event goes well.

Is this the same as Trailquest? I was never sure of the relationship between those and BMBO. Did a few TQs in the Lakes and Dales areas ten years ago or so, great fun.

Shame, I’m already booked that weekend too – good luck.

Any reason you chose A3 for the map size?

Well done for putting on an event.
I started doing trailquests in the 90s as a way of exploring areas for family mountain biking but once my time started the red mist would descend and I would spend 5 hours on a series of sprints between check points, going by the fastest route ignoring all the good bits, so that didn’t work! However I did go in for a few diy events and used to love the home – made sociable feel, especially if there was an overnight camp. Hope yours goes well

This looks good fun. Shame it’s in 2 weeks and I am completely unfit…

Can’t make it to Monmouth but I’ve been wanting to try one of these for ages, must book myself on to one!

Aah, I used to do loads of MTBO when I was a teenager around 2000-2002ish.
I came from a background of normal orienteering so to add mountain biking to it was brilliant!
I’ve only got back to mountain biking in the last year but might get back in to this eventually.
Now I’m off to google to look for some North Yorkshire events…..

@ Pocpoc North Yorkshire has one of the most active MBO orienteering groups i the country. I came up last year for an event at Malham and another 2 days later in Dalby. Very well run and lots of entries.

@ Whitestone. This event will not be dissimilar to the old Trailquests as we wanted to try a new area which was a bit more “winter weather” friendly. That said, there are plenty of proper off-road sections and should you choose to ride an XC bike you would need to be pretty confident/competent in a few places.

@ brassneck… A3 is now our default map size using 1:25K. Some series are still run on 1:50K on A4 but this is not ideal when there is plenty of off-road sections to navigate as the detail isn’t there. You need to therefore go A3 to get a biug enough area to get a good spread of CPs. as the top riders can often cover 60+ kms in the time allowed

Bugger, doing a rally that day, navigating!

Hopefully not in the lanes between Monmouth and Raglan 🙂 That would be awkward lol

North Yorkshire has one of the most active MBO orienteering groups i the country. I came up last year for an event at Malham and another 2 days later in Dalby. Very well run and lots of entries.

Yes, Steve Willis runs NYMBO and the events are great. He used to run a North East series, NEMBOS, but sadly stopped the year after I started doing them due to low turnouts 🙁

Yes I used to really enjoy the NE events too and was disappointed when Steve had to pull the plug. I couldn’t understand why NYMBO events got a good turn out but the NE ones didn’t, it was only a bit further North!
I regularly do my local Peak events organised by Dark and White, there’s one on Sunday from Matlock and I shall certainly keep an eye out for the ones in Wales the OP is organising. It’s a great way of riding new areas. I know I get more motivated if I have entered something, it’s all too easy to let a ride slide when other things interrupt.This isn’t to say I will be challenging for top spot, two thirds of the way down the results is a great ride for me.

I like the sound of this and will definitely enter if I am free – need to check with the boss first.

I’m not going to be a contender for the win, but the event is so close to home (within riding distance) that it would be a great chance to try something new.

Done a few “trailquests” in the past, mate and I actually won our class on a GoFar sponsored event somewhere north of Manchester. Mark & Dave I recall were in attendance, scooting around on skateboards!!! Drinks bottle and a bottle of wine were the prizes I think ❓

Looks like fun, will try and make it.

Used to do this kind of thing when I was a teenager, lots of fun.

Sadly I’m working that day so can’t make it, good luck though.

For anyone that’s not done an MTBO event, but likes good old fashioned natural XC riding, i’d definitely recommend giving one a go.
I only discovered it last year, and had an absolute blast.

I’m busy that weekend riding in the Peak District.

But otherwise me and the missus would have been up for it. We have done a few previously and they are a great way to spend the day on your bike with the added purpose of not getting too lost 🙂

Post up if you do any more.

We love the low key competitive start of it combined with the slowly dawning realisation that makes you pedal like mad 30 mins before the end.

I couldn’t understand why NYMBO events got a good turn out but the NE ones didn’t, it was only a bit further North!

To be fair, probably the same reason I don’t go to NYMBO events from Newcastle. I did a few of the more northern ones (e.g. Swaledale) but driving for 4 or 5 hours round trip, usually on my own, to do a 3 or 4 hour ride just wasn’t appealing.