The past few months have been heavy with Mountain Bike Marathons and Stage Races the world over. Iconic Stage Races have been run in the Alps, Wales, The Rocky Mountains, Poland, Austria, Germany… they really are a fantastic way to see a region, meet new friends, and be competitive. Similarly, the Marathon racing has been non-stop. MarathonMTB.com have been able to cover some events first hand, but the calender is rich with great races. Here is a quick preview of what is to come in September.
This is the UK’s premier Mountain Bike Marathon, on Saturday 3rd September. It is a one loop, 100 mile race. This is no semi-competitive MTB Sportive. The race starts when the gun goes off. Run around Kielder Forest and Newcastleton, the race takes in a variety of purpose built trails and forest road. There are many challenges to overcome, besides the distance. Midges, weather, not stopping at the Newcastleton Cafe for too long… This is an iconic event in the United Kingdom, surely one that provides tales for the next few months of pub talk.
BottleButt 100 and Hairy Butt 50
These two events on September 10th make the fourth round of the Real Insurance XCM Series. Taking place in Port Macquarie, the event has had input from 24hr World Champion Jason English. In a novel change, accommodation is also being provided in a mass camp setup, easing the logistics for those who need to travel longer distances for the event. MarathonMTB.com will be represented by both Graeme Arnott and Justin Morris. The mens top 3 for the series seems to be settled, but anything can happen in a Marathon.
Next stop after the grueling National Park Bike Marathon on the IXS Bike Classic series is the O-Tour, on September 11th. If people have thawed out enough after last weekends snow storm, it should make some great racing. Both Esther Suss and Christophe Sauser have been confirmed for the start.
Now in its third year, the Tour de Timor continues to attract a strong field of local and international riders. Running from 11-16th September. A variety of elements make this race popular. It is well supported by the local community (and obviously Dr Jose Ramos-Horta), offers a a great way to see the whole area, and has good prize money at the top end. Although a different experience to doing a stage race in Europe, North America, Australia or South Africa – past participants say it is a very worthwhile event. No doubt that is why it is again full up in 2011.
US National Marathon Championships
The US National XCM Champs have movd to Bend, Oregon. Not only are they now later in the season on September 17th, but they have moved a long way west from the previous Firecrecker 50 event. Some may say this is pushing too far into ‘cross season. But Marathons are a growing entity, and surely in a mountain biking mecca like Bend, this will prove to be a popular venue and race.
Singletrack Mind Series: Mt Annan
Australia has some phenomenal Marathon races, but also a plethora of 3,4,6,8, 12 and 24 hour events. Some of these are beyond the scope of MarathonMTB.com, but the Singletrack Mind Series races are often used by Australia’s best Marathon racers to hone their form with quality lap based racing. The trails are always superb, as are the organisation and competitors. This 8hr event on 18th September should be yet another successful event for the race organisers, Chocolate Foot.
Another one of the Swiss IXS Bike Classic events, this race is on September 25th, within an hour from Zurich. Harsh conditions struck the race last year, but great reviews came out anyway. For those who started their Marathon season early, they may choose to be hanging the bike up after Einsiedeln. Or perhaps it just marks the change to the cyclocross season?
There are many more races taking place this September, but these are a few noteworthy ones. If you have entered a great Marathon or Stage race that we have missed, get in touch if you want to let the world of Marathon and Stage Racing know about it.