Abergavenny saw the 4th round of the CRC MTB Marathon Series powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport and the Vitus Road Sportive Series.
With the new destination, the event also saw an exciting change in format, running the MTB Marathon on Saturday and road event in the Sunday.
The weather in the week leading up to the event was perfect in the small, stunning town of Abergavenny, but in true British summer style there were flood warnings on the Friday night before the event. This of course didn’t “dampen” Mike, John and the team’s spirits and the event ground was ready for the arrival of the riders by 4pm on Friday afternoon. The riders flooded in on the Friday night with the camping facilities quickly filled up by early evening.
As predicted, with nightfall also came rain. However, to say the ground held up well would be an understatement. Awaking the next morning, spirits were high with people excited to get on their bikes and tackle the best these Welsh trails had to offer. With three distances to select from, the series once again offered a choice of distance to suit both experienced and novice riders alike.
With over 1000 entries over the weekend, proof of this events popularity is shown by the sheer numbers that sign up. To make things better, a far stretch from the flood warnings predicted, the sun came out, shining down on the event village. And with that…they were off, riding the technical, challenging but overall fun trails around Abergavenny. The rain briefly showed its face with two downpours throughout the day, but it was a far cry from the warnings that Wales had been given for this weekend.
With the change in format,a huge number of riders stayed after the ride and enjoyed coverage of GB’s most successful day in the Olympics for over 100 years on a widescreen television that was set up by the event organisers. With a bar to provide a refreshing beverage after the long ride and later on a band to entertain those in the event gazebo. No amount of rain would have flooded the enthusiasm of those lucky enough to be present.
Sunday morning saw a cool, crisp day arrive in the Welsh town and soon after it, the arrival of the riders for the Vitus Road sportive. It seemed the rain that was predicted caught up with riders slightly on the Sunday. However these guys didn’t let that put them off and from 0830 the riders begin to ride out in waves.
Next round
The final round of the CRC MTB Marathon Series powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport will take place in Ruthin on the 15-16th September. The event will be the first triple event with the Vitus sportive taking place on Saturday the 15th, followed by the Exposure Lights Big Night Out Night Marathon on the same day and brought to conclusion with the CRC MTB-Marathons on Sunday the 16th. So a pretty packed weekend.
Ritchey TrailMasters!
The TrailMasters event is only a week away (17-19th August in Llanwrtyd Wells). If you enjoy a good mix of riding, camping, live music and atmosphere then the TrailMasters could be perfect for you.
You can still enter now or you could even turn up on the day and join the fun. To enter and for all the event info see the event website www.trailmasters.cc. Apart from the full three day version there will also be the one day version (Saturday).